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Street tows in Spokane: 24-hour notices, expired tabs and abandoned RVs
Many Spokane street tows are not about a no-parking sign. The City's code and state law list several other reasons, and most need a posted notice first.
General information, not legal advice. The papers you got from the police, the tow company, the storage lot or a state agency control your dates. Agencies change phone numbers and steps, so check the agency's own page too.
After a 24-hour notice
Spokane's code lets the City impound once a notice has been on the vehicle for 24 hours in these cases: parked 24 hours in the Paid Parking Zone, parked 72 hours on one block face elsewhere, a non-passenger vehicle parked 24 hours outside the zone, or a junk vehicle on public property.
Sources: SMC 16A.07.080
Expired registration
State law lets an officer impound a vehicle parked on a public street when its registration expired more than 45 days earlier. In 2023 Spokane Police used this rule to tow 11 cars from one neighborhood after complaints.
Sources: RCW 46.55.113(2)(j); KXLY, Feb. 16, 2023
Abandoned RVs
The City contracts with a tow company to tow, impound and, when appropriate, dispose of abandoned RVs; the Council restarted the program in April 2025 after a six-month pause. State law lets tow companies take an abandoned RV straight to a licensed disposal site with the state paperwork.
After any public impound
Spokane's code says public impounds follow chapter 46.55 RCW: the owner letter within 24 hours, the 10-day hearing request, and the auction steps. City impounds are contested in Spokane Municipal Court ($73 fee).
Sources: SMC 16A.07.060; Spokane Municipal Court: Towing & Impounds
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