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Impound Hearing in Seattle: Deadline, Court, What to Bring

Answers taken from the rules Towed in Seattle uses. Each one gives its official source and the date that source was checked. Which rules apply depends on the facts of each tow; the tool asks about them. Rules current as of October 6, 2026.

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How long do I have to ask for an impound hearing in Seattle?

Anyone seeking to redeem an impounded vehicle - including one impounded from private property under RCW 46.55.080 - has a right to a hearing in the district or municipal court for the jurisdiction where it was impounded, to contest the validity of the impoundment or the amount of the towing and storage charges. The district court can hear every impound; a municipal court hears impounds authorized by that city's agents. The request must be in writing on the form provided for it and must be received by the court within 10 days of the date the tow company gave the written notice of hearing rights (RCW 46.55.120(2)(a)), and more than five days before the auction. A filing fee equal to the fee for filing a suit in district court is paid when the request is filed. A request the court does not receive within the 10 days waives the hearing, and the registered owner is liable for the towing and storage charges the chapter permits.

Source: RCW 46.55.120(1)(a), (2)(b), (3)(a) · Checked on October 6, 2026

For a vehicle impounded by the City of Seattle because of a parking or traffic citation (and certain other City impounds), the person redeeming it may ask a Seattle Municipal Court judicial officer for a hearing on the impound's validity or the towing, storage and administrative charges. The signed written request, on the court's form, must be received within 10 days - counting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays - of the later of the date the notice was mailed or the date the tow company gave notice at redemption. The court's own page says to mail or return the form no later than 10 days after the vehicle was towed. A late request may be allowed only for good cause beyond your control. A magistrate's decision may be appealed to the Municipal Court within 15 days, with a filing fee.

Source: SMC 11.30.120(D); Seattle Municipal Court, My Car Got Towed · Checked on October 6, 2026

Washington counts a period of days by leaving out the first day and including the last, unless the last day is a holiday, Saturday or Sunday, in which case it is also left out. The state legal holidays include New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Native American Heritage Day (the Friday after Thanksgiving) and Christmas. This tool shows day 10 as the last day and treats any later date as uncertain: Seattle's ordinance for City impound hearings counts Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

Source: RCW 1.12.040; RCW 1.16.050(1) · Checked on October 6, 2026

Which court hears an impound hearing in Seattle, and what does it cost to file?

For a tow in King County, file the "Registered Tow Truck Operator Impounded Vehicle Hearing Request" form the tow company gave you with King County District Court within 10 days of the date it provided the form; otherwise the right to an impound hearing is lost. The filing fee is $83 (cash, check, money order, credit or debit card); you can ask the clerk to waive it, by mail or in person. File through the court's e-filing portal, by mail to any King County District Court courthouse (the form and fee must be RECEIVED within the 10 days), or in person at any courthouse Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The court tells you in writing when and where the hearing is, and you can present evidence. For a City of Seattle impound, the hearing is at Seattle Municipal Court instead.

Source: RCW 46.55.120(2)(b); King County District Court, Towed/impounded vehicles; KCDC fee schedule · Checked on October 6, 2026

What notice of the right to a hearing must the tow company give?

The tow company must give each person who seeks to redeem an impounded vehicle a written notice of the right of redemption and the opportunity for a hearing, together with a form for requesting a hearing, the name of the person or agency that authorized the impound, and a copy of the towing and storage invoice. It must keep a record, signed by the person redeeming, that the notice was given. The same notice must be given to anyone qualified to redeem who attempts to redeem a vehicle, and it is also mailed to the registered and legal owners with the 24-hour impound notice.

Source: RCW 46.55.120(2)(a); WAC 308-61-135(7) · Checked on October 6, 2026

When an unauthorized vehicle is impounded, the tow company must mail the last known registered and legal owners a notice by first-class mail within 24 hours, naming who authorized the impound, the tow firm's name, address and phone, the location and time of the impound, and including the written notice of the right of redemption and of a hearing. The notice must also say that the tow operator will store personal belongings found in the vehicle at no cost if the owner or agent is present to take them out of the vehicle and signs a personal belongings storage request form before the auction date; the operator stores them at no cost for 30 days from the date they are removed and the form is signed. No notice is needed if the vehicle has already been redeemed.

Source: RCW 46.55.110(1)(a)-(c), (5) · Checked on October 6, 2026

What does the court decide at the hearing?

At the hearing the court decides whether the impoundment was proper, whether the towing and storage fees charged complied with the posted rates, and who is responsible for paying them; it may not adjust fees that comply with the posted or contracted rates. If the impound was proper, the fees and court costs are assessed against the person who asked for the hearing - unless the tow company did not have a signed and valid impound authorization from the private property owner or an authorized agent. If the impound violated chapter 46.55 RCW, the registered and legal owners bear no impoundment, towing or storage fees; whoever authorized the impound becomes liable for them; and the court enters judgment for the owners against whoever authorized the impound for the hearing filing fee and reasonable damages for loss of use of the vehicle while it was impounded. If that judgment is not paid within 15 days of written notice of its entry, the court awards reasonable attorneys' fees and costs in an action to enforce it.

Source: RCW 46.55.120(3)(b)-(e) · Checked on October 6, 2026

A Seattle Municipal Court judicial officer decides whether a City impound was proper and whether the removal, towing, storage and administrative fees were proper. If the impound was improper, the officer orders the vehicle released at once and, if the costs were paid, enters judgment against the City for the impound costs and administrative fee. If the impound was proper but the fees were not, the officer sets the correct fees and enters judgment against the City for any overpayment. On appeal, a judgment against the City includes the filing fee.

Source: SMC 11.30.160(C), (D), (F) · Checked on October 6, 2026

When a timely hearing request has been made and the vehicle has not been redeemed, the tow company may follow the abandoned-vehicle steps, but may not sell the vehicle at auction until the court has decided the request. It must keep a trust account for money received while a district court hearing request is pending.

Source: WAC 308-61-168(1), (3) · Checked on October 6, 2026

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