How long a car can stay in impound depends on who towed it and where. In New York City, a car towed by a marshal or sheriff for unpaid tickets can be auctioned as soon as 10 days after the tow. In Florida, a lot can sell an older car 35 days after it arrives. In Texas, the fastest legal path to a sale takes about six and a half weeks.
The bill keeps growing the whole time. We pulled the deadlines and daily fees from state law and city pages in Texas, Florida, California, Washington, Chicago and New York City. Everything here was checked on November 3, 2026.
How long before an impounded car is sold
Every place below works the same way. The lot or the city sends notices to the registered owner and any lender. If nobody pays and picks the car up, the vehicle is treated as abandoned and can be sold, auctioned or scrapped. What changes is how many days you get.
| Where | When the car can be sold or scrapped | Time you can add |
|---|---|---|
| New York City (marshal or sheriff tow) | Auction process starts after 72 hours; sale as soon as 10 days after the tow | Ask for a "Sale Hold" at a Finance Business Center |
| New York City (NYPD tow) | 311 tells owners to reclaim within 10 days | None listed |
| Chicago (city pound) | 18 days after notice under city code; the city says cars stay 21 days | One 15-day extension on request |
| Washington | Abandoned after 120 hours; auction at least 15 days after the sale notice is mailed | Must be auctioned within 90 days |
| California (car worth $4,000 or less) | Sale date set 31 to 41 days after the lien-sale notice is mailed | File a Declaration of Opposition within 10 days to force a court case |
| Florida | 35 days after storage for cars more than 3 model years old; 57 days for newer ones | Post a bond with the court clerk to get the car out while you fight the bill |
| Texas (licensed storage lot) | About 46 days at the earliest, if every notice goes out on the first allowed day | None in the statute |
Sources: NYC Department of Finance, NYC 311, Chicago Municipal Code 9-92 and the city's towing page, RCW 46.55.010 and 46.55.130, California Civil Code 3068.1 and 3072, Florida Statutes 713.78, Texas Occupations Code 2303. The Texas and Washington timelines are our arithmetic from the notice deadlines.
These rules cover cars towed off the street or from private lots. A car held as evidence, or under a court order, follows different rules. So does a car taken by a repo agent for missed loan payments.
The Texas clock, step by step
Texas spells out its timeline in more detail than most states, so it shows how the clock really runs. A licensed storage lot must mail a first notice to the owner and lender no sooner than 24 hours and no later than 5 days after the car arrives. If you don't claim it within 10 days of that notice, the lot treats it as abandoned.
A second notice goes out 15 to 21 days after the first. It must warn you that not claiming the car within 30 days is "a waiver by that person of all right, title, or interest in the vehicle" and "a consent to the sale of the vehicle at a public sale." After those 30 days, the lot can sell it without clearing the loan on it first. If the sale brings in more than you owe, the lot must pay the extra to whoever is entitled to it.
Late notices cost the lot money, not you. If the first notice goes out late, daily storage can't start until 24 hours after it is sent. TDLR's fee page says a lot that never sends the first notice may charge only 5 days of storage.
What a car costs per day in impound
The longer the car sits, the more it costs. Across these four places, a day of storage runs from $20 in New York City to $50 at Chicago's city pounds. Here is what a light car would owe after 7 days and after 30, using each place's own published rates.
| Where | Tow | Daily storage | Other fees | After 7 days | After 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago city pound | $250 | $50 (capped at $1,500) | None listed | $600 | $1,750 |
| Miami-Dade County, police tow | $162.81 | $32.07 outdoors | $44.26 administrative fee | $431.56 | $1,169.17 |
| Texas, parking-lot tow (state max) | $272 | $22.85 | $50 notice, $22.85 impound fee | $504.80 | $1,030.35 |
| New York City, NYPD tow | $185 | $20 a night | None listed | $325 | Not shown: 311 says reclaim within 10 days |
Sources: Chicago code 9-92-080, Miami-Dade County maximum rates effective Oct. 1, 2026, TDLR, NYPD. Our arithmetic. Chicago and New York City also require you to pay certain overdue tickets before they release the car. Miami-Dade lots can add actual ownership-lookup, postage and advertising costs, capped at $250 by state law.
Source: Chicago code 9-92-080; Miami-Dade max rates, Oct. 1, 2026; TDLR. Editor's arithmetic, excluding tickets and lien-notice costs.
After 30 days in Chicago, the $1,500 storage cap has been reached, and storage alone is six times the tow fee. The first-day bill is a different story, and we broke it down in our guide to how much a tow company can charge.
What happens if you don't pick up your car from impound
Not picking the car up doesn't make the bill go away. In Washington, abandoning a car creates a legal presumption that the last registered owner is responsible for the costs of removing, storing and disposing of it, "less amounts realized at auction." If police ordered the tow, the owner can also get a traffic ticket for "littering, abandoned vehicle."
Chicago's code says the same about debts. Getting rid of an unclaimed car "shall not relieve the violator of liability for all costs, fines and penalties." The city does limit one charge: if the car is disposed of, it can collect only one day of storage.
Florida adds a registration penalty. When police order a car towed and the lot later gets a certificate of destruction for it, the owner can be blocked from renewing a license plate. The block covers up to 7 days of towing and storage charges, according to section 713.78.
If the car sells for more than the bill, you may have money coming. In Florida, the extra goes to the clerk of the circuit court, who keeps 5% and holds the rest for the owner or lender. In Washington, it goes to the state motor vehicle fund. The registered owner has one year from the auction to claim it.
How to get your car out of impound
Most lots want three things: proof you own the car or are allowed to take it, a photo ID, and payment. The details differ.
- New York City: the NYPD asks for the current registration, a valid driver's license and a current insurance card. Unpaid parking judgments of $101 or more must be paid before release.
- Florida: the lot must accept an electronic or paper title, a loan or lease contract, or an insurance adjuster's credentials, plus one government photo ID. It can't require notarized papers, except a signed letter naming you as the owner's agent. It must take at least two kinds of payment and let you in within 1 hour during business hours.
- Texas: licensed lots must accept cash, debit and credit cards.
- Chicago: the car can't be driven off without a current plate registered to it and insurance.
Can't afford the full bill? Get your things out of the car first. Florida lots must hand over personal property that isn't attached to the car within 1 hour of seeing your papers. Washington lots must store your belongings free for 30 days if you sign a request form before the auction.
If you think the tow itself was wrong, check our guide to whether your car was towed illegally. Florida lets you post a bond with the court clerk for the amount owed and take the car home. You then have 45 days to take the fee dispute to court. California gives you 10 days from the lien-sale notice to file a Declaration of Opposition, which in most cases blocks the sale unless the lot goes to court and wins.
If the car is financed
Your lender gets the same notices you do in Texas, Florida and California. Florida also notifies your insurer. Chicago lets a lender pay the fees and take the car if you've stopped making payments.
That means ignoring the pound can turn a towing bill into a problem with your loan, too. The cheapest move is almost always the fastest: call the lot, ask for the itemized bill, and go as soon as you can.
The short version
- Call the lot the day you find the car gone. Fees in every place here are charged by the day.
- Ask how many days until the car is considered abandoned, and when the sale date would be.
- In Chicago, ask for the 15-day extension. For a New York City marshal tow, ask the Department of Finance about a "Sale Hold."
- Get your belongings out even if you can't pay yet.
- Don't count on the auction to wipe out what you owe.
If you were broken down rather than towed away, our tow owner's advice on what to do while waiting for a tow truck covers how to keep the car out of the wrong yard in the first place.
