Car towed in Tennessee? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Tennessee.
We checked 10 Tennessee towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
We don't have an official towed-car lookup for Tennessee on our list yet.
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 an abandoned or immobile car held by police (pay the charges): 20 days, counted from date you received the notice.
Official text: “the right to reclaim the motor vehicle within twenty (20) days after the date of receipt of the notice”
We haven't checked how Tennessee 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: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-31-301(d)(4) (Tenn. Pub. Ch. 457 (2025)). 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 Tennessee rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Tennessee
If the tow company wants to sell the car
A garagekeeper holding an abandoned or immobile car must verify ownership within 3 business days and notify the owner and lienholders within 3 business days after that. If it does not, it may receive no more than 6 days of storage-related expenses.
Official text: “shall not receive more than six (6) days of storage-related expenses”
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-31-302(b) (Tenn. Pub. Ch. 457 (2025)). Last checked .
When police take an abandoned or immobile car into custody, the notice must tell the owner and lienholders they can reclaim it within 20 days after receiving the notice by paying towing, preservation and storage charges. Not reclaiming it counts as giving up the car, which may be sold at public auction or demolished.
Official text: “the right to reclaim the motor vehicle within twenty (20) days after the date of receipt of the notice”
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-31-301(d) (Tenn. Pub. Ch. 457 (2025)). Last checked .
Fees and caps
If the tow has started but the car has not left its parking spot, the tow company must release it right away when the owner or driver pays a release fee. For tows done without the owner's written authorization, the release fee may not be more than $100.
Official text: “shall immediately release the vehicle that the person has begun to tow if”
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 55-31-204(c), 55-31-207(e)(3) (Tenn. Pub. Ch. 457 (2025)). Last checked .
Booting is allowed only with a self-releasing device, on a commercial parking lot or contracted property with the required signs. Removal may cost no more than the parking fees owed plus $75, and there is no removal fee for someone who paid to park and was booted improperly.
Official text: “plus a vehicle immobilization device removal fee of not greater than seventy-five dollars ($75.00)”
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-31-201(b) (Tenn. Pub. Ch. 457 (2025)). Last checked .
A garagekeeper may not charge storage for days the car was not available for release (unless police placed a hold), and generally may not charge storage beyond 21 days without the owner's or lienholder's consent unless it gives the required notice.
Official text: “shall not charge a storage fee for any day on which the motor vehicle is not available for release”
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-31-207(a), (b), (d) (Tenn. Pub. Ch. 457 (2025)). Last checked .
For tows or storage done without the owner's written authorization, the garagekeeper may not charge more than the maximum approved by the Tennessee Highway Patrol district, and may not charge a gate or release fee during normal business hours on a day it also charges storage.
Official text: “approved by the Tennessee highway patrol district”
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-31-207(e) (Tenn. Pub. Ch. 457 (2025)). Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
For tows from private property open to the public, the notice must say unauthorized cars may be towed, be clearly visible, be at each designated entrance and exit, and give the tow company's name and phone number.
Official text: “Is located at each designated entrance and exit of the”
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-31-204(a)(1)(B) (Tenn. Pub. Ch. 457 (2025)). Last checked .
If the owner is not present, the tow company must report the tow (VIN, plate, description, tow location and storage location) to the local law enforcement agency within 1 hour, and the agency must make that record available for public inspection. Once the state portal has been running 90 days, this report goes into the portal instead.
Official text: “then within one (1) hour of a person towing the motor vehicle pursuant to this chapter, such person must notify the law enforcement agency”
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-31-204(d) (Tenn. Pub. Ch. 457 (2025)). Last checked .
Getting money back
Breaking Tennessee's towing chapter is a violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, and a person harmed can sue for an injunction, actual, compensatory and punitive damages, and reasonable legal fees. (These remedies do not apply to the portal section or to the abandoned-vehicle part.)
Official text: “to recover actual damages, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and reasonable attorney's fees”
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-31-103 (Tenn. Pub. Ch. 457 (2025)). Last checked .
Page last reviewed .