Car towed in Kentucky? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Kentucky.
We checked 11 Kentucky towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- LMPD Towed Vehicles (impound lot lookup; fees 502-574-7078) (Louisville; Vehicles towed by Louisville Metro Police to the Vehicle Impound Lot; the page links an impound-lot lookup. Fees and pickup appointments: 502-574-7078. If the car is not there, 502-574-LMPD (5673) can say whether a private company towed it.). Last checked .
- Lexington: impounded vehicles (Roberts Towing 859-233-9711; private tows 859-258-3563) (Lexington; Vehicles towed by Lexington police or LexPark go to Roberts Towing, 757 E. Seventh St., (859) 233-9711. For private-property tows, the police Central Records Reports Desk, (859) 258-3563, keeps a log of which company has the car.). 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
Claim the car or ask for a hearing (local-government impounds): 10 days, counted from date of the certified-mail notice from the local government.
Official text: “affording the parties the right within ten (10) days from the date of notice to claim the vehicle or request a hearing pursuant to KRS 82.625”
We haven't checked how Kentucky 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: KRS 82.630(1). Last checked .
Appeal the hearing board's decision to District Court (local-government impounds): 7 days, counted from date of the hearing board's determination.
Official text: “An appeal from the hearing board's determination may be made to the District Court of the county in which the local government is located within seven (7) days of the board's determination.”
We haven't checked how Kentucky 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: KRS 82.625(5)(e). Last checked .
Ask the tow company for exempt personal items (medicine, documents, child seats, etc.): 45 days, counted from date the car was towed.
Official text: “which shall be released to the vehicle owner or the owner's designated agent upon request, if the request is made within forty-five (45) days of the date the vehicle was towed”
We haven't checked how Kentucky 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: KRS 376.275(2). 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 Kentucky rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Kentucky
Hearings
For cars impounded by a city or other local government, the owner may challenge the impoundment by asking in writing for a hearing before the hearing board; the hearing is held within 10 business days of the request (72 hours if the owner cannot pay the bond).
Official text: “may challenge the validity of such impoundment and request in writing a hearing before the hearing board”
Source: KRS 82.625(4). Last checked .
If the tow company wants to sell the car
A tow or storage company that sent the required notices has a lien on the car. If charges are unpaid after 45 days, the car may be sold after the owner and lienholder get 10 days' certified-mail notice of the time and place of sale. This does not apply to local- or state-government tows.
Official text: “If, after a period of forty-five (45) days, the applicable and reasonable charges”
Source: KRS 376.275(1)(b), (5). Last checked .
Fees and caps
If the owner or driver arrives while a private-property tow is in progress, the tow company must say they can pay no more than 50% of its normal release fee, and then must release the car with a receipt.
Official text: “may pay a fee in an amount not greater than fifty percent (50%) of the amount of the fee the towing company normally charges for the release of a motor vehicle”
Source: KRS 281.924(5). Last checked .
Towing companies and storage facilities must post one rate sheet that applies to every customer and give it to State Police and local police. Any charge above the rate sheet is excessive, and excessive payments must be refunded within 30 days after the state notifies the company.
Official text: “Any charge in excess of the rate sheets provided under this subsection shall be deemed excessive.”
Source: KRS 281.926(3). Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
A private parking lot owner may have unauthorized cars towed, but the lot must post signs saying it is privately owned and unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense.
Official text: “post signs stating thereon that the parking lot is privately owned and unauthorized vehicles will be towed away at the owner's expense”
Source: KRS 189.725. Last checked .
A property owner who sets up a tow-away zone must post a sign clearly visible to the public stating it is a tow-away zone, with contact information and a description of who may or may not park there.
Official text: “a sign that is clearly visible to the public”
Source: KRS 281.924(3). Last checked .
After a private-property tow, the tow company must notify the local law enforcement agency within 2 hours, and must take the car to a storage facility within 25 miles (or the nearest one if none is within 25 miles).
Official text: “not later than two (2) hours after completing a tow of a motor vehicle from private property”
Source: KRS 281.924(4), (6). Last checked .
Paying
Tow companies and storage facilities must accept cash, insurer checks, credit cards, debit cards, money orders and bank checks, and may not refuse the owner a physical inspection of the car during posted business hours before payment.
Official text: “shall accept payment made by any of the following means from an individual seeking to release a motor vehicle”
Source: KRS 281.930(3)-(4). Last checked .
Getting money back
Within 10 days of the tow, the owner and lienholder must get certified-mail notice with an estimated itemized invoice. A storage facility that does not send it loses all storage fees after the 10th day from the tow.
Official text: “the motor vehicle storage facility shall forfeit all storage fees accrued after ten (10) days from the date of tow”
Source: KRS 281.928(1), (3). Last checked .
If the hearing board finds a local-government impoundment was not justified, the car is released and all fines and fees paid or bond posted because of the impoundment are returned.
Official text: “All fines and fees paid or amounts posted as bond because of the impoundment of the vehicle shall be returned.”
Source: KRS 82.625(5)(c). Last checked .
A towing company or storage facility that violates KRS 281.920 to 281.936 has its state certificate suspended for 30 days per violation (12 months after four violations in three years), and may not charge fees while suspended.
Official text: “During a period when a towing company or storage facility has had its certificate suspended, the towing company or storage facility shall not charge fees.”
Source: KRS 281.990(5). Last checked .
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