Towing · Tampa and Hillsborough County

Towed in Tampa: How to Find Your Car

Who to call, what a tow can legally cost, what to bring to the yard and how to dispute a bad tow.

Guide updated 2026-10-05 · how we check

Look for a tow-away sign at the lot entrance first. Florida requires the sign to name the towing company and give its phone number, and the company must report the tow to police within 30 minutes of completing it. If there is no sign, or you parked on a street, police can tell you whether a tow was reported.

Florida Statutes §715.07 · Hillsborough County towing rules, checked 2026-10-04.

Step 1: find out who has your car

Private lot or garage: call the number on the tow-away sign. Hillsborough County requires towing companies to answer phones around the clock and return a vehicle owner's call within one hour. Street or city property: the city can tow, boot or relocate the car. Crash or police stop: the tow was ordered by an officer; ask that agency.

County list of non-emergency numbers · Tampa Police contacts (impound lot) · City Parking Division contacts, checked 2026-10-04.

Check the next block first. Tampa's parking code lets the Parking Division move a car parked in a reserved space, in a prohibited spot such as a no-parking zone or fire lane, or in a disabled space without a permit to a legal open space on an adjacent block face or a nearby city garage, and write a ticket for unpaid parking in that new space. If no legal space is open nearby, the car is impounded instead.

City of Tampa parking code, §15-125(c) (PDF) · §15-125(i), checked 2026-10-04.

Rules for a tow from private property

• Signs: a sign at each driveway entrance must say unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense, show "tow-away zone" in letters at least 4 inches high, and give the towing company's name and phone number. It must be up for at least 24 hours before a tow. A business with 20 or fewer spaces can use a single "Reserved Parking for Customers Only" sign instead. A car blocking a driveway can be towed without a sign.
• Photos: in Hillsborough County the tow driver must photograph or video the violation, time and date stamped, before towing. If the company cannot produce it, the county ordinance says it must reimburse the towing fee.
• Distance: the car must be stored within 10 miles of where it was towed.
• Still on the truck? If you arrive while your car is being hooked up, the driver must stop and release it for no more than half the posted towing rate.
• Release: the yard must release the car within one hour of your request. The storage site must be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on any day the company tows, and post a 24-hour phone number when closed; after a call, the operator must return to the site within one hour.
• Occupied cars: the county bars towing a vehicle while a person or animal is inside.

Florida Statutes §715.07(2)(a) · Hillsborough County Code ch. 50, art. VII (§50-181, §50-183) · County towing rules, checked 2026-10-04.

Maximum towing and storage rates in Hillsborough County

The county ordinance limits towing companies to rates set by county commission resolution, and the county says it enforces the ordinance throughout Hillsborough County, including Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City. Class A covers vehicles up to 10,000 pounds, which includes ordinary passenger cars.

• Storage may only be charged after the first six hours, then for each calendar day.
• A lien notice fee of up to $100 is allowed only if the company complied with the state lien statute.
• Opening the yard after hours or on a closed day: up to $70.
• A weather tarp: up to $20. No extra charge for dollies or a Go-Jak.
• Once a lien process starts, Florida caps lien and administrative fees at $250 in total. Ask the yard whether the county's $100 lien notice fee counts toward that $250 cap.
• Police-ordered (non-consent) tows: most of the county ordinance does not apply to tows directed by an officer, but the county rate schedule still lists the same flat rate for them, without the 10-mile cap on mileage, plus up to $30 per 15 minutes for a Class A car once the work at the scene runs past 30 minutes. A city or police impound can also add a government administrative fee; ask the agency what it charges.

These are the lawful charges, so a bill that includes an after-hours fee, a lien fee or the state lien-release fee is not by itself an overcharge. Check each line against this list and the rate sheet posted at the yard.

Hillsborough County towing and immobilization rates (Tax Collector) · County Code §50-174 and §50-186 · County: ordinance enforced countywide · Florida Statutes §713.78(2)(a) and (15) · Tampa Code §15-125(h) (PDF), checked 2026-10-04.

What to bring to the tow yard

One current government photo ID. Florida law says that is enough to verify identity. Proof of your interest in the car: the yard must accept an original or a copy of an electronic or paper title, a loan contract, a lease contract, insurance company credentials with the VIN, or a written agreement showing you act for the owner. That agreement must be notarized if it is used to release the car. Registration is not on the statute's list, so ask the yard what it accepts when you call.

Not your car? Hillsborough County advises bringing an original notarized affidavit from the registered owner naming you as their representative, with the make, model, year, color and VIN, plus a copy of the registration.

