My vehicle was towed

How can this help me if my vehicle was towed?

This guide tells you what to do after your vehicle is towed or taken to the impound lot. Learn how to get a court hearing about the tow. It includes links to the forms you need to ask for the hearing and instructions for the hearing itself.

There are rules about how these processes are supposed to happen. In reality, tow companies and local government agencies often don’t follow the rules. This guide can help you learn what to expect during the process and can help you prepare for where you might have problems depending on your situation. 

What is an impound?

It is when a towing company tows your vehicle away. There are 2 types of impounds.

1. A private impound is a towing from private property. A tow company can tow your vehicle from private property immediately if one of these is true:

• You left it on private property where someone lives without permission or longer than you had permission for.
• You illegally left it on private non-residential property where there is a posted warning sign.
• You illegally left it on private non-residential property that has no posted warning sign and you left it there for 24 hours or more.

2. A public impound is a towing from public property. Usually you will be towed because law enforcement or a government agency ordered the tow. A public impound could happen if:

• You left your vehicle on the street or the side of the street in a dangerous way that could be a hazard or cause an accident.
• You parked on the street in a legal spot but you stayed longer than the allowed legal time. For many municipalities, the limit is 72 hours in one spot even if there are not any signs posted that say that.
• You illegally parked on the street or in a parking space for people with disabilities without a proper license plate, card, or decal.
• You left your vehicle on a highway and it has been tagged or marked as being there for at least 24 hours.
• Your registration is expired and you parked on a public street. 

The police can take your vehicle for other reasons. Talk to a lawyer if your vehicle was taken by the police for other reasons.

Where does my vehicle get taken to?

It will depend on who towed your vehicle.

• If a city or municipality towed your vehicle, it might be in the city impound yard. It could also be in a private tow yard.
• If a private tow company towed your vehicle, it will be in that company’s yard or wherever they store their towed vehicles. 

When you first discover that your vehicle was towed, it can be difficult to find out who towed your vehicle and to where. It can help to try to figure out:

• who would have towed you
• why you would have been towed based on
• where you were parked

Look for signs that warn about private company towing or parking limits.

If you were towed from a public place, try to contact that city or county to see where they may have taken your vehicle. Sometimes calling the local non-emergency police phone line is a good place to start if you need to locate your vehicle after it was just towed. 

Can they tow my vehicle from public property without first tagging it and giving me a chance to move it?

Sometimes. It depends. It will depend on: 

• what law they say you have violated
• where you left your vehicle
• the practices of the law enforcement in the place the vehicle was towed from

If you left your vehicle within a highway right-of-way, law enforcement must tag your vehicle with a sticker giving you 24 hours to remove it. Other laws let them tow immediately, especially if your vehicle is an obstruction or a danger.

Sometimes local municipalities will tow from public areas with no notice and no tagging at all. This can happen even though it isn’t legal. If you got towed from a public area without any kind of notice, try to get legal help. 

Can they tow my vehicle if they pull me over and arrest me?

Yes, if the arrest is for driving:

• Under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Without a license.
• With a suspended or revoked license.

The police may have to consider “reasonable alternatives” to impounding your vehicle. For example, they could leave it safely with a passenger instead of having it towed. Talk to your criminal defense lawyer about the towing. Your criminal defense lawyer is the one who can help you with any defenses you may have to the impound if it was impounded because you were arrested or charged with a crime.

When they tow you for driving with a suspended or revoked license, the agency ordering the impoundment can have your vehicle held for up to 30 days. If you already have one or more convictions for this, they can hold it longer.

You must pay all removal, towing, and storage fees to get your vehicle back. You can still appeal the impoundment by asking for a hearing. 

What if the towing shouldn’t have happened?

If a towing shouldn’t have happened, it is called a “improper tow” or an invalid tow. 

Examples of improper towing are:

• Law enforcement didn’t give you a reasonable amount of time under the circumstances to move the vehicle yourself, such as not allowing you to put gas in the car or waiting a short time for you to hire a private tow company
• The private property didn't have signs posted and you had parked there less than 24 hours
• You had not been parked longer than 72 hours on public streets
• The tow itself was wrong, like the wrong vehicle or another operator mistake 

If you think your tow was improper, the best thing to do is to ask for a hearing about the tow or impound. You should ask for a hearing right away. You have to ask for a hearing within 10 days of being towed. 

Can I get a ticket for an abandoned vehicle?

Maybe. Once the towing company has your vehicle for 120 hours, they consider it abandoned. Then you could get a ticket. There are exceptions:

• Someone stole the vehicle. You filed a theft report with the police. You won’t get a ticket. You still owe the charges.
• You sold the vehicle. You filed a record of sale or transfer with the DOL before the towing. You will not get a ticket or have to pay towing or disposal costs.

I can’t pay for the towing or the ticket. Will they suspend my license?

According to a recent Washington Supreme Court decision, your driver’s license will no longer be suspended for failure to pay traffic tickets because you can’t afford to pay the fines. 

Learn more about license suspension in our guides about license suspension issues:

• If you need to try to keep your license from getting suspended
• If your license was already suspended and you want to try to get it back 

If your license is already suspended, try to get legal help right away.