Towed Car Help

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Car towed in Meridian

Meridian is in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. 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 Meridian, call the Meridian Police Department non-emergency line 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 within 24 hours, so call the police non-emergency line and ask where your car went.

Miss. Code 85-7-251(2)

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 Meridian 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.

Getting it back

  • We found no Mississippi rule on how fast a company must release your car, on lot hours, on accepted payment types, or on getting personal items out. Ask for its terms in writing.
  • State law we read does not say whether a company may require you to sign a waiver. Inspect the car, photograph any damage, and write it on the receipt before you sign.
  • Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.

Miss. Code 85-7-251; Miss. Code 85-7-251

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. State law we read does not require a posted rate sheet or itemized invoice. Ask for an itemized bill before paying.
  3. File a complaint.
  4. Go to court if needed. Mississippi has no statutory bond-and-hearing process for private-property tows that we could find. Your usual route is a civil case in justice court for money claims up to $3,500, or in a higher court.
  5. Consider small claims or a chargeback. Mississippi justice courts hear money claims up to $3,500. Larger claims go to county or circuit court. 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 the tow, the company sends certified notice, and you then have 10 days to redeem the car. After that it can sell the car at public auction, with notice published for 2 consecutive weeks in a local newspaper.

Notice to the owner and any lienholder must be postmarked no later than the 10th day after the tow.

Mississippi deadlines, counted from the law

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Meridian?

In Meridian, call the Meridian Police Department non-emergency line 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 24 hours, so the police non-emergency line can usually tell you where the car is.

How much can a tow company charge in Meridian?

Local maximum rates for private-property tows in Meridian 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 Mississippi?

If the bill is unpaid 30 days after the tow, the company sends certified notice, and you then have 10 days to redeem the car. After that it can sell the car at public auction, with notice published for 2 consecutive weeks in a local newspaper.

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

Ask the tow company when storage charges begin.

Not verified yet for Meridian

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.