Car towed in Florida? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Florida.
We checked 14 Florida towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- Miami-Dade towing rules: call the local police; the tow company must report the tow within 30 minutes (Miami-Dade County). Last checked .
- Tampa Police vehicle impound lot: (813) 242-5328 (Tampa; Tampa Police impounds; by phone). Last checked .
- Orange County Sheriff's Office: check whether a car was towed (407-836-4357) (Orange County (Orlando area); private trespass tows reported to the Sheriff; for when the tow company can't be reached; 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 the car before it can be sold (cars more than 3 model years old): 35 days, counted from date the car was stored.
Official text: “35 days after the vehicle or vessel is stored by the lienor if the vehicle or vessel is an older model”
We haven't checked how Florida 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: Fla. Stat. § 713.78(6). Last checked .
Reclaim the car before it can be sold (cars 3 model years old or newer): 57 days, counted from date the car was stored.
Official text: “57 days after the vehicle or vessel is stored by the lienor if the vehicle or vessel is a newer model”
We haven't checked how Florida 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: Fla. Stat. § 713.78(6). 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 Florida rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Florida
Hearings
You can get the car released by posting a cash or surety bond with the clerk of court equal to the charges, and then sue in county court where the car is stored. The court may award damages, attorney fees and costs to whichever side wins. If no suit is filed within 45 days after the clerk issues the certificate, the tow company may claim the bond.
Official text: “the court may award damages, attorney fees, and costs in favor of the prevailing party”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 713.78(5). Last checked .
If the tow company wants to sell the car
A tow company holding a car must send notice by certified mail to the registered owner, insurer and lienholders within 5 business days after the date of storage (not counting weekends and federal holidays).
Official text: “within 5 business days, excluding a Saturday, Sunday, or federal legal holiday, after the date of storage”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 713.78(4). Last checked .
An unclaimed car held under a tow lien may be sold at public sale for cash 35 days after storage if it is more than 3 model years old, or 57 days after storage if it is 3 model years old or newer. Notice of sale must go by certified mail at least 30 days before the sale.
Official text: “35 days after the vehicle or vessel is stored by the lienor if the vehicle or vessel is an older model or 57 days after the vehicle or vessel is stored by the lienor if the vehicle or vessel is a newer model”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 713.78(1)(d)-(e), (6). Last checked .
After a sale, money left over after towing and storage charges and sale costs goes to the clerk of the circuit court if the owner or lienholder is absent, and the owner or lienholder may file a complaint in the county where the car was stored.
Official text: “must be deposited with the clerk of the circuit court for the county if the owner or lienholder is absent”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 713.78(6). Last checked .
Fees and caps
If you show up while the tow is in progress, the tow must stop and the car must be returned for no more than half the posted tow rate.
Official text: “a reasonable service fee of not more than one-half of the posted rate”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 715.07. Last checked .
An administrative fee for the lien process may not be more than $250.
Official text: “Such administrative fee may not exceed $250.”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 713.78(15)(a). Last checked .
In Miami-Dade County, from October 1, 2026, a private-property tow of a standard (Class A) car may cost no more than $145; release on scene $72.50; administrative fee $38.20 (after the first 24 hours); outdoor storage $27.60 a day, and no storage fee for less than six hours.
Official text: “no storage fee shall be charged if the vehicle is stored for less than six (6) hours.”
Source: Miami-Dade County maximum towing rates (eff. Oct. 1, 2026). Last checked .
In Orange County (Orlando area), the flat rate for a trespass tow of most cars (under 10,000 pounds) is $135, with a $32 daily storage fee allowed after 24 hours.
Official text: “the flat rate for trespass towing is $135”
Source: Orange County, Towing information. Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
For a tow from private property, a sign with the words "tow-away zone" in letters at least 4 inches high must be at each driveway or curb cut, within 10 feet of the road (single-family homes and in-person notice are exceptions).
Official text: “not fewer than 4-inch high letters”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 715.07. Last checked .
Towed cars must be stored within 10 miles in counties of 500,000 people or more, and within 15 miles in smaller counties.
Official text: “within a 10-mile radius”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 715.07. Last checked .
The tow company must notify the city police or sheriff within 30 minutes after completing the tow.
Official text: “within 30 minutes after completion of such towing or removal, notify the municipal police department or, in an unincorporated area, the sheriff”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 715.07. Last checked .
Getting money back
Anyone who improperly causes a car to be removed is liable to the owner for the cost of removal, transportation and storage, damages, attorney's fees and court costs.
Official text: “When a person improperly causes a vehicle or vessel to be removed, such person shall be liable to the owner or lessee of the vehicle or vessel”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 715.07. Last checked .
If the tow company does not make good-faith efforts to give the required notices, it may not charge any storage. If it fails to notify a lienholder as required, it may charge that lienholder for no more than 5 days of storage.
Official text: “Failure to make good faith efforts to comply with the notice requirements of this section precludes the imposition of any storage charges against the vehicle or vessel.”
Source: Fla. Stat. § 713.78(9). Last checked .
Who regulates tow companies
In Miami-Dade County, towing complaints go to the county's consumer protection office (Mediation Center, 786-469-2333).
Source: Miami-Dade County, towing regulations. Last checked .
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