Towed in another state
The rules of the state where the car was towed apply, not your home state. You can usually get the car with your out-of-state license, registration and insurance.
What to do now
- Use the city lookup for where the car was towed, or call that city police non-emergency line.
- Bring the registration and insurance card. A rental car needs the rental agreement, or the rental company may have to release it.
- Ask if the lot accepts cards over the phone or needs cash. Many states require cards to be accepted.
- Look up that state limits before paying.
What to bring: all 50 states and DC
| State | Rule |
|---|---|
| Alabama Partly | The owner or lienholder of record can redeem the car within 30 days of the certified notice, which lists the charges owed and the daily storage rate. State law does not list the documents you must show. |
| Alaska Yes | For abandoned vehicles removed under state law, you can get the car back before auction by showing proof of ownership or right to possession and paying towing, storage, notice, and impound costs. |
| Arizona Partly | For crash tows the car must be released the same business day you ask, once you get the free itemized bill and pay. You use a state release form and show proof of ownership. |
| Arkansas Yes | 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. |
| California Yes | You and your insurer have the right to immediate release once you pay, show valid photo ID and show papers proving you are the owner or are authorized, plus any required police release. For a private-property tow, the tow company has to give you a copy of the signed tow authorization before you pay, along with a notice listing the number to call if you think the tow was wrongful. |
| Colorado Yes | The car must be released on demand during business hours, or with one hour notice after hours in the first 24 hours. For residential tows you can get the car back by paying 15 percent of the bill, up to 60 dollars, and owing the rest after 90 days. |
| Connecticut Yes | After you pay, the car must be released when you show proof of ownership. You may inspect the car first and cannot be made to sign a general damage release. You are entitled to an itemized statement and, on request, the tow photos. |
| Delaware Not verified | Not verified yet. |
| District of Columbia Yes | To get a booted or city-towed car released, you must pay all outstanding DC tickets and fees for any vehicle registered in your name. |
| Florida Yes | The car must be released within 1 hour of your request. You may inspect it first and cannot be made to sign a damage waiver. Bring a government photo ID and proof of interest. |
| Georgia Yes | To release a privately towed car, bring a valid driver's license, a working key and proof that it's yours, and pay the allowed charges. The company has to give you a signed receipt listing every charge, the release date and time, and where the car was towed from. |
| Hawaii Yes | When you get the car back, you must get a receipt listing the maximum charges allowed by law and the state consumer information phone number. |
| Idaho Yes | You can get the car back any time before it is sold by proving ownership and paying the towing and storage costs. The tower must give you an itemized bill. |
| Illinois Yes | In ICC counties the car must be released right away from the main lot once you show ID and pay. Elsewhere it must be released within 30 minutes of a request during business hours, and you may inspect it first. |
| Indiana Yes | A properly identified owner or lienholder who pays the tow, storage and allowed fees must get the car back during regular office hours, with an itemized receipt. The lot must return calls within 24 hours. |
| Iowa Yes | To drive away an abandoned or impounded vehicle you must pay the towing, storage and notice charges and show a valid driver's license and proof of insurance. |
| Kansas Yes | To get back a car impounded by a public agency, you must show proof of valid registration and ownership. The agency may also require payment of towing and storage costs first. |
| Kentucky Yes | After all charges are paid, the car must be released to a properly identified owner or lender, or to an insurer's representative with proof of coverage or the owner's approval. You may inspect the car during posted business hours before paying. |
| Louisiana Not verified | Not verified yet. |
| Maine Yes | The lot may hold the car and its accessories until reasonable towing and storage charges are paid. Taking the car from the lot without written consent is a traffic infraction, even for the owner. |
| Maryland Not verified | Not verified yet. |
| Massachusetts Yes | The tower may hold the car until the registered owner pays the removal and storage charges. If the tower did not follow the private-property towing rules, it must release the car with no towing or storage charges. |
| Michigan Partly | To get the car back without a hearing you pay the 40 dollar fee plus the towing and storage charges to the lot. Cars towed by police for suspected theft, evidence, or a crash must first be released by the police agency. |
| Minnesota Partly | The owner or a lienholder can reclaim the car by paying all charges for towing, storage, and any cargo recovery or cleanup. Owners who are homeless or receive need-based benefits do not owe cargo or cleanup charges unless insurance covers them. Minneapolis and St. Paul also ask for photo ID, current insurance on the car, and registration or title. |
| Mississippi Not verified | Not verified yet. |
