You walk back to where you parked and the spot is empty. No note, no warning, just bare asphalt. Your first move is rights and notice, not guessing the lot from a blank space. For the phone-first locate and the owner vs non-owner document list, use finding your towed car in Memphis. This page is what you are owed: notice, belongings, city vs private fees, and how to complain.
Here’s the part most people miss: the rules changed in 2024. Tennessee’s old towing law, Title 55 Chapter 16, is gone. It was repealed and replaced by the MOTION Act, which doubled the time you have to reclaim your car. Knowing the current rules is the difference between a quick pickup and a costly mistake.
Why Memphis tows cars and who decides
Memphis tows cars for three main reasons: accidents, abandoned vehicles, and private property violations. Each one follows a different path.
For accident scenes and traffic hazards, Memphis Police Department uses a Wrecker Rotation list. Approved companies take turns responding to calls. If your car is in a crash and can’t move, it goes to the MPD Vehicle Storage Lot at 465 Klinke Avenue. Shelby County Sheriff tows and Housing and Community Development tows all process through that same lot. There is no separate county impound.
Private property tows work differently. A property owner can have your car removed, but only with express written authorization. The tow company needs paperwork listing the person who authorized it, your vehicle’s year, make, model, and color, the reason for the tow, and your plate or VIN. No written authorization, no legal tow.
Here’s a detail that surprises most people: Tennessee doesn’t let a tow company grab your car just because your tags are expired. Expired registration is a ticket, not a towing offense. Your car gets towed for being a hazard, blocking access, parked illegally, or abandoned under the MOTION Act definition. That definition has several tracks, including a vehicle over four years old left unattended on public property for 10 or more days, one in obvious disrepair left 3 or more days, one illegally on public property for 48 or more hours, one on private property without consent for 48 or more hours, one on private residential property without consent with no extra waiting period in the statute, or one left in a garage, trailer park, or parking lot for more than 30 consecutive days.
The decision to tow isn’t random. It’s either a police call, a property owner’s written request, or a hazard that blocks traffic. Knowing which one applies to you shapes your next steps.
What you must be told when your car is towed
Tennessee’s MOTION Act sets clear notice rules. If an officer isn’t present when your car is towed, the towing company must notify the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction within one hour. That report includes your VIN, plate, a description of the vehicle, where it was towed from, and where it’s being stored. That record is public.
For storage, the clock runs fast. The towing company must verify ownership within 3 business days. Then they must notify you and all lienholders within 3 more business days. They use a nationally recognized overnight carrier, not standard mail, and they request proof of delivery.
This is where the MOTION Act changed things for the better. You now have 20 days from the notice date to reclaim your car. The old law gave you 10. That’s a full two weeks longer to gather documents and money.
The notice itself must include your vehicle’s year, make, model, and VIN, the storage facility’s location, and your right to reclaim the car within 20 days. If the company violates these notice rules, they face serious penalties. Missing the notice requirement is a Class B misdemeanor. They also can’t charge you more than six days of storage fees if they failed to verify ownership or send notice on time.
Your job is simple: if you learn your car was towed, act immediately. The 20-day window starts from the notice date, not from when you personally find out.
Your rights to your belongings right now
Your car isn’t the only thing you need back. Personal property inside it matters too.
Under Memphis’s wrecker rules, personal property and cargo that isn’t attached to the vehicle must be released to you or your designee on request. That’s unqualified: on request, no fee provision, no restricted hours. MPD can order otherwise in specific cases, but the default is your belongings get returned when you ask.
The lot at 465 Klinke Avenue is open 24 hours, seven days a week. So “on request” means you can retrieve your belongings at midnight if needed. Call (901) 636-8200 first to confirm your car is there and to check whether any holds apply.
One thing to know: no state statute sets specific hours for impound lot retrieval. Memphis’s 24/7 lot covers that gap in practice. If your car was towed to a private lot, not the MPD facility, call ahead and ask about access.
What about your phone charger, the jacket in the backseat, the car seat? All of it is retrievable. The law treats personal property separately from the vehicle itself. You don’t have to pay storage fees just to get your belongings.
How the impound and storage fees work at MPD’s lot
Money is where most people get confused. Here’s the breakdown for the MPD Vehicle Storage Lot.
The impound fee is $135.00. Storage runs $30.00 per day. Both figures are set by the city, not by any individual company. Cash and credit are accepted. Winching or other additional charges are separate and extra.
Storage rates begin 24 hours after impound. So a car impounded at 3 p.m. on Monday doesn’t start accruing daily storage until 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Ask about the exact timing when you call.
