The Portland Ombudsman's Office found that Elite Towing charged a median of $1,893 to 91 customers in the first quarter of 2025 — approximately five times the $419 median charged by five competitors under the city's pricing agreement — by exploiting a private tow loophole that allows police to order tows from companies outside the regulated rate structure, according to OPB. The Ombudsman recommended applying the same rate caps to all towing companies, but the city's transportation bureau declined to implement the change.
Operator takeaway
If your city has a similar private-tow loophole, this report is the template regulators will use to close it — review whether your police-ordered tows fall inside or outside your municipality's rate structure.