Los Angeles police tow yard rates, 2007 to 2026
The Board of Police Commissioners sets the most that LA's Official Police Garages (the tow yards that tow for LAPD and LADOT) may charge. Here is what they could charge each year for a standard car, with the Board report and our source for each year.
How to read this table. "Tow" is the first hour of towing. "Storage" is one day. The Board charts we have from 2016 on set two prices: one if you pay by credit card, and a lower one if you pay another way. Rates change on January 1. Use the year your car was towed.
| Year | Tow, first hour | Storage, per day | Board report, source and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | $101.50 | $31.50 | Board-approved standard rates, as reported in the 2008 Controller audit (page 8) 2008 Controller audit Official source The audit gives one rate for each charge. It does not show a separate rate by payment type. |
| 2008-2010 | No rate report found yet | Not found yet We have not found the Board reports for these years yet. We plan to ask for them in a public records request. | |
| About 2011-2012 | $114.50 | $35.50 | OPG Association rate page, as printed in a 2012 public comment in Council File 11-2009 Council File 11-2009 public comment (City Clerk PDF) Not verified (unofficial copy) Not verified. This is an industry web page copied into a public comment, not a Board report, and the exact year is not clear. |
| 2013-2015 | No rate report found yet | Not found yet We have not found the Board reports for these years yet. We plan to ask for them in a public records request. | |
| 2016 | $122.50 by credit card $120.00 other ways | Not available | Board reports BPC #15-0330 and BPC #15-0366 Copy released under the Public Records Act (not online yet) Not yet verified Not yet checked against a second source. The standard-car storage rate cannot be read on our copy (it appears to be about $38.50). |
| 2017 | $124.00 by credit card $121.50 other ways | $39.00 by credit card $38.00 other ways | Board reports BPC #16-0416 and BPC #16-0436 Copy released under the Public Records Act (not online yet) Not yet verified Not yet checked against a second source. |
| 2018 | $128.00 by credit card $125.00 other ways | $40.00 by credit card $39.00 other ways | Board reports BPC #17-0408 and BPC #17-0470 Copy released under the Public Records Act (not online yet) Not yet verified Not yet checked against a second source. The 2019 report Towed Into Debt lists $133 a tow and $45.65 a day with tax for LA; those match the 2019 chart, not this one. |
| 2019 | $133.00 by credit card $130.00 other ways | $41.50 by credit card $40.50 other ways | Board reports BPC #18-0344 and BPC #18-0384 Copy released under the Public Records Act (not online yet) Not yet verified Not yet checked against a second source. |
| 2020 | $137.00 by credit card $134.00 other ways | $42.50 by credit card $41.50 other ways | Board reports BPC #19-0271 and BPC #19-0291 TOPS manual, section 100 Official source |
| 2021 | $139.50 by credit card $136.50 other ways | $43.50 by credit card $42.50 other ways | Board reports BPC #20-0160 and BPC #20-0187 TOPS manual, section 100 Official source |
| 2022 | $145.50 by credit card $142.00 other ways | $45.00 by credit card $44.00 other ways | Board reports BPC #21-195 and BPC #21-229 TOPS manual, section 100 Official source |
| 2023 | $156.50 by credit card $153.00 other ways | $48.50 by credit card $47.50 other ways | Board reports BPC #22-239 and BPC #22-277 TOPS manual, section 100 Official source |
| 2024 | $162.00 by credit card $158.00 other ways | $50.00 by credit card $49.00 other ways | Board reports BPC #23-212 and BPC #23-251 TOPS manual, section 100 Official source |
| 2025 | $195.00 by credit card $190.00 other ways | $60.00 by credit card $59.00 other ways | Board reports BPC #24-303 and BPC #24-321 Board report BPC #24-303; TOPS manual, section 100 Official source |
| 2026 | $220.00 by credit card $215.00 other ways | $68.00 by credit card $66.00 other ways | Board report BPC #25-326 TOPS manual, section 100; Board agenda, December 9, 2025; RFP 25-980-008 Addendum No. 1, Exhibit 3 Official source The chart cites BPC #25-326 (one City copy adds #25-355). The report posted as BPC #25-326 is about another topic, so we have not matched the Board's rate report itself. |
Other charges on a police tow bill
- City release fee: $115.00 per car since October 25, 2010, when a City police or traffic officer ordered the tow (Los Angeles Municipal Code section 80.77.1). In 2007 it was $48.
- Parking tax: 10% of the storage charge only, not the towing fee.
- Lien-sale fee: state law limits it to $70 for a car worth $4,000 or less and $100 for a car worth more, and it cannot be charged if the car is picked up within 72 hours (Civil Code section 3074).
The tool uses these same rate charts to check a police tow bill line by line. The data file is opg-rates.json.
Last checked .