How to get your car out of impound in Gilbert
If your car got towed in Gilbert, here is how to find it, what you will owe, and how to get it back.
What Arizona law says
Phoenix works differently from a city with one impound lot. There is no single municipal yard: a police-ordered tow goes to a private tow company assigned by zone under a city contract, and you pay a fee to the police, get a release form, then pick the car up at the contractor's yard. The fees are set by law, not by the tow company. A $150 state administrative fee (ARS 28-3513(B)) goes to the impounding department, and storage runs at the state cap of $25 a day on an ARS 28-3511 police impound, or $15 a day on a Phoenix City Code 23-55 impound. First work out which agency towed it, because Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, and the Sheriff each run their own counter.
How it works in Gilbert
- 1 Find out which agency towed it
Call the police department for the city where the car was parked, or the Maricopa County Sheriff in an unincorporated area. They will tell you the car was impounded and which contracted yard holds it. Phoenix runs no single city lot, so this step tells you where to go.
- 2 Ask why it was impounded
A police impound under ARS 28-3511, for a suspended license, an interlock violation, or an Extreme or Aggravated DUI, carries a mandatory 20-day hold. A routine tow may release right away. Knowing the reason tells you whether the 20-day hold applies.
- 3 Pay the $150 state fee to the police
The $150 state administrative fee (ARS 28-3513(B)) is paid to the impounding department by cash, cashier's check, or money order. You get a release form. Scottsdale adds a $150 after-hours fee.
- 4 Bring the right documents
Bring a valid driver license, current proof of insurance, current registration, and the impound notice. If an ignition interlock is required, bring proof it is installed. If you are acting for the owner, bring proof of your authority.
- 5 Take the release form to the yard
The tow company cannot release the car without the police release form. At the yard you pay the tow charge and storage, capped at $25 a day on an ARS 28-3511 impound. Scottsdale storage runs $53.50 a day.
- 6 Watch the clock and the storage
Storage accrues every day the car sits, so calling early costs less than calling late. To contest the impound or seek early release, request a post-storage hearing within 10 days of the notice under ARS 28-3514.
What this looks like around Gilbert
A tow in Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, or Tempe goes to that city's police and its contracted yard, not to a Phoenix lot. Mesa Police is at (480) 644-6080; Chandler impound is (480) 782-4109. Each charges the $150 state administrative fee and storage at the $25-a-day state cap on an ARS 28-3511 impound.
Gilbert runs its impound through the Gilbert 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.
Gilbert holds 267,918 residents, which makes it one of the largest incorporated towns in the country, and it is affluent and family-heavy, roughly 16 percent Hispanic, so the market is English-first while the Spanish mirror stays available. The Santan Freeway, Loop 202, is the crash corridor, joined by US 60 on the north edge and the Gilbert, Val Vista, Higley and Power arterials. In a county that logged 88,094 crashes in 2024 with a 3-to-4 p.m. peak, the Santan carries a real share of Gilbert's commuter collisions. The fleet is newer than most of the metro, so the work tilts toward warranty and roadside calls, flatbed requests for late-model vehicles, and family SUVs and trucks rather than abandoned-car removals. Heat is the constant: the metro saw 133 days at or above 100 degrees in 2023, enough to kill a battery in a garage-kept car. The Heritage District downtown and the retail around it bring private-property tows from shared lots. On the legal side, a private-property tow is capped by the city that governs the lot, while a police-ordered impound runs under the state 20-day hold with its 150-dollar administrative fee and 25-dollar daily storage cap. The pros we send cover the Santan corridor, the US 60 edge and the Heritage District.
Common Gilbert questions
How do I find out where my car was towed in Gilbert?
Call the police department for the city where it was parked, or the Maricopa County Sheriff if it was in an unincorporated area. They will tell you the car was impounded and which contracted tow yard holds it. Phoenix runs no single city lot, so the car sits at an assigned zone-contract yard.
What will I owe to get my car out of impound in Gilbert?
A $150 state administrative fee (ARS 28-3513(B)) to the police, plus the tow charge and storage at the yard. Storage is capped at $25 a day on an ARS 28-3511 police impound, or $15 a day on a Phoenix City Code 23-55 impound. Scottsdale sets higher rates: $150 after-hours, $53.50 a day storage, and a $65 tow.
How can they take my $150 fee in Gilbert?
Cash, cashier's check, or money order, payable to the impounding city. Phoenix takes payment at the Vehicle Impound Unit, 100 W. Washington St. Ask the department that ordered the tow, since each sets its own accepted forms.
Can Quick Tow Phoenix release my car from impound in Gilbert?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. We connect drivers with private tow and roadside operators. We are not the police department or the yard holding your car, so we cannot waive fees or speed up a release. We can help you work out who has it and line up an operator once it is released. Call (480) 526-9384.
Related help for Gilbert
Impound release process in the rest of the East Valley area
Need your car towed once it's released in Gilbert?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.