Abandoned vehicle removal in Tempe
If a vehicle has been abandoned on your property or the roadside near Tempe, here is how Arizona handles it.
What Arizona law says
Arizona treats a vehicle as abandoned after 48 hours in a highway right-of-way or 72 hours on public or private property (ARS 28-4801). One point trips people up: ADOT does not tow. The Abandoned Vehicle Unit does not tow vehicles or arrange towing, so law enforcement investigates and arranges removal. If a vehicle has been left on your own property for more than 10 days, you can file an Abandoned Vehicle Application (Form 46-4402) with a $10 non-refundable fee; MVD then notices the owner, lienholder, and interested parties, who have 30 days to reclaim it. The registered owner can be assessed $500 for private-property abandonment or $600 for federal or state-park abandonment (ARS 28-4802), waivable with proof of sale or a police report.
How it works in Tempe
- 1 Confirm it is legally abandoned
Arizona treats a vehicle as abandoned after 48 hours in a highway right-of-way or 72 hours on public or private property (ARS 28-4801). Before that, it may just be parked. Note when you first saw it so you can show the time has passed.
- 2 For a roadside vehicle, call law enforcement
ADOT does not tow abandoned vehicles or arrange towing. For one in a right-of-way or on a public street, call the police department for that city, or the Maricopa County Sheriff in an unincorporated area. They investigate and arrange removal.
- 3 For one on your property, wait 10 days
If the vehicle has sat on your own property, you can start the process once it has been there more than 10 days. Document the dates and the location before you file.
- 4 File the $10 Form 46-4402
File an Abandoned Vehicle Application (Form 46-4402) with MVD and pay the $10 non-refundable fee. MVD then notices the registered owner, lienholder, and interested parties.
- 5 Give the owner 30 days
After MVD sends notice, the owner, lienholder, and interested parties have 30 days to reclaim the vehicle. Only after that window can it be cleared or disposed of through the MVD process.
- 6 Know the owner-liability fees
The registered owner can be assessed $500 for private-property abandonment or $600 for federal or state-park abandonment (ARS 28-4802), collected by ADOT as an added registration fee and waivable with proof of sale or a police report.
What this looks like around Tempe
Abandoned vehicles turn up in apartment lots and desert-edge parcels across Mesa, Tempe, and Chandler. Report a roadside one to the city police; ADOT does not tow. On your own property, file Form 46-4402 after 10 days, and MVD notices the owner, who has 30 days to reclaim.
Tempe runs its impound through the Tempe Police Department and charges the 150-dollar state administrative fee on a police-ordered 20-day hold, but call the department for the current release counter and hours, because the exact address could not be confirmed here. Like every Arizona agency it charges the 150-dollar state administrative fee (ARS 28-3513(B)) on a police-ordered 20-day hold under ARS 28-3511, with storage at the state cap of 25 dollars a day, and you can request a post-storage hearing within 10 days of the notice, held within 5 business days. A private-property tow off a lot is a separate matter: Arizona sets no statewide dollar cap, the city that governs the lot may set the maximum rate, and the lot must be posted with a compliant sign stating the restriction, the maximum cost and a number and address where the car can be located. Call the department that ordered the tow for its release counter and assigned yard.
Tempe holds 180,587 residents and is defined by Arizona State University, which packs the city with a dense, young, student-heavy fleet. That single fact shapes the work: apartment and private-lot tows run high, because students park in shared complexes with tenant rules and permit zones, and game days at Mountain America Stadium and nights on Mill Avenue add event and nightlife tows. The freeway picture is unusually busy for the city's size, with I-10, US 60 and Loops 101 and 202 all meeting here, so interchange crashes are steady in a county that logged 88,094 of them in 2024. Tempe Town Lake brings event parking, and Rural, Broadway and Apache with the light rail carry the rest of the traffic. About 22 percent of the city is Hispanic, so the Spanish version of this site is worth having even though it does not dominate. Heat is the reliable driver of no-starts and dead batteries: 2023 saw 133 days at or above 100 degrees in the metro, and a student's older car left in a lot over a break is a classic dead-battery call. On the legal side, a private-property tow in this part of the metro is capped by the city that governs the lot, and a police-ordered impound runs under the state 20-day law with its 150-dollar fee. The pros we send cover the ASU core, Mill Avenue, Town Lake and the freeway interchanges.
Common Tempe questions
How long before a vehicle is abandoned in Tempe?
Arizona treats it as abandoned after 48 hours in a highway right-of-way or 72 hours on public or private property (ARS 28-4801). For one on your own property, the MVD clearance process starts once it has sat more than 10 days.
Will ADOT tow an abandoned car near Tempe?
No. ADOT's Abandoned Vehicle Unit does not tow vehicles or arrange towing. Law enforcement investigates and arranges removal, so report a roadside abandoned vehicle to the city police or the Maricopa County Sheriff.
How do I remove a car abandoned on my property in Tempe?
Once it has sat more than 10 days, file an Abandoned Vehicle Application (Form 46-4402) with MVD and pay the $10 non-refundable fee. MVD notices the owner and interested parties, who have 30 days to reclaim before it can be cleared.
Can Quick Tow Phoenix haul an abandoned car in Tempe?
We cannot decide a vehicle is abandoned or take one that is not yours; that runs through law enforcement and MVD. Once the paperwork clears and you have the right to move it, we line up an operator who quotes before dispatch. Call (480) 526-9384.
Related help for Tempe
Abandoned vehicles in the rest of the East Valley area
Need your car towed once it's released in Tempe?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.