Somebody pawned your parking space? You have the right to call a tow truck at his expense!

Imagine this scenario: You come back tired after a full day of work, dreaming only of rest, and your purchased or assigned to the flat parking space is occupied by a alien car. Frustration, helplessness, and anger are the first emotions that appear. Many drivers in this situation do not know what to do, or are afraid to take any steps. However, the law in 2025 is on your side and gives you circumstantial and effective tools to act. The site is not only an inconvenience, but above all a violation of your traffic laws and regulations. You can, and you should, react. The key to success is to call the appropriate services, which can remove the vehicle at the expense of its owner. In this article, we will guide you step by step through the procedure, explain what conditions must be met, and what costs will be borne by a frivolous driver. Forget the powerlessness – it is time to know your rights.

When do you have the right to call the police? Key conditions

Not all parking space occupied is automatically eligible for intervention and towing. In order to be able to legally remove a car, the circumstantial conditions laid down in Article 130a of the Road Traffic Law must be fulfilled. The most crucial of these is that the vehicle must be parked in a place where this is prohibited and hinders movement or otherwise endangers safety.

In practice, appropriate labelling is crucial. Your chances of fast and effective intervention increase dramatically if you have the following signs on your parking space:

• D-18 sign “parking” or D-18a “parking – reserved place” with a sign indicating who it is intended for (e.g. ‘for vehicle with rej. XYZ’ or ‘for occupants of block 5 only’).
• Table T-24, which straight informs that the vehicle left at this point contrary to the prohibition will be removed at the expense of the owner. That's your strongest argument!
• D-40 sign ‘zone of residence’. In specified a region parking is permitted only in designated places. all vehicle parked outside them breaks the rules and can be towed.

If your place is on a public road and is decently marked, you have the full right to call the services. Officers will measure the situation upon arrival and if they confirm the infringement, they will decide to tow.

Step by step procedure. How to effectively study the problem in 2025?

When you find that your seat is occupied and the conditions for intervention are met, act methodically. The following procedure will maximize your chances of solving the problem quickly:

1. Documentation is the basis. Before you call anywhere, take any photos or a short video with your phone. Make certain you see a parked vehicle, its registration numbers and surroundings, especially road signs (especially T-24), which confirm the infringement. It's priceless evidence for the patrol.
2. Call City defender Emergency Number 986. It's the most appropriate number in these cases. Calmly and accurately explain the situation to the dispatcher. Enter the exact address, registration number of the blocking vehicle and inform about the existing marking. Stress that the car impedes movement or blocks access to the prohibited site.
3. Wait for the patrol to arrive. The waiting time may vary depending on the number of applications in the area. Be patient. Officers gotta physically show up to verify the report.
4. Intervention in place. After the arrival, the City defender patrol will measure the situation. First they'll effort to find and contact the owner of the vehicle. If this doesn't work or the owner refuses to decision the car, the officer has the right to issue the disposal of the vehicle. A tow truck will be called in to towed to a safety deposit car.

Important: Never effort to block the vehicle that took your place. specified action is illegal and may put you under legal responsibility.

Internal road and private property. Here the rules are different

The case is complicated erstwhile your parking space is on Internal route or an area which is not a traffic region or a residence zone. In specified an area (e.g. underground parking in a block managed by the community, a private driveway) the powers of the Municipal defender and Police are limited. In principle, they cannot towed a vehicle from a private area unless it poses a direct threat to life or health.

What, then, can we do? You have 2 main paths. First, contact the site manager (cooperative, residential community) who may have his own procedures and regulations allowing for intervention. Secondly, the legal way remains. You can go on the road civil action against the owner of the vehicle for breach of possession or claim compensation for the uncontractual usage of your property. It is simply a longer process, but frequently the only 1 effective in private territory.

Costs to the driver. How much will he pay for specified a “mistake” in 2025?

Leaving the car in an unauthorised place is simply a very costly mistake. In 2025, the driver whose vehicle will be towed must face triple costs that can seriously undermine his budget:

• Criminal term: For parking in a non-authorised place there is simply a fine of PLN 100 to 800 and punishment points, depending on the peculiar offence (e.g. parking on an “envelope”).
• Cost of towing the vehicle: It's the most serious expense. The maximum rates shall be fixed annually by the Ministry of Finance. In 2025 for towing a passenger car up to 3.5 tons you gotta pay about PLN 697.
• Parking fee: Each day of retention in a guarded parking lot is an additional cost. The regular rate is about PLN 60.

In summing up, already in the first day a reckless driver may be forced to pay well above 1000 PLN. This is simply a financial argument that effectively discourages the recurrence of violations.

Remember, knowing your rights is simply a powerful tool. alternatively of looking at the place taken powerlessly, act legally – effectively and without unnecessary emotions. Your determined but legal consequence will not only solve your problem, but will besides contribute to improving the culture of parking in your area.