Car towed in Delaware? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Delaware.
We checked 9 Delaware towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- City of Wilmington: Vehicle Releases (tows for unpaid tickets) (Wilmington; Cars towed for unpaid parking or red-light tickets: get a Vehicle Release Form from the City (call 311, or (302) 576-2620 from outside city limits), then pick up at the tow company's lot). 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
Retrieve the car and pay before the tow company can claim a lien (private nonconsent tows): 60 days, counted from date the certified-mail notice is delivered.
Official text: “the private tow company may assert a lien against the motor vehicle if the motor vehicle is not retrieved and the fees are not paid within 60 days of the delivery of the notice”
We haven't checked how Delaware 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: 21 Del. C. § 6907A(d)(3). Last checked .
Pay removal and storage costs to stop the sale of a police-removed abandoned vehicle: 30 days, counted from date the vehicle was removed.
Official text: “unless those costs have been paid in full on or before 30 days from the date of the removal of the vehicle”
We haven't checked how Delaware 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: 21 Del. C. § 4403. Last checked .
Pay, release, or contest a wrecker's disposal notice (vehicles 8+ model years old): 5 days, counted from date the notice is received.
Official text: “The owner and all secured parties shall either satisfy the lien or respond to the notification within 5 calendar days from receipt of said notification.”
We haven't checked how Delaware 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: 21 Del. C. § 4415(e). 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 Delaware rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Delaware
If the tow company wants to sell the car
A private tow company may not claim a lien for unpaid fees unless it notifies the owner and lienholder by certified mail within 30 days of the tow, with an itemized fee list and a statement that a lien may be claimed if the car is not retrieved and paid for within 60 days of delivery of the notice.
Official text: “by certified U.S. mail within 30 days of the date the motor vehicle was nonconsensually towed”
Source: 21 Del. C. § 6907A(d). Last checked .
When police remove an abandoned vehicle, they must mail a notice to the registered owner and lienholders within 5 days stating where it is and that it may be sold unless removal and storage costs are paid within 30 days of the removal.
Official text: “Within 5 days of the removal of the vehicle”
Source: 21 Del. C. § 4403. Last checked .
For vehicles 8 or more model years old, a wrecker owner must notify the owner and secured parties by registered or certified mail; they then have 5 calendar days from receipt to pay or respond, and may contest the lien or disposal in the nearest Justice of the Peace Court.
Official text: “may contest the lien or the disposal to the closest Justice of the Peace Court to the address of the wrecker owner”
Source: 21 Del. C. § 4415. Last checked .
Fees and caps
For a nonconsensual tow of a noncommercial or rental vehicle from a private or public parking area, the tow fee may not exceed $250 and daily storage may not exceed $50, with no other towing-related charges added (21 Del. C. ch. 69A, effective Sept. 25, 2025). Does not cover police-ordered tows or abandoned-vehicle tows.
Official text: “may not be charged a towing fee in excess of $250 or a daily storage rate in excess of $50”
Source: 21 Del. C. § 6907A(c). Last checked .
A tow must be stopped if the owner returns before the car leaves the lot; any drop fee may not exceed 50% of the tow fee. No fee at all may be charged if the owner returns before the car is attached to the tow truck.
Official text: “The decoupling or drop fee may not exceed 50% of the nonconsensual tow fee that would otherwise be charged.”
Source: 21 Del. C. § 6905A. Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
Private parking areas need a sign at every vehicle entrance, with letters at least 1 inch high, stating when parking is allowed, that unauthorized vehicles will be towed, the tow company's name, address and phone, the towing and storage charges, and the storage lot address and hours.
Official text: “The sign must have lettering of no less than 1 inch in height”
Source: 21 Del. C. § 6904A. Last checked .
Paying
Storage lots for private tows must have an office open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at least 5 days a week, let owners take personal items free during business hours, and accept major credit and debit cards (or have an ATM). After-hours release may cost at most $50.
Official text: “may charge a maximum fee of $50 for after-hours access to or release of stored motor vehicles”
Source: 21 Del. C. §§ 6906A, 6907A(e). Last checked .
Getting money back
If a private tow broke chapter 69A, the owner is entitled to a refund of all fees paid plus actual damages, and all tow and storage companies involved are jointly liable. A court must award reasonable legal fees and costs if the owner's earlier settlement offer was rejected. A violation is also an unlawful practice under Delaware's consumer fraud law (6 Del. C. § 2513).
Official text: “is entitled to reimbursement of all fees paid to the private tow company or storage facility, in addition to actual damages incurred to retrieve the motor vehicle”
Source: 21 Del. C. §§ 6908A, 6909A. Last checked .
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