How much does it cost to get a car out of impound in Memphis?
A plain-English guide to impound and storage costs in Memphis: 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 Memphis
Impound costs inside Memphis Core follow the Memphis Police Department's own posted numbers: a $135.00 impound fee plus $30.00 per day storage at the city's Vehicle Storage Lot, 465 Klinke Avenue, open 24/7 at (901) 636-8200, cash or credit card, not including winching or other add-on charges. The wrecker company's own on-scene towing rate is set by a city-prescribed fee schedule that isn't published anywhere we could find in the City's own Wrecker Rules and Regulations document, so ask for an itemized rate before agreeing to anything. That's the city lot's fee, never ours.
Memphis runs on freight, and that shapes almost everything about how a tow works here. FedEx's Superhub alone moves roughly 250 flights a night, most between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., feeding steady heavy-duty and commercial recovery calls on top of ordinary residential ones. Whichever agency orders the tow, Memphis Police, the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, or Housing and Community Development, it lands at the same lot: 465 Klinke Avenue, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at (901) 636-8200. The fee is $135.00 to get a vehicle out plus $30.00 a day in storage, cash or credit card. Wrecker companies working the city must be approved by the Memphis Transportation Commission, and an emergency wrecker has to reach an accident scene within 30 minutes of dispatch or the call rolls to the next company in the rotation. Any private-property tow needs express written authorization under Tennessee law, a Class B misdemeanor if a company skips it. The city's own on-scene wrecker rate schedule is referenced in that same rulebook but wasn't published anywhere in our research, so ask for an itemized rate before agreeing to anything.
How we work Memphis
Memphis is our hub city, the busiest call area on the map, running from Downtown and Midtown through North Memphis, Berclair, and the Airport District out to the Shelby County suburbs and across two state lines into DeSoto County, Mississippi and Crittenden County, Arkansas. Each of those areas carries its own dedicated page. The city's defining call type comes from the two river crossings: I-40 crosses the Mississippi on the Hernando de Soto Bridge and I-55 crosses it a few miles south on the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge, and a breakdown mid-span on either one is a real hazard, not an inconvenience, since neither bridge has a shoulder to pull into. The FedEx World Hub at Memphis International Airport runs roughly 250 flights a night, mostly between 10pm and 5am, so the line and the operators we dispatch cover those overnight hours for the logistics and shift workers who keep the Superhub moving. A poverty rate above 23 percent citywide skews the vehicle fleet older and more breakdown-prone than the national average, and winter ice storms, the kind that knocked MLGW power to over 200,000 customers in both February and December 2022, strand cars on bridges and overpasses most winters. A steady share of the calls here are theft-recovery tows tied to MPD's Vehicle Storage Lot at 465 Klinke Ave, and we treat the driver getting their car back as the customer, not a suspect, no judgment attached. Calls here cover Downtown, the FedEx/airport corridor, and the I-240 loop, and the operator gives you an arrival estimate when you call. The operators we dispatch run flatbed for bridge calls and anything with sensitive electronics, wheel-lift for the ordinary breakdown everywhere else.
Memphis impound & storage fees at a glance
Ranges reflect Memphis Core conditions. They are typical figures, not a quote. Ask for the full total, mileage included, before anyone hooks up, and ask what would change it.
Want the exact number for your car? Call (901) 557-8700 and we'll get you the total before anyone hooks up.
Common Memphis cost questions
How much does it cost to get my car out of impound in Memphis?
If Memphis Police, the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, or Housing and Community Development ordered the tow, your car is almost certainly at the city's Vehicle Storage Lot, 465 Klinke Avenue, open 24/7 at (901) 636-8200. MPD's own posted fees are a $135.00 impound fee plus $30.00 per day storage, cash or credit card, and that doesn't include winching or other add-on charges. The wrecker company's own on-scene towing rate is set by a city-prescribed schedule that isn't published anywhere we could find, so ask the company for an itemized rate before you agree to anything.
What do I need to get my impounded car back in Memphis?
Bring a valid driver's license, current vehicle registration, and proof of insurance. A legitimate tow company in Tennessee, Mississippi, or Arkansas should give you an itemized bill on request. If a law enforcement agency ordered the tow, ask what additional release paperwork that agency needs before you drive over.
What happens if I don't pick up my car in Memphis?
Under Tennessee law, once you're formally notified your vehicle was impounded, you get 20 days from that notice to reclaim it by paying towing and storage. Miss that window and the vehicle moves toward public auction under Tennessee law, with any leftover sale proceeds held for you or your lienholder for 60 days from the date of sale before they go into a special fund. Storage keeps accruing the whole time, so the earlier you call, the less it costs.
Can Quick Tow Memphis get my car out of impound in Memphis?
We're a towing referral service, 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 send an operator to tow your car wherever it needs to go once the yard releases it, in Tennessee, Mississippi, or Arkansas. Call (901) 557-8700.
Related towing info for Memphis
Impound & storage fees in the rest of the Memphis Core area
Need a real quote in Memphis?
Call dispatch direct. Get the total before anyone hooks up.