Car towed in Washington? Start here

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• Seattle, Washington (Towed in Seattle)Shows the Washington and Seattle towing rules, counts your deadlines, and gives you forms that you choose and fill in yourself.

1. Find your car

• City of Seattle: find a towed car (Seattle; street and police impounds (Lincoln Towing, (206) 364-2000); for private-property impounds, call the company on the sign). 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 impound hearing request to the court: 10 days, counted from date you were given the notice of your right to a hearing.

  Official text: “Any request for a hearing shall be made in writing on the form provided for that purpose and must be received by the appropriate court within 10 days of the date the opportunity was provided for in (a) of this subsection”

  The request must be received by the court by this date, and more than five days before the auction.

  We haven't checked how Washington 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: RCW 46.55.120(2)(b). Last checked October 5, 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 Washington rules we checked are below.

Key towing rules in Washington

Hearings

• You can ask a court for a hearing to contest an impound, including a private-property impound. The written request, on the form provided, must reach the court within 10 days of the date you were given the notice of your right to a hearing.

  Official text: “must be received by the appropriate court within 10 days of the date the opportunity was provided”

  Source: RCW 46.55.120(2)(b). Last checked October 5, 2026.

If the tow company wants to sell the car

• If the car isn't redeemed within 15 days after the notice of custody and sale is mailed, the tow operator may sell it at a public auction after publishing notice.

  Official text: “after the expiration of fifteen days from the date of mailing of notice of custody and sale”

  Source: RCW 46.55.130(1). Last checked October 5, 2026.

Fees and caps

• For most private-property impounds (a car upright with all wheels on and not in an accident), towing may not cost more than 135% of the State Patrol's class A hourly rate, and storage not more than 135% of its daily storage rate. Some cities' older ordinances still apply.

  Official text: “one hundred thirty-five percent of the maximum hourly rate for a class A tow truck”

  Source: RCW 46.55.118. Last checked October 5, 2026.

• In Seattle (from April 20, 2026), private-property impounds may cost no more than $306.88 for the first hour, $54.75 for each later 15 minutes, $42.98 per 12 hours of storage and $100 for an after-hours release, plus a $15 City impound fee. Extra labor and service fees (winch, dolly, hookup, standby time and others) are not allowed.

  Official text: “Additional labor and service fees are not allowed.”

  Source: Seattle Municipal Code 6.214.220. Last checked October 5, 2026.

Signs and permission to tow

• For a private-property impound, the person asking for it must give the tow operator a signed authorization at the time and place of the impound. The tow company and its employees may not sign it as the property owner's agent.

  Official text: “shall provide a signed authorization for the impound at the time and place of the impound”

  Source: RCW 46.55.080(2). Last checked October 5, 2026.

Getting money back

• If the court finds the impound broke the law, you owe no impound, towing or storage fees, and the court enters judgment for reasonable damages for loss of use of the car. If that judgment isn't paid within 15 days of written notice, attorney fees and costs are added.

  Official text: “shall bear no impoundment, towing, or storage fees”

  Source: RCW 46.55.120(3)(e). Last checked October 5, 2026.