Car towed in Texas? Start here

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1. Find your car

• City of Houston: abandoned and towed vehicles (links to the find-my-towed-car search; 713-308-8580) (Houston; non-consent tows). Last checked October 5, 2026.
• Dallas Police: Auto Pound (links to the City's towed-vehicle search; (972) 430-6200) (Dallas; vehicles towed by the City of Dallas). Last checked October 5, 2026.
• San Antonio Police: impounded vehicles (links to the vehicle search) (San Antonio; SAPD impounds). Last checked October 5, 2026.
• Austin Police: wrecker enforcement (vehicle search, 888-217-9731 or 311) (Austin; police and public-road tows; for private-lot tows, call the number on the lot's sign). Last checked October 5, 2026.
• Fort Worth Police: Auto Pound (vehicle search; 817-349-4022) (Fort Worth; City rotational tows). Last checked October 5, 2026.
• El Paso Police: vehicle towing ((915) 212-0205) (El Paso; police and ordinance impounds). Last checked October 5, 2026.

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Write down what happened. Times, names, what people said, and any damage you notice.
7. 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

• Get your tow-hearing request to the justice court (private-property tows and boots): 13 business days, counted from date the car was towed or booted.

  Official text: “must deliver a written request for the hearing to the court before the 14th day after the date the vehicle was removed and placed in the vehicle storage facility or booted, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.”

  "Before the 14th day" means the 13th business day is the last day. Holidays are counted as business days here, which gives the earlier, safer date. If you never got the written rights notice, this deadline does not apply (§ 2308.456(c)).

  We count Monday to Friday as Texas law says. We count holidays as business days, which gives the earlier, safer date, and we show you the later date if a holiday falls in between.

  Source: Occ. Code § 2308.456(a). Last checked September 28, 2026.

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 Texas rules we checked are below.

Key towing rules in Texas

Hearings

• After a tow or boot from a parking facility, you can ask a justice court for a tow hearing. The written request must reach the court before the 14th day after the tow, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. If you were never given the written notice of your rights, that deadline does not apply.

  Official text: “before the 14th day after the date the vehicle was removed and placed in the vehicle storage facility or booted, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays”

  Source: Occ. Code § 2308.456(a), (c). Last checked September 28, 2026.

• When you pay to get your car back before a hearing, the tow company or storage facility must give you a written notice of your rights under the towing law.

  Official text: “shall at the time of payment give the owner or operator written notice of the person's rights under this chapter”

  Source: Occ. Code § 2308.454(a). Last checked September 28, 2026.

• The hearing must be held before the 21st calendar day after the court receives the request.

  Official text: “shall be held before the 21st calendar day after the date the court receives the request for the hearing”

  Source: Occ. Code § 2308.458(a). Last checked September 28, 2026.

Fees and caps

• The most a tow company may charge for a private-property tow of a light-duty vehicle (10,000 pounds or less) is $272. Cities can set lower limits.

  Official text: “light-duty tows--$272”

  Source: 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 86.455(b)(1). Last checked September 28, 2026.

Signs and permission to tow

• A tow company may tow a car from a parking facility only if the facility owner asked it to tow that specific car or has a standing written agreement with it, and the company has written verification that the required signs are posted (or that notice was given).

  Official text: “has a standing written agreement with the towing company to enforce parking restrictions in the parking facility”

  Source: Occ. Code § 2308.255(a), (d). Last checked September 28, 2026.

Getting money back

• At the hearing the court may order repayment of towing, storage or boot-removal fees, any amount charged over the legal maximum, and court costs and attorney's fees to the side that wins (which can be either side).

  Official text: “court costs and attorney's fees to the prevailing party”

  Source: Occ. Code § 2308.458(e). Last checked September 28, 2026.

• A towing company, booting company or parking facility owner that intentionally, knowingly or recklessly breaks the towing law is liable to the car's owner or operator for $1,000 plus three times the fees charged.

  Official text: “for $1,000 plus three times the amount of fees assessed in the vehicle's removal, towing, storage, or booting”

  Source: Occ. Code § 2308.404(c). Last checked September 28, 2026.

Who regulates tow companies

• The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) licenses tow companies and storage facilities and takes complaints.

  Source: TDLR towing program. Last checked October 5, 2026.