Handle towing storage and temporary transportation

By Jacob Alford

Where was my car taken?

Check the tow ticket and any paperwork from the officer. If you were taken to the hospital or someone else handled the scene, contact the investigating agency’s nonemergency or records number with the crash date, location, plate and VIN if available. Ask which company removed the vehicle and its actual storage location.

Confirm the address with the facility before traveling. A tow company’s business office may be different from the lot holding your car. Ask when the car arrived, the current itemized balance, the daily storage charge, release hours and whether anyone has placed a hold on it.

Give the claim handler the location promptly and ask when inspection or transfer will occur. A storage clock does not stop just because an adjuster has not called back.

How do I get belongings or release the vehicle?

Treat those as separate requests. At a covered Texas vehicle storage facility, someone who establishes ownership or a right to possession can retrieve personal belongings without a release fee, unless law enforcement restricts access. That does not permit removing attached vehicle parts or overriding an evidence hold. Ask about needed identification and get a receipt identifying what you removed. TDLR vehicle-access rules.

Releasing the vehicle itself ordinarily requires proper identification, an accepted release document and payment of applicable charges. Confirm the requirements and transportation plan before arrival. If the vehicle is unsafe, arrange a tow rather than driving it away.

Before agreeing to a transfer, identify the destination, who authorized it, who pays and whether relevant evidence will be preserved. A form authorizing pickup should not be mistaken for permission to repair, sell or settle the claim. See vehicle preservation when the car itself may be evidence.

What documents and payments may be requested?

A regulated storage facility generally needs valid government-issued identification plus an accepted document establishing release authority. TDLR lists options such as a title, qualifying registration information, a current lease or rental agreement, a court order or an appropriate power of attorney. Ask which option fits your circumstances; do not assume you must possess the paper title when a lender holds it. TDLR release requirements.

Request a written, itemized bill separating towing, storage and other charges. Verify the relevant tow category, facility rules and fee schedule rather than applying a parking-lot tow chart to every crash tow. Covered facilities must accept cash, debit cards, and credit cards, subject to the statute’s limited exception when a no-fault power outage or machine malfunction prevents card acceptance. Occupations Code §2303.159. Proof of insurance is not a separate condition they may impose for release when the required identification, release authority and payment are supplied. TDLR release requirements.

An invoice does not prove each charge is lawful. Save it and any receipt even if you need to pay to stop additional costs. A repair shop’s consensual storage may follow a different legal framework from a regulated nonconsent storage facility. Occupations Code §2303.003.

How can I challenge towing or storage charges?

Get the tow ticket, fee schedule, itemized bill and the facts about who ordered the tow. Explain any specific error in writing, such as an incorrect storage date, duplicate charge or fee without an identified basis. Keep proof of your attempt to retrieve the vehicle and any refusal.

For a qualifying nonconsent tow or storage dispute, contact the appropriate justice court immediately about a tow hearing. The statutory request period is short: generally before the 14th day after removal and placement in storage, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, with notice-related exceptions. Ask the court about the applicable procedure and county; do not treat this as fourteen calendar days after receiving a bill. Occupations Code §§2308.451–.456.

A disagreement may also warrant a TDLR complaint. That does not replace the court request or automatically suspend storage fees. Make a practical plan for the vehicle while pursuing the dispute.

What if I cannot afford to move the car?

Ask a lawyer promptly about preserving the vehicle while controlling storage costs. Once Jacob Alford’s firm, Injured Texan PLLC at InjuredTexan.com, accepts representation, the firm takes on case expenses, including vehicle preservation to avoid continuing storage charges. The location, inspection and transfer should be coordinated so saving storage money does not cost you important evidence.

Tell the insurer handling the property claim and the lender immediately. Ask whether the insurer will arrange direct payment, inspection or transfer to a lower-cost location. Get the destination, payment commitment and preservation arrangements in writing. Also check your own applicable coverage if the other insurer has not accepted the claim.

Ask the facility for the current balance and available release or transfer arrangements. Do not promise a payment you cannot make or sign away ownership without understanding the consequences. If the only answer is “wait,” ask who will pay for the additional days.

Do not assume every charge must ultimately come from your pocket. Under Texas law, an insurer paying a total-loss claim on a vehicle in a covered storage facility is liable to the facility for money owed for delivery and storage, including amounts that accrued before the insurer paid the claim. Raise that rule with the insurer and facility. It does not make every invoiced charge valid or guarantee release before the applicable requirements are met. Occupations Code §2303.156(b).

A pending claim does not itself stop the facility’s process. Escalate an approaching sale or disposal notice promptly.

What if the tow company sends a sale or disposal notice?

Act on it the day you receive it. Save the notice and envelope, photograph all pages and identify the vehicle, claimed balance, proposed action and dates. Send it to the property adjuster, lender and lawyer, if you have one, and ask for a concrete release or legal-response plan.

Do not assume the notice is harmless because fault is disputed or an insurer intends to pay eventually. Equally, do not assume the notice is valid merely because it looks official. The facility type, ownership records, notices and statutory procedure matter. Occupations Code §§2303.151–.160.

Ask the facility to identify the amount required for release and the basis for the proposed sale. An informal request to wait is not a confirmed hold. If evidence would be lost or the vehicle sold before the dispute can be resolved, seek urgent legal review. A sale deadline and a tow-hearing request deadline are separate clocks.

Is a regulator complaint different from requesting a tow hearing?

Yes. A TDLR complaint asks the licensing regulator to investigate compliance. A tow hearing asks a justice court to decide issues within the statutory towing process. The forms, deadlines and possible remedies differ. Filing one does not mean you filed the other. TDLR consumer information.

Save confirmation of each submission and keep track of the next required action. Do not assume either process freezes charges, cancels a sale or decides every contract or damages issue. If you need immediate possession or relief beyond the hearing’s scope, ask about the appropriate legal route.

Can someone else retrieve the car for an injured or out-of-state owner?

Often, yes, with proper authority and documents. Call the facility first to identify the accepted release paperwork for the person who will attend. A suitable power of attorney or department-approved form may be the practical route. TDLR states that a qualifying power of attorney notarized outside Texas must not be rejected merely because its notarization format differs. TDLR release guidance.

Confirm the helper’s identification, payment method, pickup time and transport arrangement. Make the authority no broader than necessary. Permission to retrieve the car need not include authority to settle an injury claim or transfer ownership.

If the owner cannot legally give authorization, has died or the ownership is disputed, ordinary family permission may not be enough. Ask about the required legal authority rather than signing the owner’s name.

Attorney reviewed by Jacob Alford · November 11, 2026