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Is my car being sold? Lien sales and auctions in Houston
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
Local steps
In Houston, a car left at a nonconsent storage lot is sold only through a police auction under state Transportation Code chapter 683, not by the lot itself. A car towed or stored with the owner's consent may not be sold at a police auction.
Source: Houston Code ch. 8, art. III (Municode); HPD Auto Dealers Detail: Vehicle Auction page
The storage lot reports an unclaimed car to HPD as abandoned, and HPD mails the legal notice. Under its 2026 agreement with police storage lots, a car reported abandoned that is still unclaimed 30 days later must be put on an auction list; if the lot does not list it, storage is limited to 45 days whether the car is later released or sold.
Source: HPD 2026 Police Private Storage Lot Agreement with exhibits (form dated Sept. 29, 2026); Houston Code ch. 8, art. III (Municode); Texas Transportation Code ch. 683 (abandoned motor vehicles)
HPD's Auto Dealers Detail runs the sales. They are held at the storage lots that reported the cars, starting at 8:00 a.m. on weekdays, with only a short visual look before bidding. Some sales are online only. Since 2021 HPD has published its legal notices of abandoned vehicles in the Daily Court Review instead of the Houston Chronicle.
Source: HPD Auto Dealers Detail: Vehicle Auction page; HPD Auto Dealers Detail: Archived Updates
If a storage lot cancels a scheduled police auction for any reason, storage charges stop for every car set for that auction.
Outside city limits, in unincorporated Harris County, the Sheriff's Office auctions vehicles abandoned at storage lots after law-enforcement tows. Its recent sales are online only, through a vendor site, with payment by bank wire. The county ordinance says a lot may not dispose of such a car except through a public auction.
Source: Harris County Sheriff's Office public vehicle auction list (September 2026); Harris County Tow Truck Ordinance for Law Enforcement Towing and Storage Services (2026)
Where sales happen
| Tow yard or lot | Sale day | Times | Address and phone | List of cars and notes | Sources | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Police Department, Auto Dealers Detail (police auctions of abandoned vehicles) Service area Vehicles abandoned at nonconsent storage lots in the City of Houston | Weekdays | Sale 8:00 a.m. | Held at the storage lot that reported the vehicle (the list gives each lot's address) (832) 394-4838 (auction line) | HPD posts a list of vehicles scheduled for auction, by date and storage lot, and a separate list of online-only sales on Public Surplus. The auction line gives the next week's dates and places. | HPD Auto Dealers Detail: Vehicle Auction page; HPD: Vehicles Scheduled For Auction; Public Surplus: City of Houston online vehicle auctions | October 8, 2026 |
| Harris County Sheriff's Office (auctions of vehicles abandoned in storage lots) Service area Law-enforcement tows from unincorporated Harris County | Not published | Sale 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (online sale window on the September 2026 list) | Online; vehicles are held at the storage lots named in the list | The Sheriff posts a public vehicle auction list (PDF) under its Services pages, with dates and storage lots. Bidders register on the vendor's site. | Harris County Sheriff's Office public vehicle auction list (September 2026); Harris County Tow Truck Ordinance for Law Enforcement Towing and Storage Services (2026) | October 8, 2026 |
| Licensed storage lot (vehicle storage facility) sales outside the police process Service area Consent tows and other vehicles not covered by Houston Code sec. 8-185 | Not published | Times not published. Call the lot. | State law lets a licensed storage lot sell an unclaimed vehicle itself after the notices in Occupations Code chapter 2303. In Houston, nonconsent tows go through police auctions instead (sec. 8-185). No public list of lot sales was found. | Texas Occupations Code ch. 2303 (Vehicle Storage Facility Act); Houston Code ch. 8, art. III (Municode) | October 8, 2026 |
Texas-wide items (Texas Library)
Last checked .