Towed Car Help

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Car towed in Portland

Portland is in Multnomah County, Oregon. 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 Portland, call the Portland Police Bureau non-emergency line 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 1 hour, so call the police non-emergency line and ask where your car went.

ORS 98.812(2)

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

What they can charge

$202.00
Most they can charge to tow a standard car from private property
$32.00
Most they can charge per day of storage, starting after 4 hours
Other Portland (PCC ch. 7.24; TRN-17.03) maximums
ChargeMaximum
After-hours or gate fee$50.00
Class B hookup$286.00
Class C hookup (per hour)$410.00
Towed mile (up to 8 miles, Class A/B)$6.00
Standby/labor on scene over 30 min (per 1/4 hour)$27.00
Storage per day, vehicle over 20 ft$41.00

Class A hookup includes dollies, 30 min on scene, dispatch and photo fee. Lien fee chargeable after 5 days in storage. After-hours fee not billable if tower arrives over 30 minutes late. See the official Portland (PCC ch. 7.24; TRN-17.03) rates (opens in a new tab).

Estimate your bill

What to bring

  • A government photo ID and proof you own the car, such as the registration or title.
  • The state law does not require the company to accept credit or debit cards; it must disclose the payment methods it accepts. If it takes cash, it must give exact change by the end of the next business day. Portland requires permitted tow companies to accept Visa credit or debit cards. Call ahead to ask which types the lot takes.

Paperwork locked inside the car? You may get personal property of an emergency nature (medicine, glasses, ID, wallet, purse, cards, cash, child car seats) and your license plates. No fee may be charged except a gate fee from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. on business days or on weekends and holidays.

ORS 98.856(1)(d); ORS 98.854(12); Portland City Code 7.24.070(L); ORS 98.858(1)(c), (2); ORS 98.852(6)

Getting it back

  • The company must let you redeem or inspect the car 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on business days (Monday to Friday, not legal holidays). At other times it must do so within 60 minutes after you ask, or within 30 minutes of a time you agree on.
  • Outside 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on business days, your car must be available within 60 minutes after you ask. You can call the company at any time for the car's location and release instructions.
  • You may inspect the car before redeeming it. The company cannot make you agree not to dispute the reason for the tow, the charges, or its responsibility for damage as a condition of towing or releasing your car or belongings.
  • Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.

Before you sign anything: Write any damage on your receipt before you sign and take photos. Pay under protest if needed, and keep the written price statement and receipt for a small claims case.

ORS 98.858(1)(a); ORS 98.852(1); ORS 98.858(1); ORS 98.858(1)(a); ORS 98.854(10); ORS 98.854(10); ORS 98.856

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. The company must give you a written statement in bold 10-point type listing all its prices, where your car is stored, how to reach it, and the payment methods it takes. It may not charge more than those prices or more than the city or county maximum. Exception: signs at the lot may carry that information.
  3. File a complaint.
  4. Go to court if needed. The statutes read give no administrative hearing for private-lot tows. If the storage lien is $750 or more, you can file a bond or deposit money at 200 percent of the claim with the county to challenge the lien. Many drivers instead pay and sue in small claims.
  5. Consider small claims or a chargeback. Oregon small claims court (circuit court small claims department) handles money claims up to $10,000. 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. A private-property tow lien is foreclosed under the general vehicle lien rules. The company must keep the car at least 60 days (30 days if appraised $501 to $1,000, 15 days if $500 or less) and mail you notice at least 30 days (15 days for cars worth $1,000 or less) before any sale.

The tow company has a lien (right to keep your car until paid) only if it notified police within one hour. Storage charges stop after 3 business days unless it mails or gives notice to you and any lienholder on the title in that time.

Oregon deadlines, counted from the law

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Portland?

In Portland, call the Portland Police Bureau 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 1 hour, so the police non-emergency line can usually tell you where the car is.

How much can a tow company charge in Portland?

For a standard passenger car towed from private property, the published maximum is $202.00 for the tow and $32.00 per day for storage, under Portland (PCC ch. 7.24; TRN-17.03) rates. Other fees may apply; see the table on this page.

How long before a towed car is sold in Oregon?

A private-property tow lien is foreclosed under the general vehicle lien rules. The company must keep the car at least 60 days (30 days if appraised $501 to $1,000, 15 days if $500 or less) and mail you notice at least 30 days (15 days for cars worth $1,000 or less) before any sale.

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

No storage fee may be charged if your car was stored less than 4 hours.

Not verified yet for Portland

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
  • 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 Multnomah County

Sources

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