Florida Vehicle Impound Laws: Fees, Release, and Owner Rights

Florida vehicle impound laws let police and the courts hold your car after a DUI conviction, an arrest for driving on a suspended license, a felony involving contraband, or when a vehicle is abandoned and blocking a roadway. Getting it back means waiting out any court-ordered period, clearing the underlying issue, and paying tow, storage, and administrative fees that add up fast. The rules, deadlines, and costs are laid out below.

When Florida Can Impound Your Vehicle

There is no single impoundment statute. Several laws authorize seizure or hold in different situations.

DUI conviction. After any DUI conviction, the court must order impoundment or immobilization as a condition of probation.¹
Driving on a suspended or revoked license. The arresting officer must immediately impound the vehicle when four conditions are all met: the driver’s license is suspended or revoked, the driver has a prior conviction for the same offense, the suspension stems from certain causes (such as being a habitual traffic offender or failing to maintain required insurance), and the driver is the registered owner or co-owner.²
Felony involving contraband. A vehicle used in connection with a felony involving contraband items is subject to civil forfeiture, a separate process that can result in permanent loss of the vehicle if the state completes forfeiture proceedings.³
Abandoned or obstructing traffic. Officers may remove an abandoned vehicle on a bridge, causeway, tunnel, or highway when it blocks traffic. The towing and storage costs then become a lien against the vehicle.⁴

How Long Impoundment Lasts

The length depends on the offense and prior record. DUI periods escalate sharply:

First DUI conviction: 10 days for the vehicle you were driving or one vehicle registered in your name.¹
Second DUI within 5 years: 30 days for all vehicles you own.
Third or subsequent DUI within 10 years: 90 days for all vehicles you own.

If the vehicle is under a lease or rental agreement that expires before the impoundment period ends, the impoundment lasts only until the lease or rental term runs out. For impoundments tied to a suspended license under Section 322.34, the vehicle stays held until the owner resolves the underlying license issue and pays all accrued fees.²

Impoundment or Immobilization

For DUI convictions, the court can order either impoundment or immobilization, and they work very differently. Impoundment means the vehicle is towed to a storage lot and daily fees accrue. Immobilization means a steering wheel lock is installed wherever the vehicle sits, and it cannot be driven for the ordered period.¹

Immobilization is usually cheaper. In Pinellas County, immobilization fees range from $50 for a 10-day period to $115 for 90 days, compared with the daily storage charges that pile up at an impound lot. The responsible party must be present when the lock is installed and must pay the fee in advance. If you no longer possess the vehicle listed in the court order, you have to go back before the sentencing judge to have the order modified.

What It Costs

Florida does not set a single statewide fee schedule. Counties establish maximum rates for non-consent tows, and actual charges vary by location and vehicle size. For a standard passenger vehicle (Class A, under 10,000 pounds), expect roughly:

Towing: about $145 to $185 for a standard non-consent tow. Larger vehicles cost significantly more.
Daily storage: approximately $30 to $50 per day. No storage fee can be charged for the first six hours after the vehicle arrives at the facility.
Administrative fee: typically $55 to $65, charged after the first 24 hours. Counties cap this fee at no more than 25 percent of the maximum towing rate.⁵
Lien filing fee: around $40 if the operator files a lien notice.

A vehicle sitting for 30 days can easily accumulate $1,000 or more in combined charges. Towing-storage operators must accept credit and debit cards, though they may add a surcharge of up to 4 percent for card transactions.

How to Get Your Vehicle Back

When police place a hold on a vehicle at a storage facility, the hold must be documented in writing and include the officer’s name and agency, the reason for the hold, a description and condition of the vehicle, and the name and address of the storage facility.⁶

To retrieve it, you generally need:

Proof of ownership (vehicle registration) and a valid ID.
Payment of all outstanding towing, storage, and administrative fees.
Resolution of whatever triggered the impoundment. After a DUI arrest, the court-ordered period must expire first. After a suspended-license impoundment, you may need to reinstate your driving privileges before release.

Do not wait. Every day the vehicle sits in the lot adds another storage fee. People who delay for weeks sometimes discover the bill exceeds what the vehicle is worth.

