Your car was towed in Los Angeles: what to do in the first 24 hours
The first day matters. Some charges are lower if you act fast, and some deadlines start on the day of the tow or the day a notice is mailed. Here is what to do, in order.
General information, not legal advice. The papers you got from the police, the tow yard or the DMV control your dates. Agencies change phone numbers and steps, so check the agency's own page too.
1. If you get there before your car leaves
Under state law, if a car is being towed from private property and you (or someone you send) ask for it back before it is driven off the property, the tow company must release it right away. If the car was already hooked up or lifted, the company may charge no more than half its usual towing fee. You must then move the car to a legal spot.
In the City of Los Angeles, a City-permitted tow company has an extra rule since September 1, 2026: if you dispute the tow before the car leaves, the driver must call the police and wait at least 60 minutes, with no charge for the wait (Board Rule #10).
- Stay calm and do not try to take the car back by force. Taking a car back from a lienholder by trick or fraud is itself against the law (Civil Code section 3070(b)).
Sources: Vehicle Code section 22658 (subsections g and h); TOPS manual, Board Rule #10 (Board of Police Commissioners); Civil Code section 3070
2. Find out who towed it and where it went
Look for a sign at the entrance of the lot. A private lot that tows must post a sign at every entrance with the phone number of the local police and the name and phone number of each tow company it uses.
A tow company that tows from private property must tell the local police within 30 minutes after the car leaves, so you can also call the local police to ask where it went.
If the police or LADOT ordered the tow inside the City of Los Angeles, the car goes to one of the City's Official Police Garages (police tow yards). The tow yards' association runs a lookup by plate or VIN, the Vehicle Impound Information Center (VIIC). It limits free searches, so you can also call the police station or the LADOT office.
Sources: Vehicle Code section 22658 (subsections a and m); VIIC vehicle lookup (run by the OPG Association, not the City); LADOT: booted and towed vehicles; LAPD: how can I get my car out of impound?; The 18 LA police tow yards
3. Get your things out of the car for free
Before you pay anything, you have the right to take your personal belongings out of the car at no charge during normal business hours (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., not state holidays). You also have the right to look at your car without paying a fee.
4. Bring what you need to get the car back
The fee notice every tow yard must post says you can get your car released when you pay the towing and storage charges, show a valid photo ID, and show reliable proof that you own the car or are allowed to pick it up. If the car was held for a crime or a fatal crash, you may also need a release from the police.
- Photo ID.
- Proof of ownership or authorization, such as the registration or title, or a signed note from the owner.
- A police release, if your paperwork says you need one.
Sources: Vehicle Code section 22651.07 (subsection e, the Towing and Storage Fees and Access Notice)
5. Ask for an itemized bill before you pay, and pay the way you choose
The yard must give you an itemized invoice of the actual charges before it takes your payment, and a copy of the Towing and Storage Fees and Access Notice if you ask.
Yards must accept cash or a valid bank credit card in your name; store credit cards do not count. Starting January 1, 2027, they must also accept a valid bank debit card (AB 2437).
- Check the bill against the rules. For LA police tow yards, see the Board's maximum rates for the year of your tow.
- Keep every receipt and paper they give you.
Sources: Vehicle Code section 22651.07 (subsections a, b and c); Vehicle Code section 22651.1 (police tows: cash or credit card); AB 2437 bill status; LA police tow yard rates
6. Why going quickly saves money
- Within 4 hours (private tows in LA): a City-permitted tow company may charge only half a day of storage if you ask for the car within 4 hours after it reaches the yard, and no gate or after-hours fee for a release during normal business hours (Board Rule #5). State law (AB 987) also limits storage for a car picked up within 4 hours.
- Within 24 hours (private tows): if the car is released within 24 hours after it reached the yard, the storage charge can be for one day only.
- Within 72 hours (all tows): you can get the car back during the first 72 hours of storage without paying a lien fee.
Sources: TOPS manual, Board Rule #5; AB 987 bill status; Vehicle Code section 22658 (subsection i); Vehicle Code section 22651.07 (subsection c)
7. Write down the deadlines that start now
If a public agency (LAPD, LADOT, CHP, the Sheriff) ordered the tow, it must mail or hand you a notice within 48 hours, not counting weekends and holidays. You then have 10 days from the date on the notice to ask for a free hearing on whether the tow was valid. You can ask in person, in writing or by phone. LAPD and LADOT say you can ask before or after you pay. If you win, the agency pays the towing and storage.
If your car was towed from private property, there is no public hearing; you deal with the tow company and the property owner instead.
- If your car is not picked up, the yard can start the lien-sale process. A notice of a pending lien sale has its own 10-day deadline to object.
Sources: Vehicle Code section 22852 (post-storage hearing); LADOT: request an impound hearing; How lien sales work
8. Keep a record
Take photos of where you parked, any signs, the car's condition when you get it back, and every paper the yard gives you. Write down the times: when you parked, when you found the car gone, when you called, and who you spoke with. These details are what a hearing officer, a claim or a small-claims judge will ask about.
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