Car towed in Illinois? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Illinois.
We checked 12 Illinois towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- City of Chicago: find your vehicle (Chicago; only cars towed or relocated by the City of Chicago). 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
Ask for a post-tow hearing at the auto pound (City of Chicago tows, per the City’s towing page): 15 days, counted from date the car was released to you.
Official text: “you may visit the nearest auto pound within 15 days of the release and request a hearing.”
We haven't checked how Illinois 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: City of Chicago, common towing questions. Last checked .
Ask for a full hearing (Chicago Vehicle Impoundment Program): 15 days, counted from date the notice of impoundment was mailed or given.
Official text: “This request must be made no later than 15 days after notice of impoundment was mailed or otherwise given.”
We haven't checked how Illinois 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: City of Chicago, Department of Administrative Hearings. Last checked .
Ask for a tow and storage fee hearing at the Department of Administrative Hearings (City of Chicago impounds, Municipal Code): 30 days, counted from date the car was impounded.
Official text: “Such a hearing request must be made in person and in writing at the department of administrative hearings within 30 days after the vehicle is seized and impounded.”
We haven't checked how Illinois 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: Chicago Mun. Code § 2-14-135. 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 Illinois rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Illinois
Hearings
The City of Chicago’s towing page says that after a City tow you can ask for a hearing at the auto pound when you pick up the car, or within 15 days after its release at the nearest auto pound.
Official text: “you may visit the nearest auto pound within 15 days of the release and request a hearing.”
Source: City of Chicago, common towing questions. Last checked .
For Chicago impoundments under the Vehicle Impoundment Program (ordinance-violation impounds), a written request for a full hearing must be made no later than 15 days after the notice of impoundment was mailed or given.
Official text: “This request must be made no later than 15 days after notice of impoundment was mailed or otherwise given.”
Source: City of Chicago, Department of Administrative Hearings. Last checked .
Under the Municipal Code, the owner of a car impounded by the City under § 9-92-030 can request a hearing at the Department of Administrative Hearings, in person and in writing, within 30 days after the car was impounded. The hearing decides whether the tow was allowed and whether the fees are valid; if not, the fees already paid are refunded.
Official text: “Such a hearing request must be made in person and in writing at the department of administrative hearings within 30 days after the vehicle is seized and impounded.”
Source: Chicago Mun. Code § 2-14-135. Last checked .
If the tow company wants to sell the car
The City of Chicago says impounded cars are normally kept at least 21 days from when it mails the notice to the registered owner, and the registered owner can ask the Auto Pound Office (312-746-4954) for one 15-day extension before the car is sold or disposed of.
Official text: “the registered owner has the right to one extension of 15 days before a vehicle is sold or otherwise disposed of.”
Source: City of Chicago, common towing questions; Chicago Mun. Code § 9-92-100(a). Last checked .
Fees and caps
In Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will and Winnebago counties, the Illinois Commerce Commission's maximum for a relocation tow of a light-duty vehicle is $238.20, plus a $2.50 invoice fee.
Official text: “The current maximum relocation rate for light-duty vehicles established by the Commission is $238.20.”
Source: Illinois Commerce Commission, relocation towing. Last checked .
For City of Chicago tows, the City lists a $250 tow for vehicles under 8,000 pounds and $50 a day storage.
Official text: “Towing: $250 for vehicles under 8,000 pounds”
Source: City of Chicago, common towing questions. Last checked .
For City of Chicago impounds under Municipal Code § 9-92-030 (parking, tow-zone and other traffic violations, abandoned or hazardous cars, and similar City tows), storage charges may not total more than $1,500 per vehicle, whatever its size or how long it is stored. This cap is in the City code; it does not cover private relocation tows, which follow Illinois Commerce Commission rates.
Official text: “no more than $1,500 shall be charged or collected to cover the cost of storage per vehicle, regardless of the size of the vehicle or the duration of the storage”
Source: Chicago Mun. Code § 9-92-080(b)(iii). Last checked .
Cars impounded under Chicago's Vehicle Impoundment Program (ordinance-violation impounds, § 2-14-132) are charged the same towing and storage fees as other City impounds under Chapter 9-92, so the $1,500 storage cap also applies to them.
Official text: “Fees for towing and storage of a vehicle under this section shall be the same as those charged pursuant to Chapter 9-92 of this Code.”
Source: Chicago Mun. Code § 2-14-132(f). Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
The sign must be at least 24 inches high by 36 inches wide and state the tow charges and the tow company's name, address and phone number.
Official text: “of a size at least 24 inches in height by 36 inches in width”
Source: 625 ILCS 5/18a-302. Last checked .
Getting money back
A relocation tow company must refund any amount charged above the rate set by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Official text: “To fail to refund any amount charged in excess of the reasonable rate established by the Commission”
Source: 625 ILCS 5/18a-300(18). Last checked .
No towing or storage fees may be charged for a City of Chicago tow that has been found to be erroneous. The code also bars tow and storage fees when the car was stolen at the time it was impounded and this was reported to police in a timely manner.
Official text: “no fees shall be assessed for any tow or storage with respect to a tow which has been determined to be erroneous”
Source: Chicago Mun. Code § 9-92-080(b)(i), (v). Last checked .
Page last reviewed .