Towing in Charlotte hits the young and poor

That’s one of the findings of a Axios Charlotte analysis of where cars are most often towed across the city. While tows are conducted all over the city, they appear to be concentrated around apartment complexes, mobile home parks, UNC Charlotte and public housing.

They’re least prevalent in affluent areas that are primarily residential.

Double click to zoom in on the map below.

The Agenda analyzed more than 16,000 individual tows contained in data provided by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, which keeps a record of each time a car is moved without the owner’s consent.

The data set covered the period between January through November 2015, so some circumstances may have changed. But they offer a compelling window into the big business that is towing in Charlotte.

When can you be towed in Charlotte?

Charlotte has a strict towing ordinance that restricts the situations in which somebody’s car can be booted or hauled off.

Signs must be posted, larger than two square feet, and clearly visible. And between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., the property owner must sign an order specifically authorizing a tow company to remove the vehicle.

This prevents tow companies from lurking around parking lots during the day and nabbing cars just as people leave. The City Council put this in place after concerns that predatory towing was a common practice in Charlotte — and there are still some complaints even with this provision.

After 7 p.m., though, the property owner doesn’t have to be around to sign an order. Property owners can enter into contracts with tow companies to remove vehicles.

How much does towing cost in Charlotte?

The city used to cap the amount tow companies could charge at $120, but the N.C. Supreme Court invalidated that provision. Charlotte also used to prevent tow companies from charging for a tow in progress, but that got struck down, too.

Tow companies are required to accept cash and at least two major credit cards.

Now it generally costs about $175 to get your car back, plus a storage fee if you have to wait to pick it up.

Who are the big players in Charlotte towing?

While dozens of companies were represented in the data, several big players dominate the market.

SL Recovery had the most tows in the time period covered by the CMPD data, with just over 3,000. Skyline Towing was next with about 1,700.

Click for an interactive version of the chart below.

These are the top 10 towing hotspots in Charlotte.

This list was put together by analyzing the individual addresses that occurred most often in the data. This would not be able to identify apartment complexes with numerous tows but different building addresses. Remember, this covered slightly less than a year’s time.

1) 3025 North Davidson Street (Johnston YMCA) – 373 tows

This YMCA has a massive parking lot just outside the main commercial strip of NoDa. The Y staff has experimented with different parking permit policies and differing levels of aggressiveness with towing there.

“We do have challenges in that parking lot,” said Molly Thompson, spokeswoman for YMCA Charlotte. “We really try to balance giving priority to our paying members, but also to balance that with really trying to hep the community, a community that is heavily visited with very little parking.”

Charlottean Lindsay Duncan said her car was towed along with two of her friends’ cars while they visited NoDa for the evening. Duncan said she thought it was OK because she was a Y member.

“They had told us they had emailed or mailed people information regarding the new Johnston parking pass policy but I never remember seeing anything,” she said. The Y ended up reimbursing her for the money spent to get her car back.

2) 9825 University City Boulevard (Boulevard 98 apartments) – 369 tows

This is an off-campus apartment community serving UNC Charlotte. The apartments have been sold to a different company since the period covered by the towing data.

3) 2207 Farmer Street (Arbor Glen) – 245 tows

Arbor Glen is a low-income housing community managed by the Charlotte Housing Authority in west Charlotte. A spokeswoman declined to comment.

4) 2720 South Boulevard (Colonial Reserve at South End) – 235 tows

South End apartment complex. The community manager did not respond to requests for comment.

5) 8600 University City Boulevard (Harris Teeter) – 234 tows

This is the grocery store serving the UNC Charlotte area. Harris Teeter spokeswoman Danna Robinson said towing there is determined by the landlord, who did not respond to a request for comment.

6) 222 E Bland Street (Post South End) – 228 tows

Another South End apartment community. The community manager did not respond to requests for comment.

7) 17701 Halton Park Drive (Halton Park Apartments) – 216 tows

These apartments also primarily serve UNC Charlotte students. The community manager did not respond to requests for comment.

8) 1005 W Trade Street (Ten05 apartments) – 205 tows

These apartments are by Johnson & Wales University.

9) 1409 East Boulevard (Starbucks) – 189 tows

This parking lot has been a flashpoint for years. Only certain parking spots are reserved for Starbucks customers. The rest are for the neighboring Key Man Building. It was this parking lot that led to political pressure on the City Council to change the towing ordinance.

10) 2940 Turning Oak Drive (Willow Oak Run apartments) – 158 tows

These apartments serve primarily low-income people in Charlotte.

Where were the tows Uptown?

Notice the clusters around the apartments along North Graham Street.

Where were the tows in South End?

The most pronounced cluster appears to be on the streets surrounding Wooden Robot Brewery.

Where were the tows in NoDa?

Dual clusters in “downtown” NoDa and by apartment complexes.

Where were the tows in Plaza Midwood?

More tows in Belmont than Plaza Midwood.