Guide · 11 min read
Towed in Washington DC? Start Here
Updated August 2026 · Sources: DC DPW, DC DMV fee schedule, DC Code § 50-2456.
If your car is missing right now
- Call DPW Towing Control at (202) 541-6083. They confirm whether the District towed your vehicle and which lot it is in. Do this before you assume theft.
- Ask which lot. DC has two: Blue Plains, 5001 Shepherd Parkway SW, and Bryant Street, 2115 Bryant St NE. They are on opposite sides of the city — do not guess.
- Check your ticket balance at DC DMV ticket lookup. Everything outstanding in your name has to be paid before release, so you want the number before you arrive.
- Go the same day if you can. Storage starts at $20/day once you pass 24 hours, and the lots close at 6:00 PM and are shut on weekends.
- Bring: photo ID, vehicle registration, a debit or credit card. No cash, no checks.
A tow in Washington DC is not just an expensive parking ticket with extra steps. It is a different system with its own fees, its own two locations, its own weekday-only hours, and one rule that catches almost everybody off guard: DC will not release your car until every outstanding ticket in the registered owner's name is paid — including tickets on other cars you own.
That is why a $100 tow routinely turns into a several-hundred dollar afternoon. This guide covers who tows, where the car goes, exactly what it costs, what you have to bring, and how long you have before the District can auction it.
1. Who Towed Your Car
Two different District agencies operate tow cranes, and which one took your car changes who you call.
DPW — parking enforcement tows
The Department of Public Works runs the boot and tow program for parking violations, and also tows on request during emergencies and dignitary movements. This is the overwhelming majority of tows DC drivers experience. Call (202) 541-6083.
MPD — crashes, seizures, abandoned vehicles
The Metropolitan Police Department uses tow cranes for disabled or crashed vehicles, evidence vehicles, and seized or abandoned cars. That is a separate process from a parking tow, with different release requirements.
A private tow company
If you were parked in a private lot, garage, or apartment space, the District did not tow you — a licensed private operator did, and your car is at their yard, not a DC impound lot. Every tow company operating in DC must be licensed, and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection publishes an Owner's Bill of Rights for Towed Vehicles covering what those operators must give you.
One important correction to a widespread belief: people often say a rush-hour tow just "moves your car a couple of blocks." DPW's published process for parking-violation tows is impoundment at Blue Plains or Bryant Street. Plan for the impound lot, not a nearby side street.
2. The Two DC Impound Lots
Swipe table →
| Lot | Address | Closest Metro | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Plains | 5001 Shepherd Parkway SW | Anacostia | Weekdays 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Bryant Street | 2115 Bryant St NE | Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood | Weekdays 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM |
Neither lot is open on a weekend. That single fact is the most expensive part of a Friday-night tow: the car sits until Monday at 8:00 AM while storage accrues. There is no way to shortcut it, which is why the phone call on Friday evening still matters — you at least know where the car is and what you will owe.
Free map
Where does DC write the most tickets?
Explore 1.6 million+ DC parking citations mapped to the street segment — see the hottest blocks before you park.
3. DC Tow, Boot & Storage Fees (2026)
These are the amounts DC DMV publishes for booted and towed vehicles. They are separate from the parking ticket that caused the tow.
Swipe table →
| Charge | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Tow — standard vehicle | $100 | Every District tow |
| Tow — oversized vehicle | $275 | Larger vehicles requiring a bigger crane |
| Storage | $20/day | If not retrieved within 24 hours of the tow |
| Boot release | $75 | If the vehicle was immobilized before being towed |
| Outstanding tickets in the owner's name | Full balance | Required before release, across all your vehicles |
Worked example of how a "cheap" tow escalates: a $100 rush-hour ticket triggers the tow, the tow itself is $100, the car sits over a weekend for $40 in storage, and two older unpaid $50 tickets that had already doubled to $100 each must be cleared too. That is $440 for one bad read of one sign.
