How to get your car out of impound in Mesa
If your car got towed in Mesa, 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 Mesa
- 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 Mesa
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.
Mesa runs its impound through the Mesa Police Department, and the release counter is at Mesa Police headquarters, 59 S. Hibbert; call 480-644-6080. 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.
Mesa is the third-largest city in Arizona, with 504,258 residents in the 2020 census, and about 27 percent of the city is Hispanic. West Mesa, near downtown and Main Street, skews more Spanish-first, while the east-side Las Sendas area is Anglo and affluent, so the Spanish version of this site carries real weight on the west end. US 60, the Superstition Freeway, is the crash-heavy commuter artery through the middle of the city, joined by Loop 202 and Loop 101 and the Main Street light rail, with Power, Gilbert and Country Club as the major arterials. Maricopa County recorded 88,094 crashes in 2024, and a high-volume commuter freeway like US 60 carries a heavy share of that load. Mesa also has one of the largest snowbird and retiree bases in the East Valley, which shows up in the call log as winter-visitor car trouble: seasonal cars that sat for months, dead batteries, and drivers unfamiliar with the roads. Heat is the constant: 2023 brought 55 days at or above 110 degrees in the metro, and older west-Mesa vehicles feel it first. Superstition-fringe recreation adds trailhead and desert recovery on the east edge. On impound, Mesa charges the 150-dollar state administrative fee on a police-ordered hold, and the release counter is at Mesa Police headquarters. The pros we send cover US 60, both loops and the Main Street corridor.
Common Mesa questions
How do I find out where my car was towed in Mesa?
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 Mesa?
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 Mesa?
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 Mesa?
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 Mesa
Impound release process in the rest of the East Valley area
Need your car towed once it's released in Mesa?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.