| Missouri Yes | The owner or a lienholder can reclaim the car by showing proof of ownership or security interest and paying all reasonable towing and storage charges. |
| Montana Partly | To reclaim an abandoned vehicle held by police, you must show the sheriff or city police proof of ownership or right to possession and pay the removal and storage costs. |
| Nebraska Partly | Once the charges are paid, the car must be returned to the owner, lienholder or other person entitled to it. You must be given a written statement naming who had the car towed, the legal authority for the tow and your rights. |
| Nevada Partly | The lot must have a way to release cars outside normal hours and must post a sign explaining the court hearing right and where to find legal aid. |
| New Hampshire Yes | The owner or person entitled to the car can get it back by paying all reasonable towing and storage charges. Since August 31, 2026, the state may not suspend your driver's license over unpaid towing and storage fees, though it may hold up a renewal until they are paid. |
| New Jersey Partly | For police-ordered tows, the company may require only reasonable fees under the town's approved fee schedule before it releases the car. If you pay by card, the company may ask for identification. |
| New Mexico Yes | You can get the car back during business hours as a matter of right by paying the charges and showing proof of ownership. Bills must be itemized. |
| New York Partly | A tower holding a car for the police must release it to the owner or the owner's representative once all charges are paid. At New York City police tow pounds you need a valid driver's license, the original registration or title, and proof of insurance. Someone picking up for you needs a notarized letter from the owner too. |
| North Carolina Partly | In counties covered by G.S. 20-219.2, the tower must tell you in writing at pickup that you can pay, take the car and contest the charges. It may not make you sign a waiver, only a receipt for the car. |
| North Dakota Partly | The owner, lienholder or insurer can reclaim the vehicle by paying all towing and storage charges. |
| Ohio Yes | You get the car back by showing proof of ownership and paying the allowed fees. The tower must take dated photos of the car and show them to you if you dispute the tow. |
| Oklahoma Partly | The invoice must itemize every charge and show start and stop times for hourly charges. |
| Oregon Yes | The tower must give you a written statement of all its prices, the storage location, how to reach it and payment methods. It must take a photo before the tow and give you a free copy and the signed tow authorization on request. |
| Pennsylvania Partly | After a crash tow, the tower must release the car during posted hours once you pay, and all charges must be itemized in writing. In Philadelphia, a private-lot tower must give you free printed copies of its photos before taking payment. Parking Authority impounds need the documents below plus payment of all tow, storage and ticket balances. |
| Rhode Island Yes | The owner may take the car back during business hours by appearing, proving ownership, and paying the charges allowed by the tower's tariff. For police tows the tower must release the car on demand once the charges are paid. |
| South Carolina Partly | A company that towed a car without the owner's knowledge does not have to release it after normal business hours. Highway Patrol rotation companies must give an itemized statement of all charges at release. |
| South Dakota Partly | The registered owner or lienholder may reclaim the car within 30 days after the notice is sent. The tow company has a lien for its reasonable towing and storage costs, so expect to pay them before release. |
| Tennessee Partly | An insurer or lienholder that shows documents proving its right to the car can get it released by paying the reasonable charges, without the owner's consent. |
| Texas Yes | Bring a valid photo ID and proof you own or may use the car, and pay the allowed tow and storage fees. A lot cannot turn you away only because the address on your ID differs from the registration. It must accept your insurance card as proof. |
| Utah Partly | You can ask for proof that the tow was entered in the state impound system and when storage began. |
| Vermont Partly | For an abandoned car, the owner reclaims it by giving the DMV satisfactory proof of ownership and paying or arranging to pay the towing and storage charges allowed by law. |
| Virginia Not verified | Not verified yet. |
| Washington Yes | The owner, someone with written permission, or the insurer can redeem the car by paying the charges. The tower must hand over a hearing request form and an itemized invoice and post its rates at the lot. |
| West Virginia Partly | The invoice must list every charge, the tariff rates used, and the storage lot's address and hours, and must say rates are regulated by the PSC. |
| Wisconsin Not verified | Not verified yet. |
| Wyoming Partly | To redeem an impounded vehicle you must show proof of ownership or right to possession and pay the towing, storage, notice and other impound costs. |
Think the tow or the bill was wrong?
Ask the lot for an itemized receipt, compare it to the legal limits, and request a hearing before the deadline. Our step-by-step guide and calculator are free.
More: other situations · find a towed car · what to bring · fee calculator
Questions
Which state law applies if my car was towed in another state?
The law of the state, and city, where the car was towed and stored.