Towing & Immobilization of Vehicles

General Guidelines - LUPD is authorized (at the registered owner’s expense) to remove from University property, impound, or immobilize any motor vehicle on University property which…

• has an expired state registration or no state registration (license plates) displayed;      
• inhibits the flow of traffic;
• creates a deterrent to protection from fire or combat of fire;
• is parked illegally in a reserved or handicapped space;
• or is parked in any area not clearly marked as a parking space and/or has violated any of the parking rules and regulations.

Parking or operating a vehicle on campus after the vehicle has been banned will result in a $100 fine, per occurrence, and the vehicle may be impounded or towed.

On University property, when a vehicle (this includes bicycles) is unattended or is left under any circumstance which indicates it has been abandoned, it will be disposed of at the discretion of the University, through LUPD, 30 days after having been so identified.

When a vehicle is parked illegally in any handicap, sidewalk access ramps, or otherwise reserved parking space and an authorized occupant requests that it be impounded, immobilized, or towed.

The student is responsible for all impoundment or immobilization fees. Impounded vehicles not claimed by their owners in 30 days will be considered abandoned and will be disposed of by the impounder as provided by the Code of Virginia.  Vehicles towed by a contract wrecker are subject to towing and storage fees charged by the wrecker service.  Liberty University will not be responsible for damage to vehicles impounded on the Liberty University campus.

Liberty University reserves the right to tow any vehicle when an emergency arises.  This right includes entering a locked vehicle to accomplish this action.  Any person impeding an officer towing a vehicle may be subject to arrest for disorderly conduct, will lose campus driving privileges, and will have their vehicle banned from campus.

Unauthorized tampering with or removal of an immobilizing device from a vehicle will incur a $100 fee.  An additional fee for repair or replacement of a damaged device will be assessed to the owner of the immobilized vehicle. (This additional fee may be added to a student bill).

Release Procedure for vehicle towed by contract wrecker:

• Contact LUPD at 582-7641 to obtain the name, address, and telephone number of the towing company, and the reason for towing.
• Contact the contract towing company and arrange to pay the towing and any storage fees.

Disabled, Immobilized, or Broken Down Vehicles

Any disabled vehicle MUST BE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY TO LUPD BY CALLING 434-582-7641, or 434-582-3911 for EMERGENCIES ONLY.  A disabled vehicle must be removed from Liberty’s property within 48 hours of the incident to prevent towing.  Any vehicle in a fire lane or handicap space must be moved immediately.

Towing Appeals - Any individual having their car towed can appeal the action.  Appeals are handled by the Records Manager and forwarded to the Chief of Police for final disposition.  Bear in mind, all appeals begin and end with the Chief of Police.

1. The individual wishing to appeal needs to complete a “Towing Appeal Form” and turn the completed form to the LUPD Records Office no later than 30 days after the tow action took place.  The “Towing Appeal Form” can found at this link: Towing Appeal Form

2. Additionally, towing appeals should describe the circumstances and reason for the appeal.  You may also include any documentation or pictures for consideration.

3. Individuals submitting tow appeals should understand the LUPD Records Office staff are only responsible for taking receipt of the towing appeal.  While LUPD Records Office staff may be able to answer general questions related to parking rules and regulations, and the towing appeal process, they are not in the position to be “litigating” tow appeals or making a decision related to a towing action.

4. The time taken to process a towing appeal depends on the complexity of the circumstances surrounding the towing action and the amount of appeals being processed by the department at the time an individual’s appeal is filed.  As it relates to tow appeals, LUPD will carefully review each of the issues raised by the individual filing the appeal. Because of this approach it does take some time to conduct a complete investigation.

5. Towing appeals are generally processed in the order in which they were received by the LUPD Records Office.  Individual’s wishing to check the status of their appeal can do so by sending an e-mail to lupd@liberty.edu.  When sending this e-mail it is important to type in “Towing Appeal Status Request” in the subject line of the e-mail as this will enable LUPD Records Office staff to more easily forward this request to the appropriate individual handling your case.  In most cases, individuals who feel the need to do this will check every couple of weeks.  Checking more frequently than this, often times will slow down the investigatory process and thus will delay a decision on the individual’s appeal.

6. LUPD reserves to the right to deny an individual’s appeal or pre-emptively end the appeal process should the individual filing the appeal exhibit behavior that is belligerent, disrespectful, or otherwise impedes the orderly operations of the department.  This expectation will be strictly enforced and can also result in an arrest for disorderly conduct or other administrative actions.

7. Towing Appeals are either upheld or denied by the Chief of Police.  In the case of a denial, an e-mail is sent to the individual filing the appeal related to the disposition of their appeal.  In cases where appeals have been denied, the towing appeal is closed and the individual will bear the cost of their vehicle being towed.  In the event, an appeal is sustained, the individual will be contacted via e-mail with directions on how to be reimbursed for the towing expenses they incurred.