Arkansas towing laws
Arkansas licenses tow companies through the Towing and Recovery Board, but it does not set one statewide price list.
More about Arkansas
Each company files its own maximum rate sheet with the Board, notice letters are capped at 25 dollars, and you can complain to the Board if you think you were overcharged. Since 2025 you can get the contents of your car out for a fee of no more than 5 percent of the bill, but the state has no drop-fee or payment-method rule.
Checked Nov 15, 2026 · Regulator: Arkansas Towing and Recovery Board
At a glance
Arkansas state towed-car search
Run or named by a state agency. Check what it covers: most miss some kinds of tows.
Towed vehicles, equipment and trailers that have sat in an impound lot long enough to be listed for public sale, which state law allows after 45 days. It will not help you find a car towed in the last few days.5
Fee limits
Towed from a private lotApartments, stores, businesses
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
Private-property tow, light vehicle12DetailsNo statewide number. Counties and cities may limit tow and storage charges by ordinance. Each company files its own maximum rate sheet with the Board. | Set by city or county |
Any kind of tow
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
Daily storage12DetailsNo statewide number. The Board treats midnight to midnight as a reasonable storage day when judging overcharges. | Set by city or county |
Owner and lienholder notice2DetailsBoard rule caps the notice charge at 25 dollars or the actual postage. It cannot be charged until two business days after the tow. Figure is from the 2022 Board rules. | Up to $25 |
Local rates. Counties, cities of the first and second class, and incorporated towns may limit private-property tow and storage charges and require signs that list them. Check the local ordinance where the car was towed.
What will I owe in Arkansas?
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Got your receipt? Check it for overcharges
Type what the lot charged for each line. We flag anything above a confirmed legal cap.
Your rights: drop fee, belongings, hearing
Release for a drop feeIf you reach the car before it is towed away
Neither the state towing law nor the Board rules require a tow company to release your car for a reduced fee if you return before it is towed away. A city ordinance may say more, so check where the car was towed.12
Get your belongings outWithout paying the tow first
Some items must be returned free, including documents, medicine, child car seats, wallets and purses, glasses, prosthetics, cell phones, photos, and books. Ask within 45 days and bring proof you own the car. Since April 2025 you can also take the rest of the contents out by paying a fee of no more than 5 percent of the tow and storage bill and giving written assurance you will pay the rest, and the fee counts toward your bill.14
Right to a hearingTo contest the tow
If you think a police-ordered removal was not justified, you can seek a review within 30 days after the tow. Depending on who ordered it, you file with the State Claims Commission, the city or county review process, or circuit court.1
Payment they must take
State law does not list payment methods a tow company must accept. Cities and counties can require private-lot tows to go only to firms that take cash, credit cards, or debit cards, and can require signs that say which methods the firm accepts.1
Owner noticeWhat the tower must tell you or police
The tow company must send the owner and lienholders a notice by certified mail between two and eight business days after it gets the car. The notice says the car may be sold if not claimed within 45 days.1
Storage rules
There is no statewide storage cap. Under 2025 Board rules, storage cannot be charged on weekends or holidays if the lot does not offer after-hours release.23
What to bringTo get the car released
You can take the car back during business hours by proving ownership, clearing any police hold, and paying the charges or making a written arrangement with the company.1
Other deadlines
- Board resolves an overcharge complaint: You can complain to the Towing and Recovery Board about overcharges for nonconsent towing, storage, or recovery. The Board must resolve a complaint within 45 days.12
- Claim before sale: If the car is not claimed within 45 days of the notice, it can be sold, dismantled, or destroyed.1
By situation
Think the tow or the bill was wrong?
Ask the lot for an itemized receipt, compare it to the legal limits in Arkansas, and request a hearing before the deadline. Our step-by-step guide and calculator are free.
Guides: how to fight a tow · what to bring · impound costs by city
Questions
Is there a limit on towing fees in Arkansas?
Arkansas has no statewide cap on the main towing fees. Cities and counties may set their own.
Does a tow truck have to release my car in Arkansas if I get there first?
Neither the state towing law nor the Board rules require a tow company to release your car for a reduced fee if you return before it is towed away. A city ordinance may say more, so check where the car was towed.
Can I get my belongings out of a towed car in Arkansas?
Some items must be returned free, including documents, medicine, child car seats, wallets and purses, glasses, prosthetics, cell phones, photos, and books. Ask within 45 days and bring proof you own the car. Since April 2025 you can also take the rest of the contents out by paying a fee of no more than 5 percent of the tow and storage bill and giving written assurance you will pay the rest, and the fee counts toward your bill.
How do I contest a tow in Arkansas?
If you think a police-ordered removal was not justified, you can seek a review within 30 days after the tow. Depending on who ordered it, you file with the State Claims Commission, the city or county review process, or circuit court.
What payment do tow lots have to accept in Arkansas?
State law does not list payment methods a tow company must accept. Cities and counties can require private-lot tows to go only to firms that take cash, credit cards, or debit cards, and can require signs that say which methods the firm accepts.
Sources
Last checked Nov 15, 2026. Fees and rules change: confirm with the lot or agency before you go. Spot an error? Tell us.
- Arkansas tow vehicle laws compilation (Title 27, including 27-50-1101 and 27-50-1201 to 1209) (Ark. Code Ann. 27-50-1101, 27-50-1207, 27-50-1208), Arkansas Towing and Recovery Board. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
- Arkansas Towing and Recovery Board Rules (clean copy, 2022) (Ark. Towing and Recovery Board Rules 1, 4, 5, 10, 11), Arkansas Towing and Recovery Board. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
- 2025 Summary of Rule Changes (27 CAR 170), Arkansas Towing and Recovery Board. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
- Act 932 of 2025 (HB 2001) with Board notice to tow companies (Ark. Code Ann. 27-50-1208(a)(2)(D)), Arkansas Towing and Recovery Board. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
- Lost Auto, Towing and Recovery Board, Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. Checked Nov 14, 2026.