Towed in Dallas: finding your car and getting it back

For a towed car's location, status and fees, the police department sends you to (972) 430-6200 or the online search at search.autoreturn.com.¹ Have the license plate, VIN, year, make and model, and the registered owner's name ready.²

A car towed from a public street goes to the City Auto Pound.³ If it was towed from an apartment complex or other private lot, look for the parking signs, which name the tow company, or ask the property's management. You can also call 311, which can tell you whether your car was towed and by whom.⁴

The city lists these:¹

• Dallas Police Auto Pound, 1955 Vilbig Rd., Dallas 75208, (214) 670-5116. Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, holidays included.
• Peak Auto Storage, North Dallas, 11211 Goodnight Ln., Dallas 75229, (214) 890-4102. Open at any hour, every day, holidays included.
• Peak Auto Storage, South Dallas, 4206 E. Ledbetter Rd., Dallas 75241, (214) 890-4138. Open at any hour, every day, holidays included.

The Auto Pound's own questions page says a car can be picked up between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily, so call before a late visit.²

The owner needs:⁵

• a state-issued photo ID card, a Consular Matricula from Mexico or a driver's license;
• current auto insurance;
• the certificate of title or a bill of sale;
• if the car changed hands in the last 30 days, a copy of the registration printout from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The ID and insurance are what you need to drive the car away. Bring the original license or ID card, since a copy isn't accepted.² Without proof the car is insured at release, it has to leave the lot on a tow truck.¹

Anyone other than the registered owner needs a valid ID and one of these:¹

• a title signed over to them, or a notarized bill of sale;
• a Dallas police report showing they were driving the car;
• a notarized Authorization to Release form, which the Auto Pound has;
• a Personal Property Release form from the Lew Sterrett Justice Center;
• legal repossession documents, or a notarized Release and Indemnity form for next of kin.

The Auto Pound takes cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover, not checks.¹ If your car was impounded for having no insurance, bringing proof of insurance later won't get the fees waived at the pound.²

A car towed for unpaid parking tickets isn't released until the tickets, the boot release fee, the wrecker fee and the storage fee are paid. Ticket and boot payments are taken by mail or in person. Dallas Parking Management and Enforcement is at 320 E. Jefferson Blvd., Room 212, 214-948-5346.⁶

The city's Parking Adjudication Office holds administrative hearings for people whose cars were towed.⁷ For a tow you think was wrongful, report it through 311 with a copy of your receipt from the tow or storage company. You can also file in a Justice of the Peace court to recover towing fees (the Dallas County Constable's office, 214-653-7121, has details) or complain to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.⁴