Towed Car Help

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Car towed in Lexington

Lexington is in Fayette County, Kentucky. 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 Lexington, call the Lexington Police Department non-emergency to find out whether your car was towed and which company has it.

Apartment, store, or private lot

Read the tow-away sign at the lot entrance. It must show the tow company's name and phone number.

No sign, or you can't find it? The company must report the tow to police within 2 hours, so call the police non-emergency line and ask where your car went.

KRS 281.924(6)

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 Lexington yet. Ask the tow company for its rate sheet. It must give you one on request.

Estimate your bill

What to bring

  • After you pay all charges, the company must release the car to a properly identified owner or lienholder, or to the owner's insurer's representative with proof of coverage or the owner's approval.
  • The company must accept cash, credit card, debit card, money order, a bank-issued check, or an insurer's check. Call ahead to ask which types the lot takes.

Paperwork locked inside the car? Some belongings cannot be held under the lien and must be returned on request within 45 days of the tow. These include medicine, medical items, school items, electronic devices, firearms, child car seats, and checks and cards.

KRS 281.930(2); KRS 281.930(4); KRS 376.275(2)

Getting it back

  • The company must be open or reachable by phone during posted hours and have a 24-hour phone number. It must return calls within 24 hours, with an exception for weather and emergencies.
  • Before you pay, you can inspect the car during posted business hours. The company may not refuse, and it cannot charge storage for any day it did not allow release or inspection during posted hours.
  • Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.

KRS 281.930(6); KRS 281.930(3); 281.934(2)

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. Every towing company or storage facility must post one rate sheet at its business, give it to you on request, and file it with state police and local law enforcement. Any charge above the rate sheet is excessive and must be refunded within 30 days of the state notifying the company.
  3. File a complaint.
  4. Go to court if needed. Kentucky's private-tow statutes do not set a hearing or bond process. A court hearing route exists only for tows ordered by a city or county, so a private-lot tow dispute generally goes to court as a civil claim.
  5. Consider small claims or a chargeback. Kentucky small claims court handles money claims up to $2,500, not counting interest and costs. It does not allow prejudgment attachment or replevin filings. 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 charges remain unpaid after 45 days, the car and contents may be sold after certified-mail notice at least 10 days before the sale. A company that followed the notice rules can also seek a new title.

Within 10 days of the tow, the company must mail notice by certified mail to the registered owner and any lienholder. A storage facility that misses this deadline loses storage fees after day 10.

Kentucky deadlines, counted from the law

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Lexington?

In Lexington, call the Lexington 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 within 2 hours, so the police non-emergency line can usually tell you where the car is.

How much can a tow company charge in Lexington?

Local maximum rates for private-property tows in Lexington 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 Kentucky?

If charges remain unpaid after 45 days, the car and contents may be sold after certified-mail notice at least 10 days before the sale. A company that followed the notice rules can also seek a new title.

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

Ask the tow company when storage charges begin.

Not verified yet for Lexington

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

Sources

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