Towed Car Help

Home / South Carolina / Charleston

Car towed in Charleston

Charleston is in Charleston County, South Carolina. 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 Charleston, call the Charleston Police Department non-emergency dispatch 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.

S.C. Code 56-5-2525(B)-(C)

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

Estimate your bill

What to bring

  • Notices go to the last registered owner and any lienholders of record. State law does not list other ID requirements; bring your registration or title and photo ID.
  • For vehicles removed as abandoned under the state abandoned-vehicle article, the company must accept the same payment methods it would have accepted if you had hired the tow yourself. No similar rule was found specifically for private-property tows. Call ahead to ask which types the lot takes.

Paperwork locked inside the car? Once your car is at the lot, the registered owner (shown by a registration certificate) gets one chance to remove personal property not attached to the car. Property that belongs to someone else must be released to that person.

S.C. Code 56-5-5635(B),(F); S.C. Code 56-5-5630(A)(2); S.C. Code 56-5-5635(F)

Getting it back

  • A company that tows and stores a car without the owner's knowledge does not have to return it after the company's normal business hours. Ask for the lot's hours before you go.
  • State law does not say whether you can inspect the car before paying or whether you waive claims by paying. Look the car over, photograph it, and write any objection on the receipt.
  • Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.

Before you sign anything: Photograph any damage at the lot and keep the receipt and towing report number. These help in a claim against the company.

S.C. Code 56-5-2525(D); No state rule found; Practical tip; S.C. Code 56-5-2525(C)

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 state code sets no dollar maximum for private-property towing or storage that I could find. Rates are left to the contract, local ordinance, or the market, so ask for an itemized bill.
  3. File a complaint.
  4. Go to court if needed. State law does not give a specific hearing to contest a private-property tow. You can pay to get the car out and sue in magistrate court, or ask the magistrate in the county where it is held about the pending sale.
  5. Consider small claims or a chargeback. South Carolina magistrate court hears civil claims up to $7,500, which covers most wrongful-tow damage and overcharge claims. You do not need a lawyer. If you paid by credit card and believe the charge was improper, you can dispute it with your card issuer under federal billing-error rules. Do this promptly after you pay.

Deadlines to watch

Your car can be sold. A tow company can sell an unclaimed car only after 30 days have passed since written notice to the owner and lienholders. A magistrate conducts the sale after advertising it for at least 15 days.

The company must look up the owner and lienholders and mail notice by registered or certified mail (or certified mail with electronic tracking) within 5 business days of getting their identities. It must describe the car and state the daily storage rate.

South Carolina deadlines, counted from the law

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Charleston?

In Charleston, call the Charleston 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 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 Charleston?

Local maximum rates for private-property tows in Charleston 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 South Carolina?

A tow company can sell an unclaimed car only after 30 days have passed since written notice to the owner and lienholders. A magistrate conducts the sale after advertising it for at least 15 days.

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

Ask the tow company when storage charges begin.

Not verified yet for Charleston

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 Charleston County

Sources

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