Arizona Towing Laws: Impounds, Fees, and Your Rights

Arizona towing laws are set out mainly in three statutes: ARS 28-3511 covers when law enforcement must impound a vehicle, ARS 9-499.05 governs tows from private property, and ARS 28-4847 controls how towing companies handle releases, billing, and your belongings. Together they decide when a tow is legal, what you owe, and what a towing company can and cannot do while your vehicle sits on its lot.

When Police Must Impound Your Vehicle

Arizona officers do not have discretion in certain situations. The statute requires impoundment when the officer confirms specific violations, and the most common triggers involve your license or dangerous driving.

An officer must impound your vehicle if you are driving on a revoked license, if you have never been issued a valid license or permit in any state, or if you are required to have an ignition interlock device and are driving without one installed. Impoundment is also mandatory when the driver is committing aggressive or reckless driving under ARS 28-693, racing under ARS 28-708, or obstructing a highway, but only when the officer reasonably believes letting the person keep driving would put others at risk of serious injury or death.¹

A vehicle displayed for sale with a destroyed or altered VIN also gets impounded. In each of these situations, the officer has no room to let you off with a warning.

When a Private Lot Can Tow You

Tows from private property follow a completely different track. A towing company cannot remove your car from a private lot unless it has either a request from law enforcement or express written permission from the property owner or the owner’s agent. The property owner has to either sign each individual tow order or maintain a written contract with the towing company covering a specific time period. The towing company itself is not allowed to act as the property owner’s agent.²

Signage matters too. The lot must be posted with signs that are clearly visible and readable from any point within the lot and at each entrance, listing the parking restrictions, what happens to violators, the maximum cost including storage and all other possible charges, and a phone number and address where the owner can find the vehicle.² If the lot lacks proper signage, the property owner is legally deemed to have consented to unrestricted public parking, which means the tow may not be valid in the first place.

A towing company that removes a vehicle from private property without meeting these requirements commits a class 2 misdemeanor. Arizona cities and towns can also set maximum rates for private property tows within their borders, so the cap on what you can be charged varies by location.²

Getting Your Vehicle Back After a Police Impound

To reclaim a vehicle from a law enforcement impound, you need to bring a valid driver license from Arizona or your home state, current vehicle registration or a valid salvage or dismantle certificate of title, and proof of insurance meeting Arizona’s financial responsibility requirements. If you are required to have an ignition interlock device, you also need proof that a functioning one is installed.³

The owner or the owner’s spouse is responsible for all towing, storage, and administrative fees. The one exception: if the vehicle was stolen and the theft was reported to law enforcement, you don’t owe those charges.³

Some situations qualify for early release before the full impoundment period runs. These include a stolen vehicle, a case where the owner’s driving privilege has since been reinstated and the owner was the driver, or a rental vehicle being operated under a rental agreement at the time. A spouse or co-owner who was not driving can also get early release by signing an agreement that they will not allow the vehicle to be driven by someone without a valid license for the next year.³

Inspecting the Vehicle and Grabbing Your Belongings

This is one of the most useful protections in Arizona law, and most people don’t know it exists. The owner, or someone the owner designates in writing with a third-party witness present, can inspect the vehicle at the storage lot during regular business hours, remove personal property from inside, and report any damage to the towing company at the time. The towing company cannot charge you for removing personal belongings as long as you do it during business hours.⁴

One limit worth knowing: “personal property” under the statute does not include vehicle parts, equipment, or accessories. You can grab a laptop, groceries, or a child’s car seat, but not aftermarket speakers or a roof rack. The release-of-liability form the towing company may ask you to sign is a standardized form prescribed by the Arizona Department of Transportation, so the company can’t invent its own version with hostile terms.⁴

The Damage Presumption That Works Against You

Skip the inspection before the vehicle moves to another location, or inspect it without reporting damage at that time, and Arizona law creates a rebuttable presumption that any damage or missing property happened while the vehicle was not in the towing company’s custody. The burden then shifts to you to prove the towing company caused the damage, by a preponderance of the evidence.⁴ Inspect the vehicle and document any damage before it leaves the lot. Once it moves, holding anyone accountable becomes much harder.

