Towed Car Help

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Car towed in Burlington

Burlington is in Chittenden County, Vermont. 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 Burlington, call the Burlington 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, so call the police non-emergency line and ask where your car went.

23 V.S.A. 2152(b)(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 Burlington yet. Ask the tow company for its rate sheet. It must give you one on request.

Estimate your bill

What to bring

  • The owner or a lienholder can reclaim the car by showing the DMV satisfactory proof of ownership and paying, or arranging to pay, the permitted tow and storage charges to the towing agency, the DMV or the landowner.
  • For tows ordered by a town under a parking ordinance, the tow operator must accept cash or a certified or bank check, and at least two national bank credit cards. No payment-method rule was found for private-lot tows. Call ahead to ask which types the lot takes.

23 V.S.A. 2154(b); 23 V.S.A. 1754

Getting it back

  • Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.

Before you sign anything: Photograph your car, its contents and any damage before you leave. A landowner who removes an abandoned car under the statute is shielded from civil liability, so proof matters if you claim the tow was not legally 'abandoned' (for example, it was there under 48 hours or you had permission).

23 V.S.A. 2151(1); 23 V.S.A. 2152(b)(2)

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. For towing an abandoned car from private property the statute allows only a 'reasonable fee', paid by the car's owner or the landowner. It sets no dollar cap and no state rate sheet was found, so ask for an itemized bill.
  3. File a complaint.
  4. Go to court if needed. Vermont law gives no special hearing or bond route to contest a private-property tow. The usual route is a civil claim, for example in small claims court for money damages up to $10,000.
  5. Consider small claims or a chargeback. Vermont small claims court hears money claims up to $10,000, with no splitting of a larger claim. A claim over $3,500 lets the defendant ask for a judge or attorney-hearing officer. 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 owner or lienholder does not reclaim within 21 days after the second mailing, the DMV issues a certificate of abandoned motor vehicle. Title then passes to its holder free of the owner's claims. Cars with no plate or VIN need 21 days after the form is received.

Within 3 business days after the landowner files the form, the DMV mails a notice by certified mail to the last registered owner and any lienholder if the car can be identified by plate or VIN. It gives the car's location and a phone number. If no receipt comes back within 7 business days, a second notice goes by first-class mail.

Vermont deadlines, counted from the law

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Burlington?

In Burlington, call the Burlington 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, so the police non-emergency line can usually tell you where the car is.

How much can a tow company charge in Burlington?

Local maximum rates for private-property tows in Burlington 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 Vermont?

If the owner or lienholder does not reclaim within 21 days after the second mailing, the DMV issues a certificate of abandoned motor vehicle. Title then passes to its holder free of the owner's claims. Cars with no plate or VIN need 21 days after the form is received.

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

Ask the tow company when storage charges begin.

Not verified yet for Burlington

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.