How to get your car out of impound in North Gateway
If your car got towed in North Gateway, 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 North Gateway
- 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 North Gateway
Most of this area is Phoenix, so the release runs through the Phoenix Vehicle Impound Unit at 100 W. Washington St., (602) 495-2096, with the $150 state fee and $25-a-day storage. Anthem, New River, and the unincorporated edge fall under the Maricopa County Sheriff, which charges the same state fee but sets its own counter and yard.
A North Gateway tow inside the city goes through the Phoenix system, whether it started on I-17 as a police hold or as a private-lot removal. Phoenix runs no single city impound lot, so a police-ordered hold under the state 20-day law (ARS 28-3511) sends the car to the assigned zone-contract yard rather than a municipal pound, and release paperwork starts at the Phoenix Police Vehicle Impound Unit, 100 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85003, (602) 495-2096, open business hours Monday through Friday. The state administrative fee is 150 dollars, paid to Phoenix PD by cash, cashier's check or money order, and storage on that hold runs at the state cap of 25 dollars a day. Pay the fee, collect the release form, then take it to the assigned yard and pay the tow and storage there, because the yard cannot release the car without the police form. You can request a post-storage hearing within 10 days of the notice, held within 5 business days. A private-property tow off an apartment, HOA or shopping-center lot is a separate track: Phoenix City Code 36-6 caps the total tow charge at 105 dollars once the car reaches storage and storage at 12 dollars a day, and the lot must be posted with a sign giving the restriction, the maximum cost and a phone number and address where the car can be found.
Common North Gateway questions
How do I find out where my car was towed in North Gateway?
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 North Gateway?
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 North Gateway?
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 North Gateway?
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 North Gateway
Impound release process in the rest of the North Phoenix & I-17 area
Need your car towed once it's released in North Gateway?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.