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Columbus State Towing and Roadside Help for Commuters

Jumps, lockouts, flats and tows for drivers parked at Columbus State's Spring Street campus or its Delaware campus off US 23.

Call (740) 812-9489

Columbus State towing and roadside calls come mostly from commuters: people who drove in before an early class, parked in a campus lot, and walked back to a car that will not start or a door that will not open. Columbus State's main campus sits at 550 East Spring Street in the Discovery District, and almost every student there arrives from somewhere else. Federal College Navigator data for fall 2024 shows about 28,000 undergraduates, 79 percent of them part-time, which means a steady stream of drivers fitting classes around jobs. This page explains how the campus parking system works, which highway exits sit beside the campus, what to tell our dispatcher, and what each service costs. We also cover the Delaware campus. We are an independent company and have no connection to the college or its parking contractor.

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How parking works on the Columbus campus

Columbus State's lots are managed by SP+, and the college has dropped physical hangtags in favor of license plate readers. Students register for a $50 per-semester virtual permit; visitors pay by the hour through the Parking.com app or the method posted on lot signs. The college lists the visitor rate as $2 for the first hour and $1 for each additional hour, capped at $12 a day.

The college names a Parking Garage and surface lots including 5-S, 21-S, 25-S and 27-S, plus Lot 28-S on Mount Vernon Avenue for contractors and vendors. Because the readers scan rear plates, the college asks drivers not to back in or pull through unless the car has a front plate. Unregistered cars risk a citation, which SP+ handles; if you get one, the ticket explains how to pay or appeal. When you call us from campus, the lot number is the single most useful thing you can give dispatch.

Getting in and out: I-670, I-71 and Spring Street

The campus sits just north of downtown near where I-670 and I-71 meet. On I-670, exit 4C serves Cleveland Avenue and Leonard Avenue, and exit 5 serves Spring Street into downtown, next to the I-71 interchange. That makes the campus easy to reach, but it also means a breakdown on the ramp can happen within sight of the lots.

If your car dies on an interstate or a ramp, move to the shoulder if it is safe, turn on hazards, stay belted in, and call 911 first if you are in a live lane. Then call us at (740) 812-9489 with the highway, direction and the last exit you passed. Highway calls add $75 under our rate card. For a car that has to go, light-duty towing is $4 a mile en-route, a $125 hook-up and $7 per loaded mile.

The calls we see from commuter students

A car that sits in a surface lot from a morning class into an evening shift goes through a full day of heat or cold, and that is hard on a battery that is already near the end. A jump start is a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard and includes a battery test with a printed report, so you know whether you can make it home. If the test says the battery is finished, we can swap it on the spot.

Keys left on the seat while grabbing a backpack are the other classic. Our lockout service is priced the same as a jump. A flat picked up on a downtown pothole gets a tire change to your spare. If the problem is bigger, we can tow the car to one of our independent repair partners.

  • Tell dispatch: lot number or garage level, the row, car color and plate
  • Mention if the car is an EV; it will be towed with all four wheels off the ground

The Delaware campus

Columbus State also runs a Delaware campus at 5100 Cornerstone Drive, north of Columbus off US 23. The college says parking registration applies at every one of its locations, so the same plate-based system and $50 permit apply there. Delaware sits in our outer-community zone, where most calls are reached in 40 to 60 minutes, always as an estimate. Our Delaware service-area page covers the roads and neighborhoods around it, and the pricing is the same rate card used everywhere else. If you are stuck there after an evening class, tell dispatch which building you parked beside and whether the car sits nearer Cornerstone Drive or the US 23 side. A question about whether your permit covers a lot goes to SP+ at (614) 224-1320, not to us.

Columbus State: common questions

Frequently asked questions

Do you provide Columbus State towing and jump starts on campus?

We cover both campuses. We respond to drivers parked at the Columbus campus on East Spring Street and at the Delaware campus. We are independent from the college and its parking contractor, so call us directly at (740) 812-9489. Give the lot number, row and your plate, and we will send a technician. The downtown campus falls inside the band where most metro calls are reached in 20 to 40 minutes.

Will I get a parking ticket while I wait for a tow?

Columbus State uses license plate readers, and unregistered vehicles risk a citation. If you are a visitor, pay the hourly rate through the Parking.com app or the lot signage before you call us. Registered students already covered by the semester permit should be fine in their permitted lots. Questions about tickets go to SP+ at (614) 224-1320.

How much is a jump start at Columbus State?

A jump start is a flat $75 plus a $4-per-mile en-route charge. A call placed after 10 at night or before 6 in the morning adds the $150 after-hours surcharge, and a weekend call adds $50. The technician tests the battery and prints the results. If it has failed, we can install a new one on the spot, priced at the battery cost plus the service call.

My car broke down on I-670 near campus. Who should I call?

If you are stopped in a live lane or feel unsafe, call 911 first. Once you are on the shoulder with hazards on, call us and give the direction of travel and the nearest exit, such as exit 4C at Cleveland Avenue or exit 5 at Spring Street. Highway calls carry a $75 surcharge on top of the regular tow rate.

Can you tow my car from campus to a repair shop?

Absolutely. We can tow it to your own mechanic or to one of our independent repair partners. The tow is priced at $4 a mile en-route, $125 to hook up and $7 per loaded mile. Tell dispatch where it is going when you call. AWD vehicles and EVs ride on a flatbed or on wheel-lift dollies.

Is the Delaware campus farther for you to reach?

It is. Delaware is one of our outer communities, where most calls are reached in 40 to 60 minutes rather than the metro range. That is an estimate, not a guarantee, and traffic on US 23 can affect it. The rates are the same ones posted on our rate card for every service area.

Related help

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent towing company and is not affiliated with Columbus State Community College or its parking operator, SP+.

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc (dba Columbus Roadside Towing).
Corporate office (private, no walk-ins): 3879 Regatta Ct, Lewis Center, OH 43035
Tow yard & impound lot: 1620 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus, OH 43223
(740) 812-9489 · chris@columbusroadsidetowing.com

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