First: where is your car?
Call the phone number on the tow-away sign where you parked, or the police non-emergency line. Under Florida Statutes section 715.07, a company that tows a car from private property has to notify the city police (or the sheriff, outside city limits) within 30 minutes, including where the car is being stored.
Florida doesn't license tow companies or storage lots statewide, so there's no state list of impound lots. Many cities and counties license them locally.
Where it can be stored
- Within 10 miles of where it was towed in counties with 500,000 or more people, or 15 miles in smaller counties. If no tow company serves the area within that range, the limit stretches to 20 or 30 miles.
- The storage lot has to be open to release cars from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the days the company tows. After hours it must post a phone number, and someone has to come back within 1 hour of your call.
If you catch the tow truck
If you show up before your car is towed away, the driver has to stop and give it back for a fee of no more than half the posted towing rate. If you can't pay that, they can tow it.
What it can cost
Florida doesn't set one statewide price list. Instead:
| Car released after you ask | within 1 hour |
| Caught before it's towed away | ½ posted rate max |
| Storage fee if stored under 6 hours | $0 |
| Storage lot distance (big counties) | 10 miles max |
| Payment types the lot must take | at least 2 |
| Police notified of the tow | within 30 min |
- Tow companies have to file their rates with local law enforcement and post the same rate sheet at the storage lot. Cities and counties can regulate the rates.
- Any fee above the posted rate sheet is considered unreasonable under section 713.78.
- No storage fee can be charged if the car was stored less than 6 hours.
- The lot has to accept at least two kinds of payment: cash or a cash equivalent, a bank, debit or credit card, or a mobile payment service.
Getting your car and belongings back
- Once you ask, the car has to be released within 1 hour. You can inspect it before you accept it, and the company can't make you sign a liability waiver to get it back.
- You can get personal property out of the car within 1 hour of showing ownership papers, such as the title or your loan or lease contract, during business hours.
- Bring a detailed receipt home: the company has to give you one showing its legal name.
Think the tow or the bill was wrong?
You can get the car back before any sale by posting a cash or surety bond with the clerk of court for the charges in the lien notice, then contest them in court in the county where the car is stored. The court can award damages, attorney fees and costs to the side that wins. A company that tows illegally can be liable for the towing and storage costs, damages, attorney fees and court costs.
Don't wait too long
The storage company sends a lien notice by certified mail within 5 business days. If nobody claims the car, it can be sold at a public sale as soon as 35 days after storage for a car more than 3 model years old, or 57 days for a newer one.
Common questions
How long does a Florida tow lot have to release my car?
Within 1 hour after you ask for it. On days the company tows, the lot must be open for releases from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and after hours someone has to return within 1 hour of your call.
How much can a tow company charge in Florida?
There's no single statewide price cap. Towers file their rates with local law enforcement and post them at the storage lot, and cities and counties can regulate them. Charges above the posted rate sheet are considered unreasonable, and there's no storage fee for a car held under 6 hours.
Can I stop a tow in progress in Florida?
Yes. If you get there before the car is towed away, the company has to release it for no more than half the posted towing rate.
How far away can my car be taken in Florida?
Generally within 10 miles of where it was towed in counties of 500,000 or more people, or 15 miles in smaller counties.
When can a towed car be sold in Florida?
As soon as 35 days after storage for a car more than 3 model years old, or 57 days for a newer one, after a lien notice by certified mail.
Checked against official sources on October 29, 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the agency or business before you act.