Car towed in South Carolina? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in South Carolina.
We checked 9 South Carolina towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- City of Charleston: nonconsensual towing (Charleston County private towing log; CPD 843-577-7434) (Charleston; Private-property tows in the City of Charleston: the posted tow sign names the company; the page links the Charleston County private towing log; Charleston Police non-emergency line (843) 577-7434 if the car still cannot be found.). 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 (abandoned-vehicle tows): 30 days, counted from day after the certified-mail notice is mailed.
Official text: “inform the owner and all lienholders of the right to reclaim the vehicle within thirty days beginning the day after the notice is mailed”
We haven't checked how South Carolina 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: S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5630(A)(2)(c). Last checked .
File a complaint about a Highway Patrol rotation wrecker (S.C. Highway Patrol tows only): 30 days, counted from date of the incident.
Official text: “Complaints from or about wrecker services regarding an incident involving the Highway Patrol or its operation of the wrecker lists must be received within thirty days of the alleged incident.”
We haven't checked how South Carolina 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: S.C. Code Regs. 38-600(D)(1). Last checked .
Claim leftover money from a magistrate's sale of the car: 90 days, counted from day after the magistrate mails the notice about the sale proceeds.
Official text: “the article owner or lienholder has ninety days to claim the proceeds from the sale of the article”
We haven't checked how South Carolina 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: S.C. Code Ann. § 29-15-10(D). 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 South Carolina rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in South Carolina
If the tow company wants to sell the car
When an abandoned vehicle is taken into custody, the tow company and storage facility must notify the last registered owner and all lienholders by registered or certified mail, giving the vehicle's location and the right to reclaim it.
Official text: “the towing company and storage facility having towed and received the vehicle shall notify by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, the last known registered owner of the vehicle and all lienholders of record”
Source: S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5630(A)(2). Last checked .
A tow company, storage facility or garage may have the vehicle sold at public auction only after 30 days have passed since written notice by registered or certified mail, and the sale is conducted by a county magistrate after posting notice for at least 15 days.
Official text: “thirty days have passed since written notice was given to the owner of the article and to any lienholder”
Source: S.C. Code Ann. § 29-15-10(A), (D). Last checked .
Fees and caps
Before the notice of the vehicle's location is mailed, a tow company, storage facility or garage may charge the owner and lienholder storage for at most 7 business days. The notice must go out within 5 business days after the owner search and must state the daily storage rate.
Official text: “may charge the owner and lienholder for only such storage costs that accrue for a maximum period of seven (7) business days before notice of the location of the article is sent”
Source: S.C. Code Ann. § 29-15-10(B). Last checked .
For tows from the S.C. Highway Patrol wrecker rotation list, if the owner gives the wrecker service written notice of a dispute over storage fees or charges, storage charges stop from receipt of the notice until the dispute is settled (they are owed if the dispute is settled for the wrecker). The owner gets an itemized statement on release.
Official text: “The wrecker service must cease any storage charges that would otherwise accrue from the time the wrecker service receives written notification of the dispute until the dispute is settled.”
Source: S.C. Code Regs. 38-600(C)(6). Last checked .
Paying
For abandoned-vehicle tows, the tow company and storage facility must accept the same forms of payment they would accept if the owner had asked for the tow.
Official text: “must accept as payment for the release of the vehicle the same manner of payment that they would accept if the owner of the vehicle had requested his vehicle towed”
Source: S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5630(A). Last checked .
After a law-enforcement tow, the owner (showing the registration) gets one opportunity to remove personal property not attached to the vehicle.
Official text: “has one opportunity to remove from the vehicle any personal property not attached to the vehicle”
Source: S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5635(F). Last checked .
Getting money back
Seizing, selling or disposing of an abandoned or derelict vehicle in a way that does not follow the abandoned-vehicle article is conversion, and the owner may seek redress in court.
Official text: “shall constitute conversion for which the owner shall have redress in any court of competent jurisdiction”
Source: S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5940(a). Last checked .
Who regulates tow companies
Highway Patrol rotation wreckers must charge reasonable fees reviewed by the Troop commander and keep the approved fee list in the wrecker to show on request; motorists using the rotation list may pay by major credit card.
Official text: “A copy of the approved fees will be kept in the wrecker at all times.”
Source: S.C. Code Regs. 38-600(C)(16), (F). Last checked .
The City of Charleston permits the companies allowed to do nonconsensual (including private-property) tows and boots and lists them on its Traffic & Transportation page; questions or concerns about a tow go to the City's Citizen Services Desk, (843) 724-7311.
Official text: “Towing Companies Currently Permitted to Conduct Nonconsensual Tows in the City of Charleston”
Source: City of Charleston Traffic & Transportation, Nonconsensual Towing & Immobilization. Last checked .
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