Towed Car HelpCar towed in Nashville
Nashville is in Davidson County, Tennessee. 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 Nashville, call the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department non-emergency to find out whether your car was towed and which company has it. You can also search for a towed car online with the official lookup below.
- Metropolitan Nashville Police Department non-emergency615-862-8600
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 15 minutes, so call the police non-emergency line and ask where your car went.
Tenn. Code Ann. 55-31-302(e), 66-19-103(c)
No record of a tow anywhere? Report the car to police as possibly stolen.
What they can charge
These rates may have changed since this schedule was published. Schedules are often updated once a year, so check the official source before relying on them.
| Charge | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Administrative fee | $75.00 |
| Drop fee (released before leaving) | $100.00 |
| Extra administrative fee per additional owner/lienholder notice | $50.00 |
| Interior wrap (one time, only if interior exposed) | $55.00 |
Nashville's schedule says the tow fee is all-inclusive and no storage is charged for the first two hours. The $75 fee is a one-time processing fee for a car held 24 hours. A temporary 10% fuel surcharge approved in 2022 is also noted on the schedule. See the official Nashville-Davidson County (Metro Code ch. 6.80, non-consent private-property tows) rates (opens in a new tab).
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
- Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.
Was the tow legal?
Common problems with private tows in Tennessee include refusing to release the car when you came back before it left, and charges above the legal maximum.
Check my towSale deadlinesEvidence checklistDispute letter
Tow-away sign rules in Tennessee
These apply to only lots licensed under a local ordinance.
- Where: At each designated entrance and visible from every parking space.
- Size: at least 36 by 24 inches.
- Lettering at least 2 inches tall.
- Must show: a warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed.
Tenn. Code Ann. 55-31-203(b)(9) (opens in a new tab)
Rules specific to Nashville
- Metro Code ch. 6.80 schedule: $210 tow under 7,000 lb, $40/day storage after 2 free hours, $100 drop fee, $75 processing fee. The schedule says storage adjusts to the Highway Patrol maximum. Source (opens in a new tab)
How to dispute a tow
- Collect evidence. Photograph the lot entrances and any signs, keep every receipt, and write down times and names.
- Ask for an itemized invoice. A tow company may not charge more than the maximum approved by the Tennessee Highway Patrol district for the same service. The statute sets no single dollar schedule; ask the company for its filed rates.
- File a complaint.
- Tennessee Attorney General, Division of Consumer Affairs
- Consider small claims or a chargeback. Tennessee has no separate small claims court; civil claims up to the general sessions court limit (reported as $25,000) are heard there. That figure came from the assignment's notes and was not confirmed on a statute page. 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 garagekeeper has a lien on the car and may enforce it only after 30 days, using the artisan's lien process. The sale is advertised on the Department of Revenue's website.
A storage company must confirm the owner within 3 business days of taking the car and then mail notice by overnight carrier with delivery proof. If it misses those deadlines it can charge no more than 6 days of storage.
Tennessee deadlines, counted from the law
- Storage cannot be charged beyond: 21 days after the tow, if unless owner consents or company sent 10 days' advance notice by overnight carrier. Tenn. Code Ann. 55-31-402(a), 55-31-403 (opens in a new tab)
- Storage company must confirm the owner within: 3 business days after the tow. Tenn. Code Ann. 55-31-302(g)(1)-(2) (opens in a new tab)
- Storage limited to this many days if owner/notice deadlines are missed: 6 days after the tow, if company missed the owner-confirmation or notice deadlines. Tenn. Code Ann. 55-31-302(g)(1)-(2) (opens in a new tab)
- Notice gives owner this many days to reclaim before car may be treated as abandoned and sold: 20 days after the tow company's notice. Tenn. Code Ann. 55-31-302(a) (opens in a new tab)
- Garagekeeper lien enforceable only after: 30 days (see the law for when the count starts), if garagekeeper lien process. Tenn. Code Ann. 66-19-103(b)(1) (opens in a new tab)
Common questions
Where is my car if it was towed in Nashville?
In Nashville, call the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department non-emergency to find out whether your car was towed and which company has it. You can also search for a towed car online with the official lookup below. For a private tow, the tow company must report it to police within 15 minutes, so the police non-emergency line can usually tell you where the car is.
How much can a tow company charge in Nashville?
For a standard passenger car towed from private property, the published maximum is $210.00 for the tow and $40.00 per day for storage, under Nashville-Davidson County (Metro Code ch. 6.80, non-consent private-property tows) rates. Other fees may apply; see the table on this page.
How long before a towed car is sold in Tennessee?
A garagekeeper has a lien on the car and may enforce it only after 30 days, using the artisan's lien process. The sale is advertised on the Department of Revenue's website.
Do I pay storage if I get my car back quickly?
No storage fee may be charged if your car was stored less than 2 hours.
Not verified yet for Nashville
We only publish details we could confirm from an official source. These are still missing, so ask the agencies above:
- 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.
- https://www.nashville.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/WreckerTowingRates_July2025.pdf (opens in a new tab)
- https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police/support-services/facilities-management/vehicle-impound (opens in a new tab)
- https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police/services (opens in a new tab)
- https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/113/pub/pc1017.pdf (opens in a new tab)