It doesn’t matter if your vehicle is towed after you’ve been pulled over and arrested for a bench warrant or because you left it parked too long in one place and someone reported it as an abandoned vehicle, learning that the police have towed your vehicle triggers a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. It’s worth noting that if a vehicle is parked on a street or public/business lot for more than a week without moving, the police consider it an abandoned vehicle and will tow it.
The fact that many police stations, especially in small towns, contacts a third-party towing service to move and store the car, makes getting your vehicle back even more complicated than if it was sent to a local garage.
Find Out Where Your Vehicle Is At
Finding out where your vehicle is shouldn’t be complicated. All it takes is a simple call to the nearest police station and they will provide you with the information you need. What they might not know is how much it’ll cost to free your vehicle. When you collect your car, be prepared to pay for towing fees and storage fees. The sooner you pick up the vehicle, the lower the storage fees.
Collecting Your Vehicle
You should be able to collect your car as soon as all the bills connected to the police towing have been paid. The only real exception is if the vehicle is being held as evidence of a crime, such as an accident, because drugs were found in it, or if the police believe it was used to commit a felony.
When you pick up your vehicle, make sure you have your driver’s license, current proof of insurance, and valid registration, or the vehicle won’t be released. If you no longer have a valid license, you will want to ask someone to go with you and drive the vehicle for you. In some cases, if the car isn’t properly plated or insured, arrangements can be made to have the vehicle towed to your home.
Once you have the vehicle back, you will want to avoid repeating whatever it was that lead to the car being towed in the first place.
If You Don’t Pick Up Your Car
The police will not hold onto your car forever. If a certain length of time passes and you haven’t made any attempt to get your car back, the police will auction it off. Once it’s been sold, there’s nothing you can do to get it back.
