Towed Car Help

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Car towed in Dearborn

Dearborn is in Wayne County, Michigan. 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 Dearborn, call the Dearborn Police Department non-emergencies 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, so call the police non-emergency line and ask where your car went.

MCL 257.252a(11)

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

Estimate your bill

What to bring

  • If you do not ask for a hearing, you get the car back by paying the $40 abandoned-vehicle fee plus the accrued towing and storage charges to the company holding it. A lienholder may do the same if you have not acted within 10 days of the notice.
  • Payment. Call ahead to ask which types the lot takes.

Paperwork locked inside the car? The company must let you inspect the car and take out personal property during regular business hours, free on your first visit. After that it may charge up to $25 per visit.

MCL 257.252a(15), (17); MCL 257.252a(19)

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. Michigan sets no dollar cap on private-property towing. The Attorney General says fees are normally set by agreement between the police agency and the tow company, and you can ask the police agency what the agreed rates are.
  3. File a complaint.
    • Michigan Department of Attorney General, Consumer Protection
    • Michigan State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division
    • Local police agency
    • Michigan Secretary of State Abandoned Vehicle Search
  4. Go to court if needed. You can contest whether the car was properly towed, and the fees, by filing a petition with the district court named in the notice within 20 days of the notice date. To get the car out while you wait, post a bond of $40 plus accrued fees, or pay the $40 fee to the court plus the fees.
  5. Consider small claims or a chargeback. Michigan small claims court (a division of district court) handles money claims up to $7,000, which is where you would sue a tow company for an improper tow or overcharge. 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. The tow company can offer the car at public sale no sooner than 20 days after the notice date (or 20 days after a hearing decision). The sale must be advertised at least 5 days in advance, and an unredeemed sale ends your rights to the car.

Within 7 days after being told of the tow, the Secretary of State mails the last titled owner and any lienholder a notice. It lists where the car was taken from, who has it, how to get it back, and how to contest the tow or the fees in court.

Michigan deadlines, counted from the law

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Dearborn?

In Dearborn, call the Dearborn Police Department non-emergencies 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 Dearborn?

Local maximum rates for private-property tows in Dearborn 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 Michigan?

The tow company can offer the car at public sale no sooner than 20 days after the notice date (or 20 days after a hearing decision). The sale must be advertised at least 5 days in advance, and an unredeemed sale ends your rights to the car.

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

Ask the tow company when storage charges begin.

Not verified yet for Dearborn

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 Wayne County

Sources

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