Parking violators and other vehicle owners have paid an additional $340,000 in administrative towing fees to the City of Champaign over the last four years, according a review of city records by CU-CitizenAccess.org.
Since 2009, the city has charged an administrative fee of $25 on every vehicle returned to its owner following a city-initiated tow. The fee comes on top of the cost of the tow, which has a basic rate of $200 and is regulated under city code.
A $5 fee may also be charged to a vehicle owner who parked in a reserved space in the University District and city’s answering service requests a tow.
Shirl Johnson, parking operations supervisor for Champaign, said in an email that previous Public Works department administration determined “only a $5 fee was necessary to cover the cost of the answering service.”
Champaign’s guidelines for towing services said city-initiated tows are primarily requested by the Champaign Police, Neighborhood Services and Parking departments to remove vehicles from accident scenes, remove improperly parked vehicles and seize vehicles with unpaid parking tickets.
The revenue from these fees from 2022 through 2025 were obtained by CU-CitizenAccess through a Freedom of Information Act request.
In 2025, Champaign’s $25 fee generated $80,050 from 3,202 city-initiated tows performed by licensed companies within the city.
The $5 fees totaled $3,565 for 713 tows the same year. These fees were aggregated annually in city records.
City fees collected, billed by towing companies
The city’s licensed towing companies, also called relocators, are responsible for collecting the $25 fee from vehicle owners.
Jim Hampton, owner of Tatman’s Towing, said he’s not happy with having to bring in the city’s fee through his business.
“It’s like a hotel tax,” Hampton said in an interview. “Who wants to collect money for someone else?”
Hampton said the fee specifically covers police paperwork regarding a vehicle’s ownership and insurance status.
The fee was originally intended to offset lost revenue stemming from the 2008 financial crisis, according to former Champaign Deputy Police Chief Troy Daniels, as reported in a 2009 article by The Daily Illini. Specifically, the fee covered the cost of handling paperwork related to city-initiated towing requests, as reported by Illinois Public Media the same year.
A Police Services Representative processes all vehicle tows, Champaign Police Supervisor Kelly Brown said in an email.
An officer requesting to tow a vehicle could take up to 30 minutes of processing time, including data entry and logging, she said. If a vehicle requires certain holds, such as needing proof of insurance or ownership, the vehicle release can take an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
“The last time the City’s Guidelines for Towing Services were evaluated was in 2023, and the administrative fee remained at $25 at that time,” Brown said.
Nearly 17 years later, the city is still collecting the fees, bringing in over $80,000 per year since 2022.
Towing companies in the city initially resisted the fee, but discussions with the city to stop it from taking effect were unsuccessful. Now, more than 15 years later, Hampton said he’s moved on from trying to fight it.
“The juice isn’t worth the squeeze,” Hampton said. “It’s not really worth my time or effort to go try to change that. I got other things to worry about than the $25 admin fee.”
The extra $25 may appear as an item on one’s receipt.
Tatman’s Towing, one of six licensed towing companies within the city, lists it as “Admin Fee; City Departments” on the bill. It appears as an additional charge on top of the company’s $200 base rate towing fee, meaning it accounts for over 10% of the total cost of a standard, city-initiated tow performed by the company.
The city’s five other licensed companies — Andy’s Enterprise Towing, Don’s 24 Hour Towing, Feldkamps Towing, Reynolds Towing Service and Smith’s Towing & Recovery — are also all responsible for collecting the fee for the city.
“At the time, I was just like, ‘I want my car back, I’ll pay whatever,’” Rheya Pigors, whose car was towed by the city in December 2025, said in an interview. “I didn’t really question (the fee) at all.”
Pigors was visiting friends in Champaign and parked along the 300 block of East Healey Street, which is reserved for residents with permits. When she went to reclaim her car the next day from Tatman’s, she saw the $25 fee at the bottom of her receipt, but said she didn’t question it.
Pigors also had to pay for an Uber to get to the Tatman’s holding lot, another common expense for those who have their vehicles towed.
The Tatman’s lot is near the corner of Cunningham Avenue and East Perkins Road in northeast Urbana, approximately three miles away from where Pigors had originally parked in Champaign. Uber prices often fluctuate, but the trip is at least another $10, according to Uber’s price estimate website.
Champaign caps the standard tow rate at $200 for city-initiated tows, meaning the fee never accounts for more than 12.5% of a given standard total. Companies may charge more in specific circumstances like if accident site cleanup or if a flatbed truck is needed.
Reynolds has collected the most in fees for the city, bringing in over $120,000 for Champaign over the past four years.
The most profitable month for the city is September, when it has collected just short of $40,000 in fees from 2022 to 2025. June and July have the lowest number of city-initiated tows in the past four years, but the city has still collected nearly $20,000 in that period.
Companies perform more relocations, when a vehicle is towed for being parked without permission, during August, September and October when school is in session.
“Relocations have historically increased during these times due to an increase in people and vehicles in town, along with new students on campus not knowing where they can legally park,” Brown said in an email. “At times, there are spikes in tows related to special events, weather emergencies, and even posted no parking (zones) due to road hazards and construction.”