How much does it cost to get a car out of impound in Richmond?
A plain-English guide to impound and storage costs in Richmond: release fees, daily storage, the paperwork you need, and how to get your car back for less.
Why impound & storage fees costs what it does in Richmond
Impound costs inside the City of Richmond follow the city's own local towing fee ordinance, most recently revised by City Council in a 2025 ordinance reported to raise the hookup fee ceiling toward $195, still under Virginia's statewide maximum of $210 set by Va. Code § 46.2-1233.1. Virginia law requires the first 24 hours of storage to be free everywhere in the state, and Richmond has run police-directed tows through a single exclusive contractor, Seibert's Towing, since 1992. Reported figures from City Council's Fall 2025 action have not been independently confirmed against the final adopted Code of Ordinances text, so treat exact dollar amounts as directional until verified against Richmond's own Chapter 27.
As the hub for the whole city, a tow anywhere in Richmond runs through the same process: Seibert's Towing has held the city's exclusive contract since 1992, and the towed-vehicle listing at apps.richmondgov.com/applications/towviewing (make, model, color, partial VIN and plate, live for 14 days) is the fastest way to confirm a police-directed tow before assuming a car was stolen. Richmond's non-emergency line is (804) 646-5100. The city's own 2025 fee ordinance reportedly raised the hookup ceiling near $195, though the exact figure isn't independently confirmed against the final Code of Ordinances text; either way, no Richmond tow can exceed Virginia's statewide $210 maximum under Va. Code § 46.2-1233.1, and the first 24 hours of storage is always free by law.
How we work Richmond
Richmond is our hub city, the busiest call area on the map, running from Downtown and Court End through The Fan, Carytown, Scott's Addition, Church Hill, Manchester, Shockoe Bottom, and Northside out to the Southside corridor along Midlothian Turnpike. Each of those neighborhoods carries its own dedicated page. The city's defining call type sits right at its center: the I-95/I-64 overlap, the three-mile stretch VDOT itself calls one of the highest-crash, most congested corridors in the region, carrying roughly 149,000 vehicles a day past the Bryan Park Interchange. A stall or fender-bender there backs up fast, with almost nowhere for surface streets already at capacity to absorb the overflow. Winter brings its own signature call. Richmond's freeze-thaw cycle, repeated swings above and below freezing rather than one long deep freeze, chews potholes into the pavement all winter into early spring, and any hard ice advisory (the region still measures itself against the 1998 Christmas ice storm that cut power to 400,000 Virginians) means dead batteries and slide-outs stacking up fast. VCU's roughly 29,000 students concentrate move-in, move-out, and semester-break parking chaos into the narrow one-way streets of The Fan and Court End, and General Assembly session traffic layers state-employee commuter volume onto the same downtown blocks. Most calls reach Downtown, VCU Medical Center, and the Capitol district in about 20 to 35 minutes, and we run flatbed through downtown's tight one-way grid and for anything caught in standing water near Shockoe Bottom, with wheel-lift covering the ordinary breakdown everywhere else.
Richmond impound & storage fees at a glance
Ranges reflect Richmond Core conditions. Every job is flat-quoted before dispatch, with the number stated on the call, never adjusted at the drop. No surge for nights, weekends, or holidays.
Want the exact number for your car? Call (858) 925-5546 and we'll quote a flat rate in under 60 seconds.
Common Richmond cost questions
How much does it cost to get my car out of impound in Richmond?
The City of Richmond sets its own private-property towing fee cap by ordinance, most recently revised in 2025; local news coverage of that City Council action put the new hookup ceiling near $195, though the exact adopted figure hasn't been independently confirmed against the final Code of Ordinances text. Either way, no Richmond tow can exceed Virginia's statewide maximum of $210 for the hookup under Va. Code § 46.2-1233.1, and the first 24 hours of storage is always free by state law. Ask for an itemized bill before you pay.
What do I need to get my impounded car back in Richmond?
Bring a valid driver's license, current vehicle registration, and proof of insurance. Virginia law (Va. Code § 46.2-1217) says a towing business cannot refuse payment by cash, an insurance-company check, a certified check, money order, or credit card, and it must post its full fee list where you can see it before you pay. If a law enforcement agency ordered the tow, ask what release documentation they require. Ask for an itemized bill regardless.
What happens if I don't pick up my car in Richmond?
Virginia's garage-keeper lien law (Va. Code § 46.2-644.01) requires the tow company to notify the DMV within 7 business days of taking your car to check for existing liens. Once DMV notifies you or your lienholder, you get 10 business days from that notice to reclaim the vehicle before the company can enforce its lien or relinquish it. Storage fees keep accruing the entire time, so picking the car up early is always cheaper than letting it sit.
Can Quick Tow Richmond get my car out of impound in Richmond?
We're a private tow and roadside company, not the storage yard holding your car, so we can't waive the yard's fees or release it faster. What we can do is help you understand the process and tow your car wherever it needs to go once the yard releases it. Call (858) 925-5546.
Related towing info for Richmond
Impound & storage fees in the rest of the Richmond Core area
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