Billing Rules That Limit What You Owe

Arizona towing companies operate under specific billing rules designed to stop fee abuse. If you or your insurance company requests a detailed statement of charges before noon on a day the company is required to be open, the company has to provide the itemized breakdown by close of business that same day. If it misses the deadline, it cannot charge any additional storage fees for the days that follow until it actually provides the statement.⁴ A company that drags its feet on billing eats the delay.

Towing companies must accept cash, credit card, debit card, insurance company checks, and money orders. A company that insists on cash only is violating state law. The storage lot must be open, or available by appointment, on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays, for releases and billing inquiries. Once a valid release request and payment have been received, the company cannot tack on more storage fees beyond prorating a partial day, provided the vehicle is picked up during business hours the same day.⁴

Your Right to Choose the Repair Shop

Arizona gives vehicle owners an unrestricted right to pick any repair facility. No towing company can steer you to a particular shop, and no insurer can override your preference. When a towing company or tow truck operator provides information about a repair facility, the law requires them to also inform you of your right to choose any shop and to disclose any common ownership between the repair facility and the towing operation.⁴ You can also choose any towing company to move the vehicle from the storage lot to the shop you pick.

Challenging a Police Impound

If law enforcement impounds your vehicle, you generally have the right to request a post-storage hearing to challenge the grounds. The registered owner or lienholder typically must request this hearing within ten days of the impound date. You don’t need an attorney, and the process is informal.³

The hearing is separate from any criminal or traffic case. It focuses only on whether the officer had legal grounds to impound at the moment the decision was made. Being found not guilty of the underlying charge later does not automatically reverse the impound. If the hearing officer determines the impound lacked proper grounds, the impounding agency, not the towing company, bears the towing and storage costs.

If You Can’t Retrieve the Vehicle

Storage fees add up every day, and at some point the vehicle qualifies as abandoned. Under Arizona law, a vehicle left on property for more than ten days without a written or verbal storage agreement, and without being moved during that time, meets the criteria for abandonment.⁵

Once it qualifies, the towing company files an abandoned vehicle report electronically. The Motor Vehicle Division then sends notice to the registered owner, lienholder, and other interested parties, giving 30 days to reclaim the vehicle. If no one claims it, MVD may transfer ownership to the person in possession or authorize disposal.⁵ At that point the vehicle is gone and outstanding fees may still be owed. Even if you can’t afford to retrieve the vehicle right away, don’t ignore the notices.

When a Towing Company Breaks the Rules

Arizona backs the rules with criminal penalties. A towing company that refuses to release a vehicle after receiving a proper written release request and payment of authorized fees commits a petty offense. A repeat violation within 36 months escalates to a class 3 misdemeanor.⁴

Any act by employees or contractors of a towing company that violates these rules is treated as an act of the company itself, so the business cannot hide behind an individual employee. Violations are classified as unlawful practices under state law, which gives the Arizona Attorney General authority to investigate and pursue civil or criminal action.⁶ Private property tows that skip the required signage and authorization steps carry a class 2 misdemeanor charge, which is more serious than the typical release-refusal violation.²

If a towing company has violated any of these rules, filing a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s office is usually the most effective step. The AG has explicit statutory authority to pursue these cases, which carries more weight than a private demand letter.

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3511 – Removal and Immobilization or Impoundment of Vehicle
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 9-499.05 – Authority to Set Rates for Private Towing Carrier
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3512 – Release of Vehicle Civil Penalties
4
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-4847 – Owners Insurance Companies Release Fees Vehicle Repair Facilities
5
Arizona Department of Transportation. Abandoned Vehicles
6
Arizona Legislature. Arizona House of Representatives HB 2306 – Towing Companies Insurance Companies Owners