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

Answers taken from the rules Towed in Spokane 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 Spokane?

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 City of Spokane impound, Spokane Municipal Court's page says to bring the tow company's impound hearing request form, completely filled out, and the receipt from redeeming (or trying to redeem) the vehicle to the Municipal Court Clerk's Office during business hours, within 10 calendar days of redeeming or attempting to redeem the vehicle, with a $73.00 filing fee. Filing while the vehicle is still impounded does not get it out, and impound fees keep adding up until the hearing date. Clerk's Office: 1100 W Mallon Ave, Spokane, WA 99260; 509.625.4400. (State law counts the 10 days from the date the tow company gave the notice and form, RCW 46.55.120(2)(b). When those dates differ, the earlier one gives the shorter deadline.)

Source: Spokane Municipal Court - Towing & Impounds page · Checked on October 6, 2026

For a Spokane County impound, the County or the towing company must accept cash, major bank credit cards, certified bank drafts, money orders and personal checks on in-state banks. Anyone seeking to redeem the vehicle has a right to a hearing on the factual and legal basis of the impound, and gets the vehicle back without paying towing and storage when the hearing officer finds the impound improper. The County Code says to contact the office of the chief civil deputy sheriff to ask for this hearing; the phone number printed in the code dates from 1978 and was not confirmed.

Source: Spokane County Code 46.61.557, 46.61.558(b), 46.61.559 · 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 Spokane, and what does it cost to file?

Spokane Municipal Court hears towing and impound matters under the City's airport impound section (SMC 12.03.0612), its scofflaw boot-and-impound section, and the Model Traffic Ordinance's adoption of chapter 46.55 RCW. It does not hear tows under SMC chapter 10.16 (junk vehicle abatement), which go through the City's Neighborhood Code Enforcement process. A private-property tow can be heard in district court (RCW 46.55.120(2)(b)).

Source: Spokane Municipal Court - Towing & Impounds page · Checked on October 6, 2026

Spokane County District Court's fee schedule lists an Impound Fee of $73 (RCW 3.62.060). The court accepts cash, check, money order or certified check for most fines, fees and forfeitures. A private-property impound in Spokane County, and other impounds not authorized by a city's agents, can be heard in district court (RCW 46.55.120(2)(b)); no separate District Court impound page or local form was found, so the request is made on the form the tow company gives you.

Source: Spokane County District Court Fee Schedule · Checked on October 6, 2026

Spokane County District Court's Civil and Small Claims office is in the Broadway Center Building, 2nd floor, 721 N Jefferson Street, Spokane; phone 509-477-4770, ext. 8; hours 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (the page also shows older hours). The page does not mention impound hearings; ask the clerk where to file.

Source: Spokane County District Court - Civil and Small Claims page · 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

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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