Towed Vehicles

Occasionally towing a vehicle is required to maintain safe road conditions, remove abandoned property or when a vehicle is illegally parked. Some of the most frequent reasons a vehicle may be towed are:

No Registration/Expired Tags: Any vehicle driven or parked on a city street, highway, alley or other Unified Government property with tags that are more than 45 days expired
Abandoned Vehicles: Abandoned vehicles on public streets - typically they will be given a 48-hour notice prior to towing
Inoperative/Unregistered Code Violations: Inoperative/broken-down vehicles stored on residential property on an unpaved surface or unregistered vehicles that have been tagged with a 10-day Neighborhood Resource Center pink tow notice
Traffic: Vehicles parked in designated tow-away zones, blocking a private driveways or parked within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or 20 feet of a crosswalk or at an intersection
Police Actions and Accidents: Disabled vehicles; incidents where the driver is arrested, for example a DUI, (owner may request a personal tow, otherwise, otherwise the officer will arrange for towing) or an officer places and explicit evidentiary hold on the vehicle

If you know or suspect that your vehicle has been towed, it’s important to act swiftly. Taking prompt action will help minimize fees and lead to the best possible outcome.

Retrieve

Do you think your vehicle might have been towed? Let's take quick action!

Step 1.Determine If The Vehicle Was Towed

If you discover that your vehicle is not where you parked it or believe that it could have been towed, you need to take quick action. The KCKPD utilizes three local towing services. Their information is listed on this page. In order to confirm if the vehicle was towed, and by which company, make note of your vehicle plate number and location where it was last parked then call:

M-F, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM: Call the KCKPD Records Unit Auto Release Desk at (913) 573-6065.

After 4:30 PM Weekdays and Weekends: Call Non-Emergency Dispatch at (913) 596-3000. When prompted say: "Transfer me to a call-taker."

If the vehicle was towed by the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office or from a city park, contact

Step 2.What You Will Need to Have Your Vehicle Released

Proof of valid insurance on the towed vehicle
Proof of valid registration or ownership
Valid driver's license (If you do not have a driver's license, you will need a state-issued ID card and be accompanied by a licensed driver.)
If your vehicle was towed as part of a criminal investigation or fatality crash, you will need to also present a tow-release form that must be obtained in-person from the Auto Release Desk at KCKPD Police Headquarters, 700 Minnesota Ave.

Once you have the necessary documents, you may go directly to the towing company to retrieve your vehicle. we strongly suggest calling in advance to confirm the total amount due for payment. In most cases, you will be responsible for the payment of storage charges and towing fees. Storage fees are assessed daily, so quick action is advised. For your convenience, tow services, accepted payments, and release hours are listed on the right.

Step 3.Don't Have What You Need?

If you do not have the required documentation on the towed vehicle, you will need to take a few more steps. Start by calling the Auto Release Desk during business hours, M-F 8 AM-5 PM, at (913) 573- 6065 during regular business hours of M-F, 8 AM-5PM.

Step 4.Don't Delay Action

According to Unified Government Code of Ordinance, Chapter 35-Traffic / Article III - Vehicle Towing, property not retrieved 30 days after notice to the registered owner can be sold at auction. Please, take action immediately so that you may claim any valued personal items.

Hearing

If you believe that your vehicle was towed unlawfully, or you would like to contest the fine/fees associated with the tow, you can request a tow hearing at the Municipal Court.

Step 1.Review The Ordnance

Chapter 35-Traffic/Article III - Vehicle Towing / Sec. 35-201 - Hearing Procedures

Step 2.Decide on Retrieval

In most cases you can retrieve your vehicle by posting a cash bond in the amount of the tow charges at the time the hearing is requested.

If the tow if found lawful, the bond will be applied to the amount owed to the tow company.
If the tow if determined as unlawful, or the fine/fee ruled to be less than charged, the balance of the bond will be returned to the owner of the property.

You do not have to retrieve your vehicle to request a hearing.

Step 3.Get the Report

To schedule the hearing, you will need to obtain a copy of the tow report. This must be provided to the Clerk of the Court when you schedule the hearing.

Obtain a Report

Step 4.Schedule the Hearing

The hearing can be scheduled with the Clerk of the Municipal Court.

Make sure you bring:

Tow Report
Picture I.D.
Proof of Vehicle Ownership
Receipt from the tow lot, if you retrieved your vehicle.

Located at 701 N. 7th Street, 2nd floor, Kansas City, Kansas 66101.

Towing From Private Property

Business, apartment complexes, and commercial retail locations have the ability to order vehicles towed from their properties. If your vehicle was parked on private property and has been towed, you may call non-emergency dispatch at 913-596-3000 to determine what tow service was utilized. Once again, please have your license plate number and the address it was towed from ready when you call.

NOTE: Tow services are required to contact dispatch with information on any vehicle towed from private property within two hours of the tow.