What happens to an unclaimed impounded car in Tempe
If an impounded or stored car goes unclaimed in Tempe, here is how Arizona handles the disposal and what the owner still owes.
What Arizona law says
Storage does not stop running while a car sits, and an unclaimed vehicle eventually goes through a disposal process rather than being kept forever. When a vehicle is left unclaimed, the path runs through MVD: after the required steps, MVD notices the registered owner, lienholder, and interested parties, who have 30 days to reclaim the vehicle before it can be cleared or sold. Two things surprise owners. First, the storage charge keeps accruing at up to $25 a day on an ARS 28-3511 impound the whole time, so waiting is expensive. Second, letting a car go to disposal does not erase the bill: the registered owner can still owe the fees, and abandonment can carry a $500 owner-liability assessment (ARS 28-4802), waivable only with proof of sale or a police report. Acting early is almost always cheaper than walking away.
How it works in Tempe
- 1 Understand the storage keeps running
Storage accrues every day the car sits, up to $25 a day on an ARS 28-3511 impound and $53.50 a day in Scottsdale. The longer it sits, the larger the bill, whether or not you plan to reclaim it. This is why early action matters.
- 2 Contact the impounding agency first
Call the police department or agency that ordered the tow. Ask what is owed, whether a payment arrangement is possible, and where the car is held. Doing this before any disposal step protects your options.
- 3 Watch for the MVD notice
When a vehicle is headed for disposal as unclaimed, MVD sends notice to the registered owner, lienholder, and interested parties. Keep your address current with MVD so the notice reaches you, and read it carefully for the deadline.
- 4 Know the 30-day reclaim window
After MVD sends notice, the owner, lienholder, and interested parties have 30 days to reclaim the vehicle before it can be cleared or sold. Missing that window is how ownership is lost.
- 5 Know the bill does not disappear
Letting the car go to disposal does not erase what you owe. The registered owner can still owe the accrued fees, and abandonment can carry a $500 owner-liability assessment (ARS 28-4802), or $600 for federal or state-park land, waivable only with proof of sale or a police report.
- 6 Decide early, and get help moving it
If reclaiming makes sense, pay early to stop the storage. If you are letting a paid-off car go, sort the title first. Once you can move the vehicle, we line up an operator who quotes before dispatch. Call (480) 526-9384.
What this looks like around Tempe
A Mesa, Tempe, or Chandler impound sits at that city's contracted yard while storage accrues at $25 a day. Call the impounding department early. Letting the car go to disposal does not clear the bill, and abandonment can add a $500 owner-liability assessment.
Tempe runs its impound through the Tempe 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.
Tempe holds 180,587 residents and is defined by Arizona State University, which packs the city with a dense, young, student-heavy fleet. That single fact shapes the work: apartment and private-lot tows run high, because students park in shared complexes with tenant rules and permit zones, and game days at Mountain America Stadium and nights on Mill Avenue add event and nightlife tows. The freeway picture is unusually busy for the city's size, with I-10, US 60 and Loops 101 and 202 all meeting here, so interchange crashes are steady in a county that logged 88,094 of them in 2024. Tempe Town Lake brings event parking, and Rural, Broadway and Apache with the light rail carry the rest of the traffic. About 22 percent of the city is Hispanic, so the Spanish version of this site is worth having even though it does not dominate. Heat is the reliable driver of no-starts and dead batteries: 2023 saw 133 days at or above 100 degrees in the metro, and a student's older car left in a lot over a break is a classic dead-battery call. On the legal side, a private-property tow in this part of the metro is capped by the city that governs the lot, and a police-ordered impound runs under the state 20-day law with its 150-dollar fee. The pros we send cover the ASU core, Mill Avenue, Town Lake and the freeway interchanges.
Common Tempe questions
What happens if I never pick up my impounded car in Tempe?
It goes through a disposal process as unclaimed. MVD notices the registered owner, lienholder, and interested parties, who have 30 days to reclaim it before it can be cleared or sold. Storage accrues the whole time at up to $25 a day on an ARS 28-3511 impound.
Do I still owe money if I let the car go in Tempe?
Often, yes. Letting an impounded car go to disposal does not automatically erase the bill, and the registered owner can still owe the accrued fees. Abandonment can carry a $500 owner-liability assessment (ARS 28-4802), waivable only with proof of sale or a police report.
How fast does an unclaimed car get sold in Tempe?
After the required steps, MVD notices the owner and interested parties, who have 30 days to reclaim before the vehicle can be cleared or sold. The exact timing runs through the impounding agency and MVD, so call the department that ordered the tow for the specifics on your car.
Can Quick Tow Phoenix buy or haul my unclaimed car in Tempe?
We are not the yard or the agency holding the car, so we cannot release it or clear the fees. Once you have the right to move it and the title is sorted, we line up an operator who quotes before dispatch, and an operator may buy an end-of-life vehicle. Call (480) 526-9384.
Related help for Tempe
Unpaid impound & disposal in the rest of the East Valley area
Need your car towed once it's released in Tempe?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.