How to get your car out of impound in Scottsdale
If your car got towed in Scottsdale, 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 Scottsdale
- 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 Scottsdale
Scottsdale sets higher rates than most of the metro: the $150 state fee plus a $150 after-hours fee, storage at $53.50 a day, and a $65 tow. Hearings are walk-in at the McKellips Station, 7601 E. McKellips Rd. Fort McDowell and unincorporated pockets fall under other agencies, so confirm who impounded the car first.
Scottsdale is worth a specific note. On a police-ordered 20-day hold under ARS 28-3511 the city charges the 150-dollar state administrative fee plus a 150-dollar after-hours fee, with storage at 53.50 dollars a day, or 25 dollars a day if you request an early hearing, and a 65-dollar tow charge; hearings are held at the McKellips Station, 7601 E. McKellips Rd. A private-property tow off a lot is a separate matter, with no statewide dollar cap and a required compliant sign giving the restriction, the maximum cost and a number and address where the car can be found. Call the department that ordered the tow for the assigned yard.
Scottsdale holds 241,361 residents and is affluent, older and about 9 percent Hispanic, so the market is firmly English-first. The towing work splits along the city's own geography. Old Town drives nightlife, DUI and event tows, WestWorld and Barrett-Jackson bring huge event crowds, and Scottsdale Fashion Square adds garage and lot volume. Loop 101, the Pima, carries the freeway load with SR 51 nearby, and Scottsdale Road, Shea, Pima and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard run the arterial grid. Maricopa County logged 88,094 crashes in 2024, and the Loop 101 corridor takes a steady share. Scottsdale runs a luxury and exotic fleet, so a large part of the work is roadside and insurance referrals on high-value vehicles that owners want moved on a flatbed with care. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve and Pinnacle Peak bring trailhead-lot recovery, and tourist rentals overheat in summer, when the metro saw 55 days at or above 110 degrees in 2023. Scottsdale is worth a specific note on impound: the city charges the 150-dollar state administrative fee plus a 150-dollar after-hours fee, with storage that runs higher than the state cap unless an early hearing is requested, and hearings are held at the McKellips station. The pros we send cover Old Town, the Loop 101 corridor, the Preserve trailheads and the resort district.
Common Scottsdale questions
How do I find out where my car was towed in Scottsdale?
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 Scottsdale?
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 Scottsdale?
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 Scottsdale?
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 Scottsdale
Impound release process in the rest of the Scottsdale & the Northeast area
Need your car towed once it's released in Scottsdale?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.