How to get your car out of impound in Surprise
If your car got towed in Surprise, 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 Surprise
- 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 Surprise
Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, and the West Valley cities each run their own impound. Glendale's Tow Administration is at 6835 N. 57th Dr., (623) 930-3255, business hours. Each charges the $150 state administrative fee and storage at the $25-a-day state cap on an ARS 28-3511 impound.
Surprise runs its impound through the Surprise Police Department. 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.
Surprise held 143,148 residents in the 2020 census and has grown fast since, a mix of retirees around Sun City Grand and young families, roughly 24 percent Hispanic, so the Spanish version of this site earns its place. Loop 303, the Bob Stump Freeway, is the defining road: a newer high-speed freeway with growing crash volume as the far West Valley fills in. US 60 and Grand Avenue carry the diagonal load with their rail-corridor crossings, and Bell, Greenway, Waddell and Cotton Lane run the arterial grid. Maricopa County logged 88,094 crashes in 2024, and a young high-speed freeway like the 303 takes an outsized share as traffic grows. The large retiree base is its own steady source of roadside calls: golf carts, seasonal cars with dead batteries and low-speed collisions. The far-west sprawl means long tows to reach a dealer or shop, and heat is the constant, with 133 days at or above 100 degrees in the metro in 2023. Surprise Stadium brings spring-training event volume for the Rangers and Royals. On impound, a police-ordered hold carries the 150-dollar state fee. The pros we send cover Loop 303, Grand Avenue, the arterial grid and the retirement communities.
Common Surprise questions
How do I find out where my car was towed in Surprise?
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 Surprise?
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 Surprise?
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 Surprise?
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 Surprise
Impound release process in the rest of the West Valley area
Need your car towed once it's released in Surprise?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.