AUTHORITY FOR REMOVAL OF VEHICLE FROM PUBLIC ROADWAY.

(a) Under an ordinance of a municipality regulating the parking of vehicles in the municipality, to aid in the enforcement of the ordinance, an employee designated by the municipality may be authorized to:

(1) immobilize a vehicle parked in the municipality;

(2) remove an immobilized vehicle from a public roadway in the municipality; and

(3) request the removal and storage of a vehicle that is located in an area where on-street parking is regulated by the ordinance and that:

(A) is parked illegally; or

(B) is parked legally and:

(i) has been unattended for more than 48 hours; and

(ii) the employee has reasonable grounds to believe is abandoned.

(b) A parking facility owner or towing company may not remove a vehicle from a public roadway except under:

(1) this chapter or a municipal ordinance that complies with Section 2308.208; or

(2) the direction of a peace officer, a municipal employee under Subsection (a)(3), or the owner or operator of the vehicle.

(c) Subsection (a) does not apply to a vehicle owned by an electric, gas, water, or telecommunications utility while the vehicle is parked for the purpose of conducting work on a facility of the utility that is located below, above, or adjacent to the street.