This website and the documents it makes are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.
Is my car being sold? Lien sales and auctions in Dallas–Fort Worth
If a tow company or storage lot keeps a car and the bill is not paid, the car can be sold after the notices and waiting periods the law sets. The notice you get tells you which rules apply and how much time you have.
General information, not legal advice. Check your notice: the dates printed on it are the ones that count. Count calendar days unless the rule says business days.
How a towed car can be sold
Texas has three main ways a towed car can end up sold. Which one applies depends on who is holding the car. The steps below are general information, worded to match the rules our tool checks; they are not legal advice. The 14-business-day deadline to ask a justice court for a tow hearing is separate (Occ. Code § 2308.456).
Cars held by a licensed vehicle storage facility (Occupations Code ch. 2303)
Who this covers: Most private-property tows, and police tows taken to a private licensed lot.
24 hours to 5 days after the lot receives the car
The lot must mail a first notice by certified mail to the registered owner and the main lienholder (14 days for a car registered in another state). If it mails late, it may not start charging daily storage until 24 hours after it actually mails.
Source: Occ. Code § 2303.151
Only in limited cases
Notice by publication is allowed only when the owner or address cannot be found (for example, an out-of-state car). Since September 1, 2025 the publication may be on a website run by a TDLR-approved company instead of a newspaper.
Day 10 after the first notice
A car not claimed by then is treated as abandoned.
Source: Occ. Code § 2303.154(a)
Day 15 to day 20 after the first notice
The lot must send a second notice. It must say that if the car is not claimed before the 30th day after this notice, the owner gives up all rights and consents to a public sale. If the second notice is late, storage stops from day 21 until 24 hours after it is sent.
Source: Occ. Code § 2303.154
30 days after the second notice
If no one has claimed the car, the lot may sell it at a public sale. The money first pays the lot's allowed charges; anything left over must go to the person entitled to it. A car at least 10 years old that is fit only for scrap can be disposed of 30 days after the first notice, without a second notice.
Source: Occ. Code §§ 2303.157, 2303.1545
While the car waits
State maximums since 2024: $22.85 a day for a vehicle 25 feet or shorter, $39.99 a day if longer, a $22.85 impoundment fee, and a notification fee of up to $50 that cannot be charged if the car is picked up within 24 hours or before any notice was sent.
Abandoned cars held by the police (Transportation Code ch. 683)
Who this covers: Cars a police department or sheriff takes into custody as abandoned, including at a city-run impound lot.
Before custody
A car generally counts as abandoned after 48 hours left illegally on public property or on private property without the owner's consent (24 hours on a turnpike or controlled-access highway right-of-way).
Source: Transp. Code § 683.002
Within 10 days after custody
The agency must mail a certified notice to the last registered owner and each lienholder. The notice says where the car is and that it can be claimed no later than the 20th day after the notice by paying the towing, preservation and storage charges.
Source: Transp. Code § 683.012
After the claim period
An unclaimed car may be sold at public auction. After the agency takes its costs, the rest of the money is held for 90 days for the owner or lienholder.
Source: Transp. Code §§ 683.014-683.016
If the car is worth only scrap
Before an abandoned car goes to a demolisher, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles notifies the owners on record, who get 20 days to claim it.
Source: Transp. Code §§ 683.051-683.054
Garage and storage liens (Property Code ch. 70)
Who this covers: A garage or other lienholder that keeps a car under Property Code ch. 70.
Within 5 days after taking the car
A lienholder that took the car under a state law or city ordinance must notify the owner and lienholders by certified mail (14 days for an out-of-state car).
Source: Prop. Code §§ 70.003-70.004
Before the 31st day after the notice is filed with the county
The owner or a lienholder can get the car back by paying all charges. If no one pays, the car may be sold at a public sale no earlier than the 31st day after a copy of the notice is filed with the county tax assessor-collector; extra money goes to the person entitled, or to the county treasurer if unclaimed.
Source: Prop. Code §§ 70.006-70.007
Members of the military (federal law)
Who this covers: A car owned by a servicemember in military service, or within 90 days after it ends.
During service and 90 days after
Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a lien on a servicemember's car may not be enforced by sale or other disposal without a court order. The U.S. Justice Department has reached settlements over towed cars sold without court orders in both San Antonio and El Paso (see the records list).
Source: 50 U.S.C. § 3958
Fort Worth police send notification letters after 48 hours and add the $50 notification fee then. In 2016 Fort Worth's auditors found abandoned cars waited an average of 202 days before auction even though they were usually eligible 30 days after notice; Fort Worth now sells unclaimed cars online.
Where sales happen
| Tow yard or lot | Sale day | Times | Address and phone | List of cars and notes | Sources | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Police Auto Pound Service area Cars impounded by the Dallas Police Department | Not published | Times not published. Call the lot. | 1955 Vilbig Road, Dallas, TX 75208 214-670-5116 | DPD's Auto Pound pages do not publish an auction calendar. A 2016 briefing to the City Council said auctions were held every other Monday (Tuesday on holiday weeks) through a contracted auctioneer. Sources disagree: The every-other-Monday schedule comes from 2016; we found no current official schedule. | DPD Auto Pound general information; 2016 Public Safety Committee briefing (PDF) | October 7, 2026 |
| Fort Worth police tows (AutoReturn rotation program) Service area Police-ordered tows in Fort Worth; cars are held by several local tow and storage companies | Not published | Times not published. Call the lot. | 817-349-4022 | FWPD says unclaimed vehicles are sold online at lonestarauctioneers.com, not at live auctions. Find a car with AutoReturn's Fort Worth search. | Fort Worth Police Auto Pound page | October 7, 2026 |
| City of Arlington surplus and vehicle auctions Service area City of Arlington property sold by the Purchasing Division | Not published | Times not published. Call the lot. | 817-459-6300 | Arlington's online auctions are run by a contracted auctioneer; the page listed a vehicle and equipment auction for August 11-25, 2026. The page does not say whether police-impounded cars are included. Sources disagree: We have not confirmed where Arlington police-impounded cars go or how they are sold. | Arlington Purchasing: City Auctions | October 7, 2026 |
| Dallas County Sheriff's Office tows Service area Tows ordered by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office | Not published | Times not published. Call the lot. | Since March 2025 a towing-management company handles Sheriff's tows, and money from auctions of unclaimed vehicles goes to a county fund. No public schedule was found. | Dallas County Court Order 2025-0288 (PDF) | October 7, 2026 |
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