Your car was towed in San Antonio: who has it and how to get it back

1. Police tow or parking-lot tow?

If SAPD ordered the tow (a crash, an arrest, a car left on a street), it is towed under the City's police-towing contract and usually goes to the City's impound lot at 3625 Growdon Rd. The City Code's parking-lot fee limits do not apply to these tows.

If a property owner had the car removed from a parking lot, it is a private-property tow. The tow company must get an SAPD control number within 45 minutes after the car leaves the property, and the storage lot must report the tow to police within two hours of receiving it.

• Cars towed by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office go to Texas Towing, 422 Steves Ave., 210-220-1000.

Sources: San Antonio City Code ch. 19, art. XI (§§ 19-389, 19-393); Occ. Code § 2308.2565; Bexar County Sheriff: Vehicle Towing

2. Find the car

For an SAPD tow, SAPD's page points to the Autura search at search.autoreturn.com and to the Growdon lot, open 24 hours (210-881-8440). For a parking-lot tow, the tow signs at the lot must give a phone number that lets you find the car, and SAPD's non-emergency line (210-207-7273) can be asked about a reported tow.

Sources: SAPD Impounded Vehicles page; Occ. Code § 2308.303 (sign phone must locate the car)

3. What it can cost

At SAPD's Growdon lot the City Code sets a $20 impound fee, $20 a day storage, and a $50 notice fee once the certified notice goes out on the third day; the tow itself is billed at the City's contract rate (it was $210 for a car from October 2023, according to the City Auditor; the current rate is not published).

For a parking-lot tow that starts in the city, the City Code limit is $177 for a car ($196 for 10,001 to 24,999 pounds), with no extra charges for dollies, special equipment or mileage. State storage-lot maximums are $22.85 a day and a $22.85 impoundment fee, and no notification fee may be charged if you pick up the car within 24 hours.

• The tow company and storage lot must accept electronic check, debit and credit cards.
• You can take your personal belongings out of the car without paying first.

Sources: City Code §§ 19-51.1, 19-53, 19-53.1 (Municode); City Code § 19-402 (Municode); City Auditor report AU23-030; 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 85.722; City Code § 19-400 (Municode)

4. What to bring

SAPD's lot releases a car after the charges are paid, on the title or other satisfactory proof of ownership, or the title plus a current power of attorney from the owner. Under state rules, a licensed lot must accept photo ID together with a title, registration or proof of insurance.

Sources: City Code § 19-54 (Municode); 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 85.710(a)(3)

5. Deadlines that start now

A request for a justice-court tow hearing must be delivered before the 14th day after the tow, not counting weekends and holidays. In Bexar County it can be filed in any of the four justice courts, and the fee is $54.

If no one claims the car, the lot can move toward a sale: SAPD says cars unclaimed 30 days after the owner is notified can be auctioned. The Lien sales page explains each step.

Sources: Occ. Code § 2308.456; Bexar County JP filing fees; SAPD Impounded Vehicles page

More guides

• Parking-lot tows in San Antonio: the $177 limit and the other city rules
• How SAPD towing and the Growdon impound lot work
• Booted in a San Antonio pay lot: the $35 limit and other rules
• If you serve in the military: towed-car sales in San Antonio