Towed Car Help

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Car towed in Wilmington

Wilmington is in New Castle County, Delaware. Here is how to find your car, what you can be charged, and what to do if the tow looks wrong. Last checked 2026-10-17.

Storage fees grow every day. Get your car back as soon as you can, even if you plan to dispute the tow. Pay, keep every receipt, and fight the charges afterward.

Find who towed your car

Street parking or a police tow

In Wilmington, call the Wilmington Police Department non-emergency to find out whether your car was towed and which company has it.

Apartment, store, or private lot

Look for a tow-away sign at the lot entrance. It often shows the tow company's name and phone number.

No sign, or you can't find it? The company must report the tow to police, so call the police non-emergency line and ask where your car went.

25 Del. C. 3907(b)

No record of a tow anywhere? Report the car to police as possibly stolen.

What they can charge

We have not verified local maximum rates for Wilmington yet. Ask the tow company for its rate sheet. It must give you one on request.

Estimate your bill

What to bring

  • A government photo ID and proof you own the car, such as the registration or title.
  • Payment. Call ahead to ask which types the lot takes.

Paperwork locked inside the car? The lien does not cover personal property that is not attached to or needed to run the vehicle. You can get those items back if you claim them before the car is sold.

25 Del. C. 3906(b); 21 Del. C. 4404

Getting it back

  • Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.

How to dispute a tow

  1. Collect evidence. Photograph the lot entrances and any signs, keep every receipt, and write down times and names.
  2. Ask for an itemized invoice. If the company claims storage fees, its court application for a sale must show the per-day storage rate. The statute does not set a maximum amount.
  3. File a complaint.
  4. Go to court if needed. You can file a replevin (return of property) or detinue action at any time, and no bond is required to file it. The Justice of the Peace Court hears these unless a party asks for a jury.
  5. Consider small claims or a chargeback. The Justice of the Peace Court hears contract and property claims, including replevin, up to $25,000. If you paid by credit card, you can dispute the charge with your card issuer. For billing errors, your written dispute generally must reach the issuer within 60 days of the first bill showing the charge. Whether a tow charge qualifies is up to the issuer.

Deadlines to watch

Your car can be sold. If the bill is unpaid 30 days after it came due, the company may seek to sell the car. It needs a justice of the peace's authorization, a court judgment, or a signed release from the owner and lienholders.

To get priority over a lender, the company must send certified-mail notice to the title holder and lienholders of record within 7 business days of taking the car. Notices for motor vehicles go to the addresses on file with the DMV.

Delaware deadlines, counted from the law

  • Company must send certified notice to title holder and lienholders within: 7 business days after the tow, if needed for priority over a lender. 25 Del. C. 3906(a), 3907(b) (opens in a new tab)
  • Company may seek to sell if bill unpaid: 30 days (see the law for when the count starts), if counted from the bill due date; also needs justice of the peace authorization, court judgment or signed release. 25 Del. C. 3903(a) (opens in a new tab)
  • Officials must mail notice after a police-directed removal within: 5 days after the tow, if police-directed abandoned-vehicle removal only (ch. 44). 21 Del. C. 4403 (opens in a new tab)
  • Car may be sold if costs unpaid within 30 days of removal: 30 days after the tow, if police-directed abandoned-vehicle removal only (ch. 44). 21 Del. C. 4403 (opens in a new tab)

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Wilmington?

In Wilmington, call the Wilmington Police Department non-emergency to find out whether your car was towed and which company has it. For a private tow, the tow company must report it to police, so the police non-emergency line can usually tell you where the car is.

How much can a tow company charge in Wilmington?

Local maximum rates for private-property tows in Wilmington are not verified on this site yet. Ask the tow company for its posted rate sheet, which it must give you on request.

How long before a towed car is sold in Delaware?

If the bill is unpaid 30 days after it came due, the company may seek to sell the car. It needs a justice of the peace's authorization, a court judgment, or a signed release from the owner and lienholders.

Do I pay storage if I get my car back quickly?

Ask the tow company when storage charges begin.

Not verified yet for Wilmington

We only publish details we could confirm from an official source. These are still missing, so ask the agencies above:

  • Addresses and hours of the tow lots that hold police tows
  • An official online lookup for towed cars
  • Local maximum rates for private-property tows
  • City-specific documents needed to pick up a car
  • Local rules for someone else picking up your car
  • Local auction schedules for unclaimed cars

Other cities in New Castle County

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-17. These are the laws and official pages this page is based on.