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

Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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) (https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.55.120). Checked on October 6, 2026. For a vehicle the City of Tacoma impounded as a result of a traffic citation, a person seeking to redeem it may contest the validity of the impound or the amount of the towing and storage charges before an administrative hearing officer. The request must be in writing, on a form approved by the Chief of Police, signed, and RECEIVED by the Chief of Police within 10 days, counting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, of the later of the date the City's notice was mailed or the date the tow company gave its notice. If everything needed to redeem the vehicle is done, it is released right away and the hearing is held within 90 days; if not, it stays impounded and the hearing is held within 2 business days. A late request is allowed only for good cause (circumstances beyond the person's control); otherwise the right to a hearing is waived and the impound and its costs are deemed proper. Source: TMC 11.05.703(D) (https://ecode360.com/48391511). Checked on October 6, 2026. To contest a tow or the tow company's fees at Pierce County District Court, the court's page says to request a hearing within 10 days from the date you attempted to retrieve or did retrieve the vehicle, on the court's Impound Petition and Notice of Hearing form, and to pay the filing fee by cash, Visa or MasterCard at the District Court counter: County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Ave S, Room 239 (2nd floor), Tacoma, Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., (253) 798-7487. Bring the tow company's "Impounded Vehicle Hearing Request" and "Notice of the Right of Redemption and Opportunity for a Hearing" forms, a copy of the tow bill, the law enforcement agency's name, and the officer's name and badge number. (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: Pierce County District Court - Vehicle Impound Cases page (https://www.piercecountywa.gov/840/Vehicle-Impound-Cases). 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) (https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=1.12.040). Checked on October 6, 2026.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

Court filing fee for the hearing: $83.00 (Pierce County District Court filing fee schedule (effective 12/08/2025): 'Vehicle Impound Filing Fee $83.00'; checked on October 6, 2026). Pierce County District Court's fee schedule (effective December 8, 2025) lists the Vehicle Impound Filing Fee as $83.00. Source: Pierce County District Court Filing Fees and Cost Fee Codes (effective 12/08/2025) (https://www.piercecountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/109107/District-Court-Filing-Fee-Schedule). Checked on October 6, 2026.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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) (https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.55.120). 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) (https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.55.110). Checked on October 6, 2026. For a vehicle impounded by the City of Tacoma, the City's tow contractor must mail a notice by first-class mail to the last known and legal owners not more than 24 hours after the impound, with the full particulars of the impound, redemption and the opportunity for a hearing. When an investigatory hold ends, Tacoma Police must notify the registered and legal owner in writing. The 10 days to ask for a City impound hearing count from the later of this mailing or the tow company's notice. Source: TMC 11.05.702 (https://ecode360.com/48391511). Checked on October 6, 2026.

Question 4

What does the court's hearing request cover?

Accepted Answer

The Pierce County District Court impound petition is for disputing the validity of the tow and the towing and storage fees. The court's information sheet says it cannot be used to sue for damages, loss of property, or the return or release of a vehicle; the petition is filed in person at the County-City Building, Room 239, within 10 days from the date you first attempted or picked up the vehicle; no personal checks are accepted; and the court does not collect or distribute money awarded to parties. A Washington State Patrol tow after a suspended-license arrest can carry a mandatory 30-day hold. Source: Pierce County District Court - Vehicle Impound Hearing Information sheet (Aug 2023) (https://www.piercecountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1923/Vehicle-Impound-Hearing-Information). Checked on October 6, 2026.

Question 5

What does the court decide at the hearing?

Accepted Answer

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) (https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.55.120). Checked on October 6, 2026. The court's petition form says the court decides whether the impound was proper, whether the fees followed the posted or contract rates, and who pays; it may not adjust fees that comply with the posted or contract 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 was improper, the court enters judgment for the registered or legal owner for the filing fee and reasonable damages for loss of use of the vehicle, and if the judgment is not paid within 15 days of notice of its entry, the court awards reasonable attorneys' fees and costs. Source: Pierce County District Court - Petition for Impound (Vehicle/Vessel), page 2 (Oct 2022) (https://www.piercecountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1962/Petition-for-Impound---VehicleVessel). Checked on October 6, 2026. At a Tacoma City impound hearing, the administrative hearing officer decides whether the impound and the towing, storage and administrative fees were proper. If the impound was improper: an order for the vehicle's immediate release and, if the costs were paid, a judgment against the City for them. If the impound was proper but the fees were not: the officer sets the correct fees and the City reimburses any overpayment and the filing fee. The decision can be appealed to municipal court, where the hearing is new (de novo); the appeal must be filed within 15 days of the decision, with a filing fee equal to the fee for filing a suit in district court. Source: TMC 11.05.704; TMC 11.05.703(D)(5) (https://ecode360.com/48391511). 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) (https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=308-61-168). Checked on October 6, 2026.