Towed Car Help

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Car towed in Lewiston

Lewiston is in Androscoggin County, Maine. 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 Lewiston, call the Lewiston Police Department non-emergency dispatch 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.

29-A M.R.S. 1851-1863 (no police-notice deadline found)

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

Estimate your bill

What to bring

  • The owner or lienholder can get the car back by paying the charges. Maine's statute does not spell out what ID is needed, so bring registration and photo ID.
  • The statute lets the holder keep the car until reasonable towing and storage charges are paid. It does not say which payment methods must be accepted, so ask before you go. Call ahead to ask which types the lot takes.

Paperwork locked inside the car? The holder may keep the vehicle, its accessories and contents, but not the registered owner's personal effects. Personal effects include medications, medical equipment, clothing, mail and child car seats.

29-A M.R.S. 1852, 1856; 29-A M.R.S. 1861; 29-A M.R.S. 1861

Getting it back

  • I found no Maine statute giving a right to inspect the car or banning a damage waiver at pickup. Photograph the car and note any damage before you leave.
  • Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.

29-A M.R.S. 1851-1863 (no provision found)

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. Maine law sets no dollar cap on the tow fee for private-property tows. Charges must be 'reasonable', and the holder must be able to justify them.
  3. File a complaint.
  4. Go to court if needed. If you pay the reasonable towing, storage and repair charges before the Secretary of State issues a letter of ownership or title to the lot owner, the holder must release the car right away. Refusing is a Class E crime.
  5. Consider small claims or a chargeback. Maine small claims cover disputes up to $10,000, not counting interest and costs. 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. A car counts as abandoned if not retrieved and paid for within 14 days after the notices are mailed or the ad is published. The Secretary of State cannot issue title to the lot owner until at least 21 days after the lot owner's notification.

The property owner must tell the Secretary of State in writing about the vehicle. The Secretary of State then mails notice to the owner and any lienholder, naming the charges and the date title would pass.

Maine deadlines, counted from the law

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Lewiston?

In Lewiston, call the Lewiston Police Department non-emergency dispatch 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 Lewiston?

Local maximum rates for private-property tows in Lewiston 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 Maine?

A car counts as abandoned if not retrieved and paid for within 14 days after the notices are mailed or the ad is published. The Secretary of State cannot issue title to the lot owner until at least 21 days after the lot owner's notification.

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

Ask the tow company when storage charges begin.

Not verified yet for Lewiston

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 Androscoggin County

Sources

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