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Tow and storage rates in Seattle
What could be charged for tows and storage in Seattle, by year and by who set the amount. Each row names the record it comes from and links the source.
How to read these tables. Amounts are in dollars, as the source states them. Use the row that covers the date of the tow, and read the note for vehicle sizes and other details. Rows marked "Not found yet" are gaps we are still researching.
Police impounds
| Year or period | Class A impound, north zone | Class A impound, south zone | Storage per 12 hours, north | Storage per 12 hours, south | City administrative fees | Extras | Record, source and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 (police contracts) | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | News report: City bid contracts for police tows about $34.50 to $48.50; private tows $35 to $240 with no cap The Seattle Times, April 9, 1991 Not yet verified From a newspaper report only; the 1991 contracts were not found. |
| Police impounds before 2026 | Not found yet | Not found yet The City's page shows only the 2026 contract prices. Earlier years were not found. | |||||
| Police impounds 2026 | $297.00 | $263.00 | $22.00 | $19.00 | regular: $35.00 suspended license: $67.00 scofflaw: $67.00 | dolly: $66.00 winch per hour: $99.00 mileage per mile: $11.00 free storage hours: 12 | FAS: Max Towing Fees, Police-Authorized Impounds (Contract #5091), January 1 - December 31, 2026 Seattle FAS police-impound fee page; Contract #5091 zone map Official source Class A impound; north and south zones are set by where the car was impounded, and storage by the lot where it is held. Administrative fees come from FAS rule CPU-03-2015. |
Private-property impounds
| Year or period | First hour of towing, most | Each 15 minutes after the first hour, most | Uncompleted tow, per 15 minutes | Storage per 12 hours, most | After-hours release, most | Record, source and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 2013 | Not found yet | City Council news release, Sept. 21, 2012 Not found yet The City set no maximum for private-property tows before its 2012 ordinance took effect in January 2013 (City Council news release, 2012). | ||||
| 2013 (as adopted in 2012) | $183.00 | Not listed | Not listed | $15.50 | Not listed | City Council news releases on the 2012 ordinance (Ord. 123997), effective January 2013 City Council news release, Sept. 21, 2012; City Council news release, Sept. 19, 2012 Not yet verified The release gives $183 for the first hour, $130 an hour after that, and $15.50 storage for up to 12 hours. We have not read the ordinance itself. |
| 2014 code amounts | $183.00 | Not listed | Not listed | $30.37 | $100.00 | SMC 6.214.220 as amended by Ord. 124655 (Council Bill 118266, passed Nov. 24, 2014, raising the storage maximum) SMC 6.214.220 (Municode); City Council action summary, Nov. 24, 2014 Official source The code still prints these base amounts ($183 first hour, $130.60 an hour after, $30.37 per 12 hours, $100 after hours). Since then the FAS Director adjusts them every year by rule. When the 2014 amounts took effect is not shown. |
| 2015-2017 | $186.84 | $33.34 | $46.71 | $30.37 | Not listed | Amounts struck out in the 2018 rule CPU-04-2018 (Clerk File 321009) Clerk File 321009 Not yet verified The prior rule, CPU-04-2015 (effective 3/18/2015), was not read; these are the earlier amounts as struck out in the 2018 rule. Whether they changed between 2015 and 2018 was not checked. |
| 2018 (from Oct. 1) | $203.96 | $36.39 | $50.99 | $30.38 | $100.00 | FAS rule CPU-04-2018 (Clerk File 321009), effective October 1, 2018 Clerk File 321009; Clerk File 321237 Official source Read 2026-10-08 from the scanned rule (CF 321009). It supersedes Rule CPU-04-2015 (effective 3/18/2015). The 2019 rule's prior-year column shows the same amounts. |
| 2019 (from Apr. 23) | $209.47 | $37.37 | $52.37 | $31.20 | $100.00 | FAS rule Private Impounds-01-2019 (Clerk File 321237), 2.7% increase, effective April 23, 2019 Clerk File 321237 Official source Effective date read 2026-10-08 from the scanned cover page. It supersedes Clerk File 321009. |
| 2020 | $214.70 | $38.31 | $53.68 | $31.98 | $100.00 | 2020 maximums, as listed in the 2021 FAS rule (Clerk File 321941) Clerk File 321941 Not yet verified Taken from the prior-year column of the 2021 rule. No separate 2020 rule was found; the 2021 rule says it replaces Clerk File 321237. |
| 2021 (from Apr. 15) | $218.35 | $38.96 | $54.59 | $32.40 | $100.00 | FAS rule Private Impounds-01-2021 (Clerk File 321941), 1.7% increase, effective April 15, 2021 Clerk File 321941 Official source |
| 2022 (from May 4) | $260.28 | $46.44 | $65.07 | $36.45 | $100.00 | FAS rule Private Impounds-01-2022 (Clerk File 322292), 19.2% increase, effective May 4, 2022 Clerk File 322292 Official source The 19.2% jump follows the Seattle-area transportation price index for 2021. |
| 2023 (from Apr. 24) | $284.74 | $50.80 | $71.19 | $39.88 | $100.00 | FAS rule Private Impounds-01-2023 (Clerk File 322633), 9.4% increase, effective April 24, 2023 Clerk File 322633 Official source |
| 2024 (from Apr. 24) | $296.13 | $52.83 | $74.03 | $41.47 | $100.00 | FAS rule Private Impounds-01-2024 (Clerk File 323003), 4.0% increase, effective April 24, 2024 Clerk File 323003 Official source |
| 2025 (from Apr. 21) | $302.05 | $53.89 | $75.51 | $42.30 | $100.00 | FAS rule Private Impounds-01-2025 (Clerk File 323343), 2.0% increase, effective April 21, 2025 Clerk File 323343 Official source |
| 2026 (from Apr. 20) | $306.88 | $54.75 | $76.72 | $42.98 | $100.00 | FAS maximum private impound fees, effective April 20, 2026 (rule in Clerk File 323777), 1.6% increase Seattle FAS fee page; FAS draft rule (March 2026); Clerk File 323777 (Private Impounds-01-2026) Official source The amounts match the FAS page and the City's draft rule. The final rule (Clerk File 323777) was not opened: the Clerk's search page shows a bot check. |
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