The North Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Chapel Hill suspend enforcement of new towing regulations while a lawsuit over the rules is appealed.
Chapel Hill adopt towing rules in February 2012 to cut down on complaints about predatory towing, but the order never took effect because towing company operator George King challenged them and a local ban on using cell phone while driving.
King argued that the combination of the 2 ordinances would harm his business, saying that his drivers would be cite for using a cell phone in responding to calls from people seekingto recover their towed cars.
A Superior Court judge threw out both ordinances last year (2012), but the state Carolina Court of Appeals reversed the ruling 3 weeks ago, saying King had not shown any harm from either order. Chapel Hill intended to begin enforcing the towing rules Monday while holding off on the cell phone ban while driving.
The rules would require 2 zones to be properly marked, set fees towing companies can charge, require them to accept credit or debit card expense, consent that they inform police before towing any vehicle and ban impound lots from being more than 15 miles from town. King asked the state Supreme Court Monday to review the Court of Appeals ruling.
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