Car towed in Alaska? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Alaska.
We checked 11 Alaska towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- Anchorage Police Department - Impounds (Anchorage; Call APD at 786-8500 or 3-1-1 to learn whether APD towed a missing car and which company has it; email APDImpounds@anchorageak.gov.). Last checked .
- Municipality of Anchorage Civil Law - Vehicle Impounds (OUI, license, insurance and scofflaw impounds) (Anchorage; Release paperwork for APD impounds for OUI, suspended license, no insurance or scofflaw: 907-343-4575, City Hall Suite 730, weekdays 1-4 pm; cars held at Vulcan Towing (907) 349-8697. Other APD impounds: APD Records 907-786-8600.). 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 a vehicle removed as abandoned by police or the state/municipality (before title passes): 15 days, counted from date the storage company gives notice.
Official text: “not reclaimed by the registered owner, a lienholder, or other person entitled to possession of the vehicle within 15 days from the notice given under AS 28.11.040”
We haven't checked how Alaska 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: AS 28.11.050. 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 Alaska rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Alaska
If the tow company wants to sell the car
A tow company has a possessory lien for towing and storage charges and must notify the registered owner and main lienholder by certified letter, return receipt requested, within seven working days after the tow (unless the car was already reclaimed).
Official text: “within seven working days after the initial towing, transporting, or storage of the vehicle”
Source: AS 28.10.502(b). Last checked .
If a towed car stays unclaimed for 30 days, it may be sold after 20 days' notice of the sale, personally served on the registered owner and lienholders (or sent by certified mail if they cannot be found). Leftover sale money is held by the DMV for the owner or lienholder.
Official text: “it shall be sold on giving 20 days notice of the sale”
Source: AS 28.10.502(c)-(d). Last checked .
Fees and caps
The tow company's lien covers only towing and storage charges and associated mailing fees.
Official text: “A lien under this section is limited to towing and storage charges and associated mailing fees.”
Source: AS 28.10.502(b). Last checked .
In Anchorage, private-property (nonconsent) tow rates are capped: $235.00 for a light-duty tow (up to 10,000 lbs.), storage no more than $30.00 per day starting 24 hours after arrival, and a curb release fee of no more than $50 unloaded or $75 loaded (code as amended by AO 2024-77, effective April 1, 2025).
Official text: “Storage charges shall be no more than $30.00 per day.”
Source: Anchorage Municipal Code § 9.54.030(A). Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
Under Alaska's abandoned-vehicle law, removal of an abandoned vehicle from private property must be on the written request of the property owner or person in control, on a DMV form.
Official text: “Removal of an abandoned vehicle from private property shall be upon the written request of the owner or person in lawful possession or control of the property”
Source: AS 28.11.030(b). Last checked .
Anchorage private lots next to commercial uses must post tow signs at least 30 by 30 inches, with 2-inch letters, in place for at least 24 continuous hours and visible day and night, before a vehicle can be towed for violating them.
Official text: “Signs shall be no smaller than 30 inches by 30 inches, with letters a minimum of two inches high”
Source: Anchorage Municipal Code § 9.54.050. Last checked .
Before starting a nonconsent or private-property tow in Anchorage, the tow operator must get an incident number from the Anchorage Police Department, and the number must appear on the invoice.
Official text: “a towing operator shall request an incident number from the Anchorage Police Department”
Source: Anchorage Municipal Code § 9.54.020(E). Last checked .
Paying
An owner with proof of ownership may redeem a vehicle removed as abandoned at any time before the auction by paying towing, storage, notice and other impound costs.
Official text: “may redeem a vehicle removed under this chapter at any time before an auction”
Source: AS 28.11.060. Last checked .
Getting money back
Storage charges stop being part of the lien after 60 days unless the owner or primary lienholder got actual notice in that time or the certified letter was mailed on time.
Official text: “Storage charges cease to be part of the lien after 60 days”
Source: AS 28.10.502(b). Last checked .
In Anchorage, towing without the required signs, or failing to give the owner the required documents at pickup, is grounds for a private lawsuit for a full refund of towing and storage fees plus other damages allowed by law.
Official text: “is grounds for a private cause of action for a full refund of the towing and storage fees and recovery of any other damages as provided by law”
Source: Anchorage Municipal Code § 9.54.050(G). Last checked .
Who regulates tow companies
Anchorage licenses tow operators through the Municipal Clerk. Complaints, violations or unlicensed tow operators go to Municipal Code Enforcement at 907-343-4141.
Official text: “please contact Municipal Code Enforcement at 907-343-4141”
Source: Municipality of Anchorage Clerk's Office, Tow Operator Compliance Checklist (2026 packet). Last checked .
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