Here’s a rule that protects you: no gate, access, or release fee can be charged during normal business hours on any day that daily storage is also charged. And Tennessee puts a hard cap on release fees: nothing more than $100, per state law. That applies to vehicles towed or stored without your express written authorization.
Before you pay anything, ask for the full total with mileage included if a tow is involved. Ask what would change the number. Distance, vehicle size, and time of day all move the price. Get the total in writing before you agree to anything.
If you believe you’ve been overcharged, Memphis has a remedy. The City of Memphis Wrecker Rules allow the city to order a company to reimburse all monies paid, or release the vehicle free. That’s a serious enforcement tool, and it’s worth knowing.
How a private tow can be legal in Memphis
Private property tows are common, especially in apartment complexes and shopping centers, but they follow a strict playbook.
Tennessee allows a tow from a posted commercial lot without the owner present, but only if the lot’s signage carries the garagekeeper’s name and phone at every entrance and exit. The vehicle must have been unattended for more than 12 hours, or it must be creating a hazard, blocking access, or parked illegally. On ordinary private property, not open to the public, the property owner’s written authorization is the key.
The MOTION Act added a detail for lots using automatic license plate readers. Those lots must post notice that LPRs are in use at each entrance. The signage has to use red lettering at least 6 inches high on a white background, clearly visible from each parking space.
For residential rental property, a different rule applies. Landlords can tow an unauthorized vehicle after 10 days’ written notice posted on the vehicle itself, or immediately if the vehicle violates the property’s posted permit-parking policy.
If you were towed from private property, check the specific rules. The company needs the written authorization. If they can’t produce it, you may have grounds for a complaint. Memphis’s street-level answer: call the Permits Administrator at (901) 636-6735 or email permits@memphistn.gov. That office handles wrecker complaints for the city.
Need a private property tow in Memphis? The recorded line matches you with a local operator. Ask what written authorization they need.
When to get legal help and how to file a complaint
Most tows get resolved without a lawyer. You call, confirm the location, pay the fee, and get your car back. But some situations call for professional help.
Get legal help if your car was towed without proper written authorization. Get help if the company refuses to return your personal property. Get help if you believe the fees exceed what’s legal. Those are rights violations, not just bad customer service.
The complaint path starts with the city. The Permits Administrator and Wrecker Coordinator handle wrecker complaints in Memphis. Call (901) 636-6735 or email permits@memphistn.gov. If the city finds two or more sustained complaints against a company, it can trigger an administrative hearing. That’s real enforcement power.
Tennessee also has criminal penalties for towing violations. A violation of the towing rules is a Class B misdemeanor. A second offense is a Class A misdemeanor. The law takes these rules seriously.
If your car was towed, keep every document. The written authorization, the tow receipt, the storage agreement, all of it. Photograph your car when you pick it up. If there’s damage, document it before you leave the lot.
And if you’re dealing with a police hold for a criminal investigation, call (901) 636-8200 before you drive anywhere. Some vehicles can’t be released until the hold is lifted.
How to get your car back fast
For the phone-first locate and the owner vs non-owner document list, use finding your towed car in Memphis. This page is the rights, notice, belongings, and complaint layer. If a private yard has the car, call that yard, confirm fees in writing, and do not wait out the 20-day reclaim clock while storage is stacking.
How much is it to get your car back from being towed in Memphis?
Getting your car back from the city lot costs a $135 impound fee plus $30 a day in storage. That is the city’s MPD Vehicle Storage Lot at 465 Klinke Avenue, and it takes cash or credit. Storage starts running 24 hours after the impound, so day one is the impound fee alone. A private towing yard sets its own figures and is not bound by the city’s.
How long can you leave your car at a tow yard in Tennessee?
A Tennessee tow yard cannot charge you storage past 21 days, however long the car actually sits there. The yard has 3 business days to verify ownership and 3 more to notify you and any lienholder, and you then have 20 days from the date of that notice to reclaim the car. A yard that misses the notice deadline can only collect 6 days of storage. The full timeline, including what happens at auction, is in our guide to a car left at a tow yard in Tennessee.
When to call us
A legal owner-requested or private-property tow still needs a permitted local operator and the paperwork the law requires. Quick Tow Memphis is a referral service. The line takes calls 24/7, a recording notice plays first, and we match you with a local operator who handles the work and contracts with you directly.
Quick Tow Memphis is a referral service. Call (901) 557-8700. The recorded line takes calls 24/7 and matches you with a local operator who handles the work and contracts with you directly.