If your car was towed in Dallas, start at search.autoreturn.com to locate it, then bring a photo ID and proof of ownership to the listed storage facility and pay the fees to get it released. For a standard passenger vehicle, the tow itself is capped at $165 under city ordinance, and storage runs about $22.85 per day the car sits on the lot.
Find the Car First
Dallas contracts with AutoReturn (now branded Autura) to track every vehicle towed inside city limits. Police and licensed tow companies update the system when they remove a car, so yours should appear in the database shortly after the tow.1Autura Help Center. Dallas, TX Search by license plate or your 17-digit VIN at search.autoreturn.com. The Dallas Police Department’s auto theft page points to the same tool.2Dallas Police Department. Auto Theft
No hit? The car may have been pulled by a private operator at a property owner’s request. Call the Dallas Police non-emergency line at 214-744-4444 to check whether a tow was reported; private tow operators are required to notify law enforcement. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation also keeps records of vehicles held at licensed storage facilities statewide.
Write down the exact name and address of the storage lot before you leave. Dallas has dozens of licensed facilities scattered across the metro, and showing up at the wrong one wastes a day while your storage charges keep ticking.
What to Bring to the Storage Lot
Storage facilities will not release a vehicle without proof you’re entitled to it. You need:
- A government-issued photo ID. A Texas driver’s license is standard, but the facility must also accept valid state or federal IDs issued by other states or countries.3Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Release of Vehicles by VSFs
- Proof of ownership: a certificate of title, a tax collector’s receipt (your registration receipt), a notarized power of attorney, or a court order. The facility must accept a title even if the person presenting it is not the name on it.3Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Release of Vehicles by VSFs
If your insurance card or registration is locked inside the impounded car, the facility has to let you into the vehicle to retrieve those documents before demanding payment.4Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. VSFs Providing Access to a Vehicle – Section: Access by Owner or Authorized User
Sending Someone In Your Place
If you can’t go yourself, authorize a representative with the TDLR’s “Personal Vehicle Owner Removal and/or Inspection of a Motor Vehicle” form, which asks for the vehicle’s year, make, model, and VIN along with your representative’s information.5Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Personal Vehicle Owner Removal and/or Inspection of a Motor Vehicle at a Vehicle Storage Facility A notarized power of attorney also works. Either way, the representative brings the authorization paperwork plus their own photo ID.
If Your Registration or Insurance Lapsed
The storage facility still has to release the car with proper documentation, but driving home with expired registration or no insurance creates its own legal problem. Renew your registration online through the Texas DMV before pickup, reinstate your insurance with your carrier, or arrange a flatbed to haul the car from the lot to your home.
What You’ll Pay
Dallas caps towing fees under city ordinance, and Texas sets separate maximums for storage. Both apply, and no facility can legally exceed either.
Tow charges in Dallas depend on the vehicle’s gross weight:6American Legal Publishing. Dallas Code of Ordinances – SEC. 48A-43 Maximum Fee Schedule
- 10,000 lbs or less (most cars and SUVs): $165
- 10,001 to 24,999 lbs: $300
- 25,000 lbs or more: $489 per unit, up to $978 total
No add-ons are allowed for dollies, go-jacks, or hookup. The flat tow fee covers the whole operation.6American Legal Publishing. Dallas Code of Ordinances – SEC. 48A-43 Maximum Fee Schedule
State storage and administrative charges, adjusted every two years by TDLR, currently top out at:7Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. VSF Fees and Other Charges
- Daily storage for vehicles 25 feet or shorter: $22.85 per day or partial day
- Daily storage for vehicles over 25 feet: $39.99 per day or partial day
- Notification fee: $50 (one-time, covers all required notices to owner and lienholders)
- Impoundment fee: $22.85 (one-time)
Storage starts the moment the vehicle enters the lot, and a partial day counts as a full day. A car towed Monday evening and picked up Tuesday morning owes a full day. For a typical passenger car claimed three days later, the bill looks like $165 (tow) + $68.55 (three days storage) + $50 (notification) + $22.85 (impound), or about $306. Every additional day adds another $22.85.
Under Dallas city code, the facility must accept cash or a major credit card.6American Legal Publishing. Dallas Code of Ordinances – SEC. 48A-43 Maximum Fee Schedule
At the Lot: Review, Remove, Inspect
Staff must let you look at the tow ticket before you pay anything.8Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Vehicle Storage Facilities Penalties and Sanctions Read it and check the charges against the caps above.
You have the right to pull personal items out of the vehicle at no charge, even before paying the tow and storage fees. Clothing, electronics, anything not permanently attached. The only exception is if law enforcement has placed a hold on the vehicle’s contents.4Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. VSFs Providing Access to a Vehicle – Section: Access by Owner or Authorized User
Walk the car before you leave. Look for fresh scratches, dents, cracked bumpers, and undercarriage damage from tow equipment. Take timestamped photos. Facilities must give you access for insurance and repair estimates, so document everything on site.8Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Vehicle Storage Facilities Penalties and Sanctions If you find damage, file a TDLR complaint within two years and consider a claim against the tow company’s insurance.
If You Think the Tow Was Wrong
Texas law lets you request a hearing in justice court if you believe your vehicle was towed without justification. The written request must be filed within 14 days of the removal date. The hearing can take place in the county where the car was towed or where the storage facility sits. The court decides whether probable cause existed for the tow and whether the fees were properly assessed.9State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 2308 – Section: 2308.453 Win, and you can recover what you paid.
Signage is one of the strongest grounds to challenge a private-property tow. Texas law requires a bright red towing symbol at least four inches tall at the top of the sign, the words “Towing Enforced” in letters at least two inches high, and the storage facility’s phone number and address in letters at least one inch high.10State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code OCC 2308.302 If the lot you parked in didn’t have compliant signs, bring photos to the hearing.
The 14-day deadline is firm. Miss it and you lose the hearing right no matter how strong the facts are. File first; gather evidence after.
If You Leave the Car on the Lot
Walking away is expensive and eventually permanent. The facility must send two written notices. The first goes out no later than five days after the car arrives (14 days for out-of-state registered vehicles), and the second between 15 and 20 days after the first. If the vehicle stays unclaimed for 30 days after the second notice, the facility can sell it at public auction.11Texas State Law Library. Abandoned Vehicles – Abandoned Property By then the storage charges alone can exceed what the car is worth, and once fees are deducted from auction proceeds you likely see nothing.
Active-Duty Military Protection
If you’re on active duty, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act blocks enforcement of a storage lien against your property during your service and for 90 days after it ends unless the facility first obtains a court order. A storage facility that knowingly sells a servicemember’s vehicle without that court order commits a federal misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, and servicemembers can sue for damages and attorney’s fees.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3958 Enforcement of Storage Liens If you’re deployed or about to deploy, notify the facility in writing and send a copy of your orders.
Filing a Complaint
If a tow operator charged more than the legal maximum, refused to release personal items, denied you a look at the tow ticket, or damaged the vehicle, file a complaint with TDLR within two years using the agency’s online complaint form.13Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Forms – File a Complaint Attach photos, receipts, and dates. Vague complaints without documentation rarely trigger an investigation.
Charging above the Dallas ordinance limits is an offense under city code.6American Legal Publishing. Dallas Code of Ordinances – SEC. 48A-43 Maximum Fee Schedule TDLR separately maintains a sanctions list for storage facilities that violate state rules, including failures to provide vehicle access and overcharging.8Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Vehicle Storage Facilities Penalties and Sanctions Enforcement happens, but only when someone files.