Car towed in Alabama? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Alabama.
We checked 9 Alabama towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- Mobile Police: retrieving a vehicle from impound (towed-vehicle check, hours, fees) (Mobile; Vehicles impounded by the Mobile Police Department; the page links a 'Check if a vehicle has been towed' lookup and lists yard hours and City tow fees. Main MPD line 251-208-1700.). Last checked .
- Huntsville Police Records: impound information (Roadside Towing, 256-533-0809) (Huntsville; Vehicles towed or impounded by the Huntsville Police Department; the City's contracted wrecker, Roadside Towing, answers impound questions at 256-533-0809.). Last checked .
If it isn't listed, call the police non-emergency number for the city or county where you parked. Ask whether the car was towed, by whom and where it was taken. We never charge to help you find your car.
What to do right now
- Make sure it was towed, not stolen. Use an official lookup if there is one, or call the police non-emergency number for the place where you parked. Ask who towed it, where it is, and the lot's hours.
- Take photos now. The spot where you parked, every sign at the entrances (or the lack of one), curb paint and meters. When you get the car back, photograph all sides, the inside and the odometer before you leave the lot.
- Get the paperwork. Keep every notice, receipt and letter, and the envelope it came in. Ask for a copy of anything that shows who asked for the tow.
- Ask for an itemized bill before you pay. Compare each charge with the posted rates and, where we list one, your state's or city's maximum.
- Pay by credit card if you can. A card payment leaves a record, and card issuers have a process for disputing charges. Ask for a receipt either way.
- Write down what happened. Times, names, what people said, and any damage you notice.
- Note every deadline. Look for dates on every paper you get. Some deadlines to ask for a hearing or to stop a sale are only days long, and storage charges usually grow every day.
This is general information to help you keep track. It is not legal advice, and it does not decide whether a tow or a charge was lawful.
2. Know your deadline
Reclaim the car before it is considered abandoned (unclaimed-vehicle notice): 30 days, counted from date of the certified-mail notice from whoever holds the car.
Official text: “If this motor vehicle is not redeemed by the recorded owner or lienholder of record within 30 calendar days from the date of this notice, the motor vehicle shall be considered abandoned”
We haven't checked how Alabama counts weekends and holidays, so the calculator never moves the date later. Treat it as the last day and act sooner if you can.
Source: Ala. Code § 32-8-84(d)(3)b.. Last checked .
Dispute tow charges in writing (commercial vehicles towed by state troopers only): 3 business days, counted from date the tow invoice is received.
Official text: “must file a written complaint with the towing and recovery service provider and the trooper commander or his or her designee within three business days of receiving an invoice for the services provided”
We haven't checked how Alabama counts weekends and holidays, so the calculator never moves the date later. Treat it as the last day and act sooner if you can.
Source: Ala. Code § 41-27-61(b)(1). Last checked .
Free deadline calculator
Enter the date from your papers. The calculator only counts days; it doesn't say whether a deadline was met. The dates printed on your notices are the ones that count.
3. Get your money back
Common ways people ask for a refund:
- Ask the tow company in writing to refund any charge you think was wrong, and keep a copy.
- File a complaint with the agency that regulates tow companies, if there is one.
- If you paid by card, ask your card issuer how to dispute a charge.
- Ask for a hearing if your state has one (see the deadlines above), or file in small claims court.
- If you want advice about your own situation, talk to a lawyer or legal aid.
The Alabama rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Alabama
Hearings
Before the sale, the owner or lienholder may contest it by filing a notice of appeal with the circuit court in the county where the sale is scheduled. The court decides whether the car was abandoned and whether proper notices were sent, and the car may not be sold while the decision is pending.
Official text: “may contest the sale of the motor vehicle pursuant to this chapter by filing a notice of appeal with the circuit court in the county where the sale is scheduled to occur”
Source: Ala. Code § 32-13-4. Last checked .
If the tow company wants to sell the car
Whoever holds an unclaimed car must report it to the Alabama Department of Revenue, look up the title record, and mail the owner and lienholder a certified-mail notice within five calendar days of getting the title record. The notice lists where the car is, business hours, charges so far and the daily storage rate.
Official text: “shall send notice by certified mail with either return receipt requested or electronic delivery confirmation within five calendar days from receipt of the title record”
Source: Ala. Code § 32-8-84(b), (d)(3). Last checked .
Before an abandoned car is auctioned, the sale must be published once a week for two weeks (first notice at least 30 days before the sale), and the Department of Revenue sends the owner and lienholder a notice that their interest will end at the sale, including appeal rights.
Official text: “The first publication or posting, as the case may be, shall be at least 30 days before the date of sale.”
Source: Ala. Code § 32-13-3(b). Last checked .
Fees and caps
For City of Mobile police impounds, the page lists a $200 tow fee for vehicles under 10,000 pounds and $30 per day storage after the first 24 hours for vehicles up to 1 ton (fees as posted when checked on 2026-10-05).
Official text: “$200.00 for vehicles with a gross weight of less than 10,000 pounds”
Source: Mobile Police Department, Retrieving a Vehicle from Impound. Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
A car left on private property for more than 48 hours without the property owner's consent counts as 'unclaimed' under Alabama law, and the property owner may then have it removed to a secure place.
Official text: “has remained on private or other public property for a period of more than 48 hours without the consent of the owner or lessee of the property”
Source: Ala. Code §§ 32-8-84(a)(2), 32-13-2(d). Last checked .
Getting money back
The company that removes the car has a lien for a reasonable removal and storage fee. The property owner and the tow company are liable to the car's owner or lienholder for these removals only for gross negligence.
Official text: “shall be liable to the owner or lienholder of record for action taken under this section only for gross negligence”
Source: Ala. Code § 32-13-2(d)-(e). Last checked .
A person who fails to report an unclaimed car or fails to notify the owner and lienholder as required loses all claims for garaging, parking and storage charges for the time before the car was reported (towing and repair charges are not lost).
Official text: “shall forfeit all claims and liens for the motor vehicle”
Source: Ala. Code § 32-8-84(d)(4). Last checked .
Who regulates tow companies
For state-trooper-directed nonconsensual tows of commercial motor vehicles only, the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency approves tow rates as reasonable based on industry custom and can fine a rotation tow service up to $500 per rule violation.
Official text: “The agency shall approve rates as reasonable based on what is customary in practice of the industry.”
Source: Ala. Code §§ 41-27-61(a)(4), 41-27-62. Last checked .
In Birmingham, tow and vehicle-immobilization (boot) companies and operators apply for City licenses and permits through the Birmingham Police Department's Business Compliance Unit.
Official text: “Application For Towing Or Vehicle Immobilization Service License”
Source: Birmingham Police Dept., Business Compliance Unit: Towing or Vehicle Immobilization Application Process. Last checked .
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