As San Francisco parking restrictions tighten for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, now may be the time to sign up to get a text message if your vehicle is about to be towed.
The courtesy heads-up is called "Text Before Tow," the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said in a social media post this weekend.
To sign up, go to https://www.sfmta.com/text-tow-program-application.
The text alerts are sent when a parking control officer finds abandoned vehicles, vehicles in violation of restrictions on 72-hour parking, blocked driveways, construction zone parking, and temporary no parking for special events and moving trucks, Muni said.
"Your vehicle will still receive a citation for violation; however, this service may prevent vehicles from being towed by giving you time to move your vehicle before a tow truck arrives," the agency said.
Muni said a tow truck will be dispatched simultaneously with the text message notification and could be there in as few as five minutes.
Once a vehicle is hooked up to a tow truck, the tow cannot be stopped, Muni said.
The program does not apply to peak tow-away, yellow or white zones, hazards or any other parking violations.