Step 1

What happened

These questions decide which rules apply to your tow and whether any short deadlines are running. "Not sure" is always a fine answer.

Step 2

Your documents

Gather what you have. Each one is optional. An itemized invoice and the written tow authorization answer many questions, because the law says exactly what they must contain.

Automatic reading is coming next. Soon the tool will read your invoice and authorization and list which required items it can and can't find. For now, keep your files here as your evidence set and use them to answer the questions.

iPhone photos are fine; we convert them automatically.

Your files stay in this page only. They are not uploaded or saved, and they are cleared if you reload. Before you share documents with anyone, cover other people's names and home addresses.

Step 3

Questions

One section at a time, only for the rules that fit your tow. Answer what you can. "Not sure" keeps the rule on your review list and adds items to your evidence checklist.

Step 4

Finish your letters

A few more questions fill the blanks in your letters. Skip anything you don't know; the letter keeps a yellow blank for it.

Step 5

Evidence to collect

Built from the rules your answers left open, including every "Not sure." Evidence disappears fast: signs get replaced and video is kept only a year. Photograph with the date visible.

Do the best you can. You don't need everything on this list — even a few photos help. Start with the items marked Most important: papers and signs the law requires. Then, if you can, the ones marked Also important.

Step 6

Review and choose

These are the requirements your answers left open. Each one is general information about what the law requires, not a conclusion about your tow. Nothing is selected for you. Check only the ones you believe were not met, and say what happened in your own words.

Step 7

Your letters

Drafts built only from the items you selected, with your own words exactly as you typed them. Yellow marks something to fill in. Edit them, then send them yourself.

Your details

Your full name Your mailing address Your email or phone How you are connected to the vehicle (used to open your letters)

Set from your answer to “How are you connected to this vehicle?” in Step 1. Change it here if it's wrong.

Registered owner's name Date you sold or gave away the vehicle Date you notified the DMV of the sale (optional) Date the owner died Your role, in your own words (for example spouse, child, executor)

Vehicle (year, make, model) License plate VIN (optional) Vehicle color (optional, for the complaint form) Date and time of the tow Date and time you got it back (optional) Towed from (address) Tow company (relocator) Storage lot (name and address) Tow company phone (optional) Relocator's ICC license number (optional) Property owner or manager, and address Relocation Tow Record or receipt number (optional) Amount you paid Amount you are asking for (optional)

Your own figure. The tool does not calculate penalties or add up amounts.

Days to respond

For the complaint

Driver or staff names, truck plate or ID (if known) People you spoke with (names or job titles, if known) Police or 311 report number (if any) Police area or district where it was towed (optional)

Change it if it's wrong.

Summary in your own words (2 to 4 sentences) What happened, in date order City where you sign

From the tow authorization

Who authorized the tow (name, title) Grounds for removal, as printed Time first observed, as printed Time authorized, as printed

From the notice of storage

Mailing date of the notice Agency that ordered the storage Phone for requesting a hearing Where or how to request a hearing, as printed

From the lien-sale notice

Form number Date the notice was mailed Sale date Lienholder named on the notice: the tow or storage company holding the car (name, address) Amount claimed

Did it work? When your tow is resolved (or if it's still going), tell us how it turned out. It helps the next person. Share your story