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.

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.

M-F, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM: Call the KCKPD Records Unit 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."

Step 2.Gather What You Need

Proof of valid insurance on the towed vehicle
Proof of valid registration or ownership
Valid driver's license

Step 3.Know What, If Any Storage Fees Apply

In most cases is your vehicle was towed you are responsible for the payment of storage charges and towing fees. This would include a daily fee for storage, so quick action is advised.

If the vehicle has been ticketed for illegal parking, those tickets must be paid before the vehicle can be released.

Step 4.Head to the Tow Lot

Once you have what you need and are ready to make payment, head to the tow lot. Make sure to check the hours of operation and it's always a good idea to call head.

The Unified Government contacts with more than one tow company. You will want to make sure you get the tow company's name and location from the dispatcher.

Step 5.Don't Have What Need?

If you do not have the required documentation on the towed vehicle you will need to take a few more steps. You will need to call the Auto Release Desk for the best direction. Other options for "tow-out" releases might apply to your circumstances.

(913)573-6065

Step 6.Understand the Timeline

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. Let's take action to make sure you get your property back.

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.

Other Tow Types

We are working to provide more information about special tow circumstances. Please excuse our construction as we work to bring you the best possible resources. In the meantime, if you have any questions about tows, please contact the Auto Release Team.