Car towed in Fresno? Lookup and fees
Checked Nov 15, 2026 against official sources. We don't have your car: use the official lookup below.
Find your car
Cars towed at the request of Fresno Police. The city lists this page as the place to locate a towed vehicle.1
Other ways to check:
- Fresno Police Tow Coordinator · 559-621-2543: The police tow desk listed for tow hearings and release questions. Have your license plate or VIN ready, since police cannot research a tow without one.12
- Fresno Police Communications Center · 559-621-7000: The city's number to call to check whether a missing car was towed or stolen.1
- Autura vehicle search: The vehicle search linked from the Autura help page for Fresno tows. Autura runs tow dispatch and impound software for the Fresno tow program. The help page also lists a customer line at 855-651-5100.2
Towed from a private lot (apartment, store)? The city's police page covers police-ordered impounds and does not describe private-lot tows. If your car was towed from a private lot or apartment complex, the FindMyTowedCar search above is still the first place to look, and the state tow rules apply.
Deadline to contest: 10 calendar days from the notice (California rules). How to request a hearing
Fresno Police tows go to contract tow yards, and the city says impounded cars are no longer released at the police department. Search FindMyTowedCar for your plate or VIN, or call the Fresno Police tow line to find out which yard has your car.
Fresno impound lots: addresses and hours
Fresno does not publish one list of impound lots. Towed cars here go to private storage lots. Use FindMyTowedCar Fresno to find which one, then call it for hours and payment.
How much it costs to get your car out in Fresno
| Fee | Amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Police administrative fee, collision or blocking a roadway1Paid in addition to the tow yard's tow and storage charges. | $60 | Crash scene |
| Police administrative fee, illegally parked or abandoned vehicle1 | $116 | Police-ordered |
| Police administrative fee, unlicensed driver or expired registration1 | $189 | Police-ordered |
| Police administrative fee, arrested driver or suspended license1The same amount applies to a 30 day impound. | $266 | Police-ordered |
| Police administrative fee, driver cited for DUI1The same amount applies to a 30 day impound. | $450 | Police-ordered |
Tow charge at the tow yard1DetailsOwners pay tow and storage at the tow yard. The city page does not list those amounts, so ask the yard for its rates. | Not verified | Police-ordered |
| Daily storage at the tow yard1 | Not verified | Police-ordered |
Estimate your bill
Got your receipt? Check it for overcharges
Type what the lot charged for each line. We flag anything above a confirmed legal cap.
What to bring
Fresno lots do not publish one list. Most ask for a photo ID, proof of ownership (registration or title) and proof of insurance. California rules mention: Valid government-issued photo ID, Proof you are the owner, insured or insurer, or are authorized by the owner, such as the title, registration or a notarized letter from the owner, Payment of the tow and storage charges, A police or agency release, if one is required (for example after a crime, a fatality or a police-ordered impound), Proof of current registration, for cars stored by police or other officers.
More detail, including when the car is not in your name: what to bring to the impound lot.
Local rules and how to contest
- Impounded cars are no longer released at the police department. Go to the tow yard to pay and pick up the car.
- A car that was only stored, not impounded, has no police administrative fee and needs no vehicle release. Go straight to the tow company.
- The car must be currently registered and is released only to the licensed registered or legal owner.
- An owner without a valid driver's license needs a California ID or other acceptable ID and must bring a valid licensed driver along.
- With the registered owner's consent, a vehicle release can be issued to another licensed driver.
- You can ask for a tow hearing by calling the police hearing officer at 559-621-2543 within 10 days of the tow.
- A car impounded for a suspended license is held for 30 days. You can call the Tow Coordinator within the first 10 days to ask for a hearing about an earlier release.
- A car left on a public street more than 72 hours can be impounded as abandoned.
California rules that apply
California has no single statewide dollar cap. A private-property tow and its storage can't cost more than the local police agency's contract rate or the tower's CHP-approved rate, whichever is higher, and charging more can make the tower liable for four times the amount. Every storage lot has to take cash and credit cards, hand back your belongings for free during business hours, and post a state-written Towing and Storage Fees and Access Notice. For police-ordered tows you can ask for a post-storage hearing within 10 days of the notice date.
- Drop fee release: If you get back to your car before it has left the property, the tow company has to release it on the spot, and refusing is a misdemeanor. If the car was already hooked up or lifted, they can charge up to half their regular towing charge. Then you need to move the car right away.
- Your belongings: Before paying anything, you can get your personal belongings out free during normal business hours, which are Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except state holidays. The lot has no lien on items inside the car. For police-towed cars, the lot can charge a gate fee to return items after hours, capped at half its hourly tow rate.
- Hearing: If police or another public agency had your car stored, you can ask for a post-storage hearing in person, in writing or by phone within 10 days of the date printed on the storage notice. The agency has to hold it within 48 hours of your request, not counting weekends and holidays, and it pays the tow and storage if it can't show good grounds. The law doesn't say business days, so count calendar days to be safe. Private-property tows get no agency hearing. Your remedy there is a lawsuit, usually in small claims court.
Think the tow was wrong?
Questions
How do I find my towed car in Fresno?
Use FindMyTowedCar Fresno (https://www.findmytowedcar.org/fresno). Cars towed at the request of Fresno Police. The city lists this page as the place to locate a towed vehicle..
My car was towed from a private lot in Fresno. Where is it?
The city's police page covers police-ordered impounds and does not describe private-lot tows. If your car was towed from a private lot or apartment complex, the FindMyTowedCar search above is still the first place to look, and the state tow rules apply.
Sources
Last checked Nov 15, 2026. Fees and rules change: confirm with the lot or agency before you go. Spot an error? Tell us.
- Frequently Asked Questions, Fresno Police Department, City of Fresno. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
- Fresno, CA towing and impound info, Autura. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
- Census Bureau Vintage 2024 city and town population estimates (SUB-EST2024), U.S. Census Bureau. Checked Nov 15, 2026.