New Jersey § 2a:44-21

§ 2a:44-21.

A garage keeper who shall tow, store, maintain, keep , or repair a motor vehicle or furnish gasoline, accessories or other supplies therefor,

at the request or with the consent of the owner or the owner's representative, or at the request of a law enforcement officer of this State or any political subdivision

of this State, shall have a lien upon the motor vehicle or any part thereof for the sum due for

such towing, storing, maintaining, keeping , or repairing of such motor vehicle or for furnishing gasoline or other fuel, accessories

or other supplies therefor, and may, without process of law, detain the same at any

time it is lawfully in his possession until the sum is paid. A motor vehicle is considered detained when the owner or person entitled to possession

of the motor vehicle is advised by the garage keeper, by a writing sent by certified

mail return receipt requested to the address supplied by the owner or person entitled

to possession of the motor vehicle, that goods or services have been supplied or performed,

and that there is a sum due for those goods or services. The lien shall not be superior to, nor affect a lien, title or interest of a person

held by virtue of a prior conditional sale or a prior chattel mortgage properly recorded

or a prior security interest perfected in accordance with chapter 9 of Title 12A of

the New Jersey Statutes. A garage keeper shall only require that reasonable fees, charged in accordance with

a duly authorized fee schedule established by a municipality or other political subdivision

of this State for non-consensual towing, authorized by a law enforcement officer of

this State or by a political subdivision of this State, or for related storage services

be paid by the operator, owner, lessor, or lienholder of the vehicle prior to the

towing company's release of the vehicle. In the event the owner or operator of the vehicle defaults on payments to the lessor

or lienholder of the vehicle, the lessor or lienholder shall be responsible for these

reasonable towing and related storage fees.