Connecticut HB 5465: AN ACT CONCERNING THE TOWING AND STORAGE OF MOTOR VEHICLES.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5465
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING THE TOWING AND STORAGE OF MOTOR
VEHICLES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) On and after October 1
1, 2027, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall establish and 2
maintain a publicly accessible and searchable electronic portal on the 3
Internet web site of the Department of Motor Vehicles for the purpose 4
of providing information concerning (1) motor vehicles subjected to 5
nonconsensual towing or transporting, as defined in section 14-66 of the 6
general statutes, as amended by this act, and (2) motor vehicles taken 7
into custody and stored pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of section 14-8
150 of the general statutes. The goal of the portal shall be to enable the 9
members of the public to determine whether a motor vehicle has been 10
towed or taken into custody and the location where such motor vehicle 11
is stored. The portal shall be available twenty-four hours per day and 12
shall not require the creation of a personal account for access to search 13
such information. 14
(b) When designing such portal, the commissioner shall consult with 15
the Towing Advisory Council, established under section 11 of this act, 16
to ensure the portal is easily operated and accessible when submitting, 17
and searching for, information on towed and stored motor vehicles. The 18
commissioner shall consider whether the portal may be used to permit 19

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a wrecker service to electronically file forms prescribed by the 20
commissioner, including a notice of tow, and whether such electronic 21
filing may be used in lieu of mailing such forms. 22
(c) Each wrecker service or the owner or keeper of any garage, storage 23
facility or other place where a towed or transported motor vehicle is 24
stored shall, not later than forty-eight hours after such motor vehicle 25
arrives at the wrecker service's or owner's or keeper's business in a 26
secured lot, submit electronically to the portal information sufficient to 27
identify such motor vehicle, the identity and contact information for 28
such wrecker service or owner or keeper and any other information as 29
the commissioner may prescribe. If such motor vehicle was towed or 30
transported without the motor vehicle operator present, such wrecker 31
service or owner or keeper shall not charge storage fees for such motor 32
vehicle until the information regarding such tow is electronically 33
submitted to the portal in accordance with the provisions of this 34
subsection. Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (A) of 35
subdivision (1) of subsection (f) of section 14-145 of the general statutes, 36
as amended by this act, a wrecker service who performs a private-37
property trespass tow, as defined in section 14-66d of the general 38
statutes, as amended by this act, and electronically submits the 39
information regarding such tow to the portal in accordance with the 40
provisions of this section need not notify the local police department or 41
resident state trooper serving the municipality where the tow was 42
conducted of such tow. 43
(d) Each such wrecker service or owner or keeper shall update the 44
portal with information as prescribed by the commissioner to reflect 45
changes in the status of any such stored motor vehicle. 46
(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 14-51a and 14-64 of the 47
general statutes, the commissioner may not impose a civil penalty for a 48
wrecker service or owner or keeper who is unable to electronically 49
submit information to the portal in accordance with the provisions of 50
this section due to a technological issue or an electrical outage, provided 51
such wrecker service or owner or keeper documents such issue or 52

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outage and electronically submits information to the portal as soon as 53
possible after such issue is resolved or electrical service is restored. 54
(f) The provisions of this section shall not apply to a wrecker service 55
or owner or keeper who stores a motor vehicle (1) that was towed with 56
the consent of the owner or operator, or (2) subject to repossession. 57
Sec. 2. Section 14-66e of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes 58
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 59
October 1, 2026): 60
(a) For the purposes of this section: 61
(1) "Police-ordered towing" means towing or transporting and 62
recovery of a motor vehicle without the prior consent of authorization 63
of the owner or operator of the motor vehicle performed pursuant to the 64
provisions of section 14-150, as amended by this act, section 14-307 or 65
any other order of a police officer or traffic authority; 66
(2) "Oversize or overweight motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle, 67
combination of motor vehicle and trailer or commercial ve