Car towed in West Virginia? Start here

1. Find your car

• City of Charleston traffic page: towed-vehicle questions go to the Charleston Police Records Division (Charleston; Phone 304-348-6400 (CPD Records Division) for City police tows. The page is an event traffic notice; the same number is listed as Records & Reporting in the CPD phone directory.). 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

• Reclaim an abandoned or junked vehicle taken by an enforcement agency (pay towing and storage): 10 days, counted from date the notice is received (or date it is published, if mailed notice is not possible).

  Official text: “their right to reclaim the motor vehicle within 10 days after the date notice was received by the owner or lienholders”

  We haven't checked how West Virginia 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: W. Va. Code § 17-24A-4(a)(3). 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 West Virginia rules we checked are below.

Key towing rules in West Virginia

If the tow company wants to sell the car

• When a police or other enforcement agency takes an abandoned or junked vehicle, it must notify the registered owner and lienholders by registered or certified mail within 15 days, stating where the car is held and the right to reclaim it.

  Official text: “within 15 days after taking custody and possession thereof, notify the last-known registered owner”

  Source: W. Va. Code § 17-24A-4(a). Last checked October 5, 2026.

Fees and caps

• For nonconsent ('third-party') tows by operators without their own approved tariff, the PSC's maximum statewide rate for non-accident towing, including private property tows, of cars and light trucks (7,000 lbs. or less) is $102.00 per hour, and outside storage is $27.00 per day (rates in effect since October 2021, Case No. 20-0796-MC-GI).

  Official text: “This rate applies to wrecker trucks for non-accident towing services such as private property towing, disabled vehicle towing and traffic violation tows.”

  Source: W. Va. PSC, Maximum Statewide Wrecker Rates, Case No. 20-0796-MC-GI (order Sept. 20, 2021). Last checked October 5, 2026.

• If the car is hooked or loaded but has not left the premises and the owner produces the key and removes it immediately, the tow charge may not exceed half of the minimum charge.

  Official text: “the applicable tow charge shall not exceed one-half (1/2) the otherwise minimum charge”

  Source: W. Va. PSC Maximum Statewide Wrecker Rates, Rule 6. Last checked October 5, 2026.

Signs and permission to tow

• A property owner may have an unauthorized vehicle removed from private property, but whoever removes it must notify the West Virginia State Police and, inside a city, the city police department.

  Official text: “shall notify the West Virginia state police of such action”

  Source: W. Va. Code § 17C-14-13(c). Last checked October 5, 2026.

Paying

• Under the PSC rates, tow companies must let third-party tow customers take their personal possessions (items not attached to the car) from towed vehicles during normal business hours without paying the tow bill.

  Official text: “from towed vehicles without payment of all or part of their respective tow bills during normal business hours”

  Source: W. Va. PSC Maximum Statewide Wrecker Rates, Rule 3. Last checked October 5, 2026.

Getting money back

• If a tow company refuses to release a vehicle during evenings, weekends or holidays, it may not charge storage for each day release is refused.

  Official text: “will result in no storage fees permitted for each day release is refused”

  Source: W. Va. PSC Maximum Statewide Wrecker Rates, section 5 note. Last checked October 5, 2026.

• If a tow company hired by an enforcement agency does not send the required notice within 30 days, the owner owes no more than the first five days of towing and storage charges.

  Official text: “in excess of the sum of the first five days of the charges”

  Source: W. Va. Code § 17-24A-4(d). Last checked October 5, 2026.

Who regulates tow companies

• Tow companies must register with the West Virginia Public Service Commission, may not charge more than the PSC-set rates, and can have their registration suspended or revoked on a complaint by an aggrieved party.

  Official text: “Upon the complaint of any aggrieved party, the commission may suspend or revoke the registration”

  Source: W. Va. Code § 24A-2-2a. Last checked October 5, 2026.

• The PSC takes questions about the approved rates for third-party tows at its toll-free number, 1-800-344-5113, extension 344.

  Official text: “call toll free 1-800-344-5113, extension 344”

  Source: W. Va. PSC Maximum Statewide Wrecker Rates (note). Last checked October 5, 2026.