Car Impounded While the Owner Is in Jail? Here's How to Get It Back
Storage fees can add up while a vehicle is impounded. Confirm the tow yard or agency requirements, then ask about notarizing the prepared authorization for the owner in custody.
What do you need help with?
Choose only what you know. You will review and edit the message before your text app opens. Do not include names, booking or A-numbers, birth dates, ID images, document contents, or medical or case details.
If the registered owner is in custody, ask the tow yard and impounding agency what authorization and other documents they require. Notarization alone does not guarantee release. Call or text to discuss the facility, prepared document, availability, and return arrangements.
The car goes to the yard, the fees start that day
When someone is arrested, their vehicle is often towed and stored. From that moment the storage meter runs daily, and unclaimed vehicles eventually head toward lien sale. Two situations matter:
- Standard tow or storage. The yard can usually release the car as soon as someone shows up with the right paperwork. That's where the notarized authorization comes in.
- 30-day hold (Vehicle Code 14602.6). If the car was impounded because the driver was unlicensed or suspended, it's generally held the full 30 days, with narrow exceptions the agency decides. Fees accrue the whole time, so have the notarized authorization ready for the release date instead of scrambling on day 30.
Either way, the sooner the owner's signature gets notarized, the sooner the car comes home and the less you pay the yard.
Have this ready when you call
- Owner's info: full name, booking number, and facility.
- Vehicle info: year, make, model, and the plate or VIN.
- The tow yard's name and number so we can confirm their exact wording requirements first.
- Your driver's license — the letter names you and your license number, and you'll show ID at pickup.
The most common mistake: notarizing a letter before checking the yard's required wording, then having to do it all again. We check first. One visit, done right.
Three steps to the tow yard release window
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1
Call or text us
Tell us the facility, the vehicle, and the tow yard. We help confirm the yard's exact release requirements and quote the jail visit as one flat package before anything starts.
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2
We visit the jail
The registered owner signs the release authorization naming you, and we notarize the signature right there. Tow yards want the original document, and it leaves the jail in our hands and goes straight to yours.
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3
You pick up the car
Take the original notarized letter, your driver's license, and payment for the yard's fees. If the vehicle is on a 30-day hold, you'll be ready the moment the hold lifts.
Need more than one errand handled? A notarized power of attorney can let you handle the owner's vehicle, banking, and bills for the whole time they're inside — one signature instead of many.
Impound release questions, answered
How do I get a car out of impound if the owner is in jail?
The yard releases to the registered owner or to someone the owner authorizes in writing, with a notarized signature. We take that letter into the jail, get it signed and notarized, and you take the original to the yard with your ID. Call or text (909) 751-8439 and we'll start today.
What does the letter need to say?
Ask the tow yard and impounding agency which authorization, vehicle details, original documents, and notarial act they require. Requirements vary. The notary cannot select the legal instrument or guarantee vehicle release.
Can I get the car before a 30-day impound is up?
Usually not. Cars impounded under VC 14602.6 (unlicensed or suspended-license driving) are generally held the full 30 days, with narrow exceptions the impounding agency decides. Fees run the whole time, so the smart play is having the notarized authorization ready for the release date.
How fast can you get the signature?
Call or text to ask about availability and discuss your deadline. An inquiry does not confirm an appointment or arrival time. Facility visits also require approval, signer availability, and an acceptable identification plan.
What does it cost?
Notarization is $15 per signature (California's maximum), and the jail visit is quoted as one flat package covering travel and coordination. You'll know the full number before we book. Tow yard fees are separate and go to the yard.