Car towed in District of Columbia? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in District of Columbia.
We checked 7 District of Columbia towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- DC DMV: locate a towed vehicle (Towing Control Dispatch, (202) 541-6083, or 311) (Washington, DC; Department of Public Works tows; by phone). Last checked .
- DC Public Works: booting and impoundment (call (202) 541-6083 to learn which lot has the car) (Washington, DC; DPW tows and booted-car tows to the Blue Plains and Bryant Street lots; by phone). 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 an impounded car before it can be sold (DC impounds): 28 days, counted from date of the impoundment notice.
Official text: “must be reclaimed within 28 days after the impoundment notice”
We haven't checked how District of Columbia 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: D.C. Code § 50-2456(a). Last checked .
Answer or contest the parking ticket behind a DC tow without a late penalty: 30 days, counted from date the ticket was issued.
Official text: “shall answer within 30 calendar days of the date the notice was issued”
We haven't checked how District of Columbia 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: D.C. Code § 50-2303.05(d)(1). Last checked .
Request a hearing on the tickets behind a DC impoundment (keeps the right to the car's value if it is sold): 60 days, counted from date the tickets were issued.
Official text: “The hearing is requested within 60 days after the issuance of the notices of infraction”
We haven't checked how District of Columbia 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: D.C. Code § 50-2459. 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 District of Columbia rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in District of Columbia
Hearings
In DC, a tow is challenged by contesting the parking ticket(s) behind it with DC DMV, by mail, online or at a hearing. An answer is due within 30 calendar days of the ticket (a late penalty is added after that), and a ticket not answered within 60 days is deemed admitted.
Official text: “shall answer within 30 calendar days of the date the notice was issued”
Source: D.C. Code § 50-2303.05. Last checked .
If the tow company wants to sell the car
Cars impounded by DC's Department of Public Works that remain unclaimed 28 days after notification are sold at an online public auction or scrapped.
Official text: “Impounded vehicles that remain unclaimed after 28 days following notification are sold at public auction”
Source: DC Department of Public Works, booting and impoundment. Last checked .
DC Public Works must mail an impoundment notice to the owner and lienholders no later than 5 days after the car arrives at the lot. The notice explains how to reclaim the car and the deadline, and warns that it will be sold or disposed of after that.
Official text: “shall be mailed no later than 5 days after the vehicle is received at an impoundment or storage facility”
Source: D.C. Code § 50-2455(c)-(d). Last checked .
A car impounded in DC must be reclaimed within 28 days after the impoundment notice (or within 14 days after a published notice when the owner's address is unknown). Unclaimed cars may be sold or otherwise disposed of.
Official text: “must be reclaimed within 28 days after the impoundment notice”
Source: D.C. Code § 50-2456. Last checked .
Fees and caps
For a car reclaimed from a District government impound lot, DC law sets a $100 towing fee and $20 a day storage ($275 towing if special equipment is needed). These amounts are in the Parking Enforcement Modernization law in effect since May 2, 2025.
Official text: “a towing fee of $100 and a storage fee of $20 per day”
Source: D.C. Code § 50-2457(a)(3). Last checked .
Getting money back
If an impounded car was sold or disposed of, the owner can still recover its fair market value if a hearing on the tickets behind the impoundment was requested within 60 days after they were issued and the hearing examiner dismisses them or finds no liability.
Official text: “The hearing is requested within 60 days after the issuance of the notices of infraction”
Source: D.C. Code § 50-2459. Last checked .
Who regulates tow companies
Every tow company, lot and tow truck operating in DC must be licensed by the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP). DLCP takes complaints about unlicensed tows, ignored towing rights and excessive charges (202-671-4500), and tow companies must give owners the DLCP Owner's Bill of Rights for Towed Vehicles.
Official text: “all tow companies are required to be licensed in the District”
Source: DLCP, Your Towing Rights (June 30, 2026). Last checked .
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