Tow Zone Alerts is an SMS-based service that alerts drivers when their vehicle is parked illegally and at risk of being ticketed or towed. The goal is twofold: help cities maintain clean, safe streets, and help drivers avoid parking hassles, especially due to street cleaning which accounts for about half of all towing in Boston (~45,000 tows per year). 

In English or Spanish, we (1) offer warning texts about temporary no-parking zones due to street cleaning and street occupancy permits and (2) facilitate anonymous peer-to-peer illegal parking alerts based on crowd-sourced license plate reports. We also share occasional information about fun, interesting local happenings with people who opt into "What's Happening" texts.

TZA has been around since April 2023, and currently supports the basic service -- warnings for street cleaning -- in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Chelsea.  From Boston's towing logs, we measure that our subscribers have experienced an 80% reduction in towing. The average subscriber is towed once per year before and 0.2 times per year after signing up.

To enroll:

• Fill out this short Google form (only required piece of information is phone number).

• Or text "I'm in" to 844-997-4214.

We want to solve a problem — not create one. We do not share your data with anyone. Please review our Privacy Policy and get in touch if you have any questions. You can always opt opt of texts, or have your data removed from the system.