Car towed in Michigan? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Michigan.
We checked 6 Michigan towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- Michigan Abandoned Vehicle Search (Secretary of State): search by VIN or plate; help desk 517-636-5234 (Michigan (statewide, including Detroit); cars entered as abandoned, which includes private-property tows and unredeemed police impounds). 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
File a petition to contest a private-property tow: 20 days, counted from date on the Secretary of State's notice.
Official text: “A request for a hearing shall be made by filing a petition with the court specified in the notice within 20 days after the date of the notice.”
We haven't checked how Michigan 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: Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.252a(14). 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 Michigan rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Michigan
Hearings
After a private-property tow, the Secretary of State mails a notice. To contest the tow, file a petition with the court named in the notice within 20 days after the date of the notice.
Official text: “A request for a hearing shall be made by filing a petition with the court specified in the notice within 20 days after the date of the notice.”
Source: Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.252a(14). Last checked .
Fees and caps
The company storing a towed car must let the owner inspect it and take personal items out for free on the first visit; after that it may charge no more than $25 per visit, according to the Michigan AG's office.
Official text: “And to get their items out for free, for the first visit.”
Source: Michigan Department of Attorney General, towing consumer alert. Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
Before removing a car from private property, the tow company must notify the police agency that has jurisdiction.
Official text: “Before removing the vehicle from private property, the towing agency shall provide notice”
Source: Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.252a(11). Last checked .
Signs must be at each point of vehicle entry, with letters at least 2 inches high, saying unauthorized cars will be towed at the owner's expense and naming the tow company and its phone number. They must be posted for at least 24 hours before a tow.
Official text: “letters not less than 2 inches high on a contrasting background”
Source: Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.252k. Last checked .
Getting money back
The court must schedule a hearing within 30 days. For a tow from private property, the property owner must prove the tow was proper, and the court may order the property owner to repay the towing and storage charges.
Official text: “the private property owner shall have the burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence”
Source: Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.252f. Last checked .
Who regulates tow companies
The Michigan AG's Consumer Protection Team (state Department of the AG) takes towing complaints (877-765-8388), but contesting a tow or its fees is done by filing a petition with the court named in the notice.
Official text: “You may file complaints with the Michigan Attorney General's Consumer Protection Team.”
Source: Michigan Department of Attorney General, towing consumer alert. Last checked .
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