Parking garage recovery by Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc in Columbus, Ohio
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Ohio State Towing and Roadside Help on the Columbus Campus

Dead battery in a campus garage, keys locked in during move-in, or a car that will not start after break? Call dispatch any hour.

Call (740) 812-9489

Ohio State towing and roadside help is what this page covers: getting a stuck car moving again on and around The Ohio State University's Columbus campus on an ordinary weekday, not a football Saturday. The campus sits roughly 2.5 miles north of downtown and spreads across 1,665 acres of garages, surface lots and residence-hall streets, so trouble can strike anywhere from North Campus to the West Campus lots. Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc answers (740) 812-9489 around the clock and dispatches from our yard at 1620 Harrisburg Pike. Most metro calls are reached in 20–40 minutes, which is an estimate and never a promise. We are independent of the university and its parking operator. We do not enforce campus rules and cannot free a car from an impound lot, but we can jump it, unlock it, swap the tire or tow it where it needs to go.

Call (740) 812-9489 · Request a tow now (SOS) · Get an online quote

Stuck in a campus garage or surface lot

Much of the parking near the Oval is structured: the Ohio Union South Garage, the Neil Avenue Garage, the Arps Garage, the Lane Avenue Garage and the 9th Avenue West Garage are a few of the decks drivers use every day. Low ceilings and tight ramps keep a standard tall wrecker out, so for calls inside a deck we send a low-profile truck built for parking garage recovery. Many campus garages are gated, and the exit may need a valid ticket or permit; if the gate becomes a problem, CampusParc Customer Care answers 24/7 at 614-688-0000.

Cell signal can fade on lower levels, so walk up to street level to call if the line keeps dropping. A clear description saves more time than anything else you can do while you wait.

  • The garage or lot name, plus the nearest cross street
  • Level number and the painted pillar or row marker beside the car
  • Which entrance is open at that hour
  • What happened: clicks and no crank, keys inside, flat, warning light, or no power at all

When campus enforcement has already towed the car

Since 2012, parking on the Columbus campus has been run by CampusParc under a lease that the university's Administration and Planning office oversees through Transportation and Traffic Management. CampusParc, not us, decides when a car is impounded. Its posted reasons include parking in a disability space, state-vehicle space or loading zone, creating a traffic or safety hazard, carrying a counterfeit or altered permit, and letting multiple unpaid citations age past 45 days.

To get the car back, CampusParc says you must pay every open citation and the tow charges first, then call Customer Care, then bring a state-issued photo ID to the lot. Citations cannot be paid at the impound lot, and personal checks are refused. WOSU reported in 2024 that a campus tow plus release came to roughly $500 before the ticket itself.

Once you hold the release, we can pick the car up there and take it home or to a shop. Cars towed from city streets just off campus usually go to the police impound instead; our guide to finding a car towed in Columbus walks through that process.

Move-in weeks, breaks and cold starts

Fall move-in packs residence-hall streets with loaded cars and rental vans, and CampusParc publishes a separate student move-in parking map each year so families know where to unload. Unloading is when keys end up on a dorm-room desk or locked in a trunk; our lockout service opens most cars without damage.

Cars that sit for weeks over summer or winter break often come back with a flat battery. Every jump start includes a battery test with a printed report, and if the battery is finished we can install a new one on the spot through mobile battery replacement. A jump start, lockout or tire change is a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard; the full rate card lists every surcharge.

Electric cars get a 12V jump first so they can enter transport mode, and if one must be moved, it rides with all four wheels off the ground.

Getting a student car to a repair shop

When the problem is mechanical, a tow is priced as $4 a mile en-route, a $125 hook-up and $7 per loaded mile. Calls between 10 PM and 6 AM add $150, and weekend calls add $50. If you do not have a mechanic in Columbus yet, ask about our auto repair partners. Students heading home with a car that is not safe to drive can book long-distance towing instead of risking the interstate.

Before the truck arrives, grab laptops, textbooks and anything else you need tonight. Tell the dispatcher where the car should go and whether the shop is open; if it is after hours, we can bring it to your apartment lot instead, as long as the property allows it. If you share the car with a parent or roommate, have the registration handy, because the driver will confirm who owns the vehicle before loading it.

  • Name of the destination shop or address
  • Whether keys will be left with the car
  • A contact number for whoever will meet the truck

Ohio State Campus: common questions

Frequently asked questions

Who do I call for Ohio State towing if my car dies in a campus garage?

Call us at (740) 812-9489. We send a low-profile truck that fits under typical garage ceilings, and in many cases the fix is a jump start or new battery rather than a tow. Tell the dispatcher the garage name, level and pillar marker. If the exit gate needs a permit or ticket, CampusParc Customer Care at 614-688-0000 can help with access.

Can you get my car out of the CampusParc impound lot?

No. Only the owner can arrange a release, and CampusParc requires all citations and tow charges to be paid before you visit, plus a state-issued photo ID at the lot. Once the release is done, we can hook the car up there and take it to your home, a shop or anywhere else you choose, priced from our published rate card.

My car sat all break and now it will not start. What should I do?

Batteries drain when a car sits for weeks, so a jump is often enough. Our technician tests the battery and hands you a printed report, so you know whether it will hold a charge. If it fails the test, we can replace it where the car is parked. The call is a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard, before any after-hours or weekend surcharge.

I locked my keys in the car while moving into a residence hall. Can you help?

Yes. Lockouts are one of the most common move-in calls. Give dispatch the hall name, the street or lot where the car is parked, and a description of the vehicle. Have your ID ready, because the technician will confirm the car is yours before opening it. Unlocking is priced the same as other roadside calls: $75 plus $4 a mile en-route.

Do you tow electric cars parked on campus?

We do. An EV cannot be dragged on its drive wheels, so it rides either on a flatbed or on a wheel-lift with dollies, with all four wheels off the pavement. If the car is completely dead, we first give the 12V system a jump so it can be put into transport mode before loading.

Are you the towing company Ohio State or CampusParc uses?

No. We are an independent towing company and have no contract or partnership with the university, CampusParc or the City. We come when a driver calls us for help with their own car. We never remove cars for parking violations on campus, and we cannot tell you where an enforcement tow was taken; CampusParc Customer Care can.

Related help

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent towing company and is not affiliated with The Ohio State University, CampusParc or the City of Columbus.

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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