Payment: the yard must accept at least two of these three groups: cash, cashier's check, money order or traveler's check; bank, debit or credit card; a mobile payment or digital wallet. A card is therefore not guaranteed. Ask which forms it takes before you go.

Florida Statutes §713.78(17) and (19) · Hillsborough County: what to do if your car is towed, checked 2026-10-04.

Your rights at the yard

• You can get personal property out of the car even if you have not paid. In Hillsborough County this is free during business hours; fees may apply outside them.
• The yard must post its rates and give you a written bill before payment, then a receipt with its legal name.
• You may inspect the car before accepting it. The yard cannot require you to sign a release or waiver of liability for damage.
• If the yard does not release the car within one hour, or misses other key duties, Florida treats several of those failures as crimes, not just paperwork errors.

Florida Statutes §715.07(2)(a)9 and (5) · §713.78(10) and (20) · County towing rules, checked 2026-10-04.

If you think the tow was wrong or overcharged

You do not have to pay the bill first to get the car back. Hillsborough County explains that you can post a bond for the final bill in circuit court, and the court decides later who is right. Under Florida law, a person who improperly causes a tow is liable for the towing and storage costs, damages, attorney's fees and court costs.

To report a towing company for overcharging, towing without authorization or operating without permits, file a complaint with Hillsborough County Code Enforcement Regulatory Compliance ((813) 274-6600, regcomp@hcfl.gov). Include the company name, date, location, your invoice and photos. The county investigates but does not give legal advice or sue on your behalf.

County towed-vehicle guide · County complaint process · Florida Statutes §715.07(4), checked 2026-10-04.

Booted instead of towed

On private property in Hillsborough County, a booting company may charge a flat $40 at most. A City of Tampa boot on a street is different: it is for unpaid parking tickets. See our Tampa parking ticket guide for those fees and how to get a city boot removed.

Hillsborough County immobilization rate, checked 2026-10-04.

Events, special event zones and game days

Tampa Police can declare a Special Event Zone for an unpermitted gathering. In the October 2026 downtown declaration, signs at each entrance warned that fines are doubled and vehicles are subject to impoundment; an impounded vehicle could be held for up to 72 hours and released after payment of impoundment costs and fees. These zones target unpermitted street gatherings, not ticketed games, and the impoundment applies to drivers who commit traffic violations inside the zone. Treat those signs as a real warning.

TPD Special Event Zone declaration, October 2026 (PDF), checked 2026-10-04.

We found no official list of game-day towing locations near Raymond James Stadium, Benchmark International Arena or Ybor City, so this guide does not name any. The practical rule is the one above: read every lot entrance for a tow-away sign before you leave the car, and use a paid or venue lot from our event guides.

Where are the tow yards?

We do not list tow yards. Neither Tampa Police nor the county publishes a rotation list we could verify, and a private tow can go to any yard within 10 miles. The tow-away sign, the towing company or the police non-emergency line will give you the storage address. The county requires its Tax Collector to keep a public list of licensed towing businesses; call (813) 635-5200 to check a company.

County Code §50-175 · County towing rules (Tax Collector contact), checked 2026-10-04.

Towed in St. Petersburg or elsewhere in Pinellas

Pinellas County publishes its own maximum non-consent towing rates, effective June 16, 2026. We have not found a source on whether they apply inside St. Petersburg city limits, so ask the towing company or St. Pete police which schedule governs. The county schedule lists a Class A private-property tow at $175, plus $6 a mile, $35 a day storage after the first six hours, a $60 administrative fee after 24 hours and a $40 lien notice fee. On-scene release costs half the base rate, a boot is $35, and up to a 4% surcharge is allowed for card payments. A diesel fuel surcharge of $1 a mile towed is in effect through at least October 30, 2026, and the county extends it month to month while diesel stays above $5.50. For a missing car, call St. Petersburg Police non-emergency at (727) 893-7780. Complaints go to Pinellas County Consumer Protection at (727) 464-6200.

Pinellas County maximum towing rates · Pinellas County towing · St. Petersburg Police, checked 2026-10-04.

This guide explains public rules; it is not legal advice. Rates are maximums, not quotes, and can change by county resolution.

Related guides

• Tampa parking ticket: pay, appeal, fines and boots
• Tampa street parking hours and free periods
• Raymond James Stadium parking lots and prices

Source dates are shown beside the information they support. Confirm current details before your trip. Sources and editorial method.