Getting Personal Belongings During the Hold

You have the right to access an impounded vehicle during the storage facility’s normal business hours to retrieve unattached personal items such as bags, electronics, documents, and clothing. The facility cannot charge a fee for this access during regular hours, though an after-hours fee may apply. Items physically attached to the vehicle, like aftermarket stereo systems or mounted accessories, are treated as part of the vehicle and cannot be removed separately.

Contesting the Impoundment or Fees

If the tow was wrongful or the fees exceed county caps, you can file a complaint in the county court where the vehicle is stored. Florida law allows the registered owner, any insurance company covering the vehicle, or anyone claiming a lien to bring the proceeding.⁷

At the hearing you need to show either that the impoundment was unlawful or that the charges do not match the county’s published maximum non-consent towing rates. Bring the written hold notice, receipts, any correspondence with the towing company, and documentation of the underlying circumstances. If fees are the issue, compare the charges line by line against the county schedule.

Most people lose these cases by arguing that the impoundment was unfair rather than illegal. A judge will not release a vehicle simply because the impoundment created hardship. You need a legal deficiency in the process or the charges.

When Someone Else Was Driving

If a different driver got arrested in your car, you can still face impoundment consequences as the registered owner. In DUI cases, the court orders impoundment of the vehicle the defendant was operating, regardless of who owns it.¹

When the court orders immobilization rather than impoundment and you refuse to allow the lock on your vehicle, the immobilization will not occur, but the convicted driver may face a probation violation. You can contact the Clerk of Court to request a hearing before the sentencing judge to have the immobilization order modified or removed.

Felony forfeiture under Section 932.703 works differently and gives owners more protection. If the state seizes your vehicle because someone used it in a felony, you can challenge the forfeiture, and the state must prove the connection. Forfeiture proceedings must be initiated within 45 days of the seizure, or you can file to recover the vehicle.³

If You Never Claim the Vehicle

If the vehicle stays unclaimed and fees stay unpaid, the towing-storage operator can eventually sell it. Under Florida Statute 713.78, before any sale the operator must send notice by certified mail to the registered owner and any lienholder at the address on file with the vehicle registering agency, and public notice must be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the sale takes place.⁷

Sale proceeds go first to towing, storage, notice, and auction costs. Any remainder goes to the owner or lienholder. If no one can be located after a diligent search, the mail notice requirement may be waived, but the public notice requirement stays. Ignoring an impoundment does not make it go away; it ends with the vehicle being sold.

Damage While in the Lot

Once the towing company takes possession, it has a duty to exercise reasonable care over the vehicle. Document the condition before the tow if you have the chance, and photograph any damage you find at pickup. If a storage operator charges more than the county-approved maximum rates, the overcharge can be challenged in court as part of a wrongful-fee claim under Section 713.78.⁷

Aftermath for Insurance and Registration

A DUI-related impoundment can affect insurance costs for years. Insurers treat DUI convictions as high-risk indicators, which frequently produces premium increases or policy cancellation. Florida law requires insurers to give at least 45 days’ written notice before canceling a policy, or 10 days’ notice when cancellation is for nonpayment of premium.⁸

Registration can tangle too. Florida requires a valid driver’s license or identification card to register a vehicle.⁹ If your license was suspended in the same incident that led to impoundment, you have to reinstate it before you can renew your registration. That creates a chain: reinstate the license, retrieve the vehicle, maintain insurance, then renew the registration. Miss a link and you risk more fines or another impoundment.

Before driving after any period of court trouble, check your license status through the Driver License Check tool on the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website. Outstanding tickets or court obligations can produce a suspension you did not know about, and driving on it is the second-most-common path to having your car towed.¹⁰

1
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 316.193 – Driving Under the Influence; Penalties
2
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 322.34 – Driving While License Suspended, Revoked, Canceled, or Disqualified
3
Florida Senate. Florida Code 932.703 – Forfeiture of Property Used in Commission of Felony
4
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 316.194 – Stopping, Standing or Parking Outside of Municipalities
5
Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 125.01047
6
Florida House of Representatives. 2025 Florida Statutes Chapter 323 – Wrecker Operators
7
Justia. Florida Statutes 713.78 – Liens for Recovering, Towing, or Storing Vehicles and Vessels
8
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 627.728 – Cancellations; Nonrenewals
9
Florida Senate. Florida Code 320.02 – Registration Required; Application for Registration; Forms
10
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver Licenses and ID Cards