Fines and fees change. Confirm your exact balance on the DC DMV fee schedule before you go.
4. What to Bring to Get the Car Released
DC releases an impounded vehicle to the registered owner, or to someone the owner has authorized in writing. Bring all of it the first time — a second trip across the city costs you another day of storage.
- Valid photo ID or driver's license. If the car is not driveable or your license is not valid, plan how it leaves the lot before you get there.
- Vehicle registration as proof of ownership. If the registration is inside the towed car, say so on the phone — you may need to be escorted to retrieve it.
- Payment receipt for the fees, plus a debit or credit card. Visa and Mastercard are accepted; cash and checks are not.
- A notarized authorization from the owner if you are picking up a car registered to someone else. Without it, the lot will not release the vehicle.
- Proof your tickets are cleared. Release is blocked while any outstanding fines remain in the owner's name.
If your tags expired — a common tow trigger on its own — the lot's customer service center can process a registration renewal on site and print a temporary registration so you can legally drive off.
5. Why Cars Get Towed in DC
A DC vehicle can be towed once it has been ticketed for a parking violation. In practice, the tows cluster around a short list of situations.
Rush-hour tow-away lanes
Connecticut Ave, 16th St, Rhode Island Ave, Georgia Ave and similar corridors convert a parking lane into a travel lane at peak hours. If the sign shows a tow truck, the window is absolute — this is the single most predictable way to lose your car in DC. See the street parking rules.
Expired tags
DPW names expired registration among its most common violations, and license plate recognition finds it without anyone walking the block. A legally parked car with dead tags is still exposed.
Two or more unpaid tickets over 60 days old
This makes the vehicle boot-eligible anywhere it is parked, legally or not. A boot that is not resolved becomes a tow, and then you are paying the $75 boot fee, the $100 tow, storage, and the original tickets at their doubled amounts.
Meter and RPP overtime
Exceeding the time limit in a Residential Permit Parking zone and unpaid or expired meters are the highest-volume DC violations, and a ticketed vehicle can be towed. RPP rules and permits.
Snow emergency routes
When a snow emergency is declared, parking is banned on Snow Emergency Routes — red-and-white signs, generally the same major commercial streets that carry rush-hour restrictions — so plows can clear curb to curb. Cars left there are ticketed and towed at the standard fees. The declaration can come after you parked, which is what makes this one feel unfair.
Blocking something you should not
Hydrants, crosswalks, bus stops, driveways, and alley mouths carry both a higher fine and a real tow risk, because the car is actively in the way. Driveway and alley clearances.
6. The 28-Day Clock
Under DC Code § 50-2456, an impounded vehicle must be reclaimed within 28 days of the impoundment notice being sent. DPW states that vehicles still unclaimed after that window are sold at public online auction or scrapped.
Two practical consequences. First, storage accrues the entire time, so a car abandoned at the lot for three weeks can owe more in storage than the tow and the ticket combined. Second, the clock runs from the notice being sent to the address on the registration — if you moved and never updated your registration, the notice may reach an address you no longer read while the 28 days run down. Keeping your registered address current is a real part of tow protection.
7. If You Believe the Tow Was Wrong
Get the car out first. Fees keep accruing while you argue, and retrieving the vehicle does not waive your right to contest the underlying ticket.
- Contest the ticket that caused the tow. DC DMV adjudicates tickets believed to be issued in error. Follow the instructions on the citation and file within the deadline printed on it — a missing, obstructed, or contradictory sign is one of the strongest defenses. How to contest a DC parking ticket.
- Photograph everything before you leave the lot. The sign you parked under, the space, the odometer, and any new damage. Take the photos at the original location too, as close to the tow time as you can.
- Private tows are a different complaint. If a licensed private operator towed you from a private lot, the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection's Consumer Protection Unit handles towing rights complaints and publishes an Owner's Bill of Rights for Towed Vehicles.
The cheapest tow is the one that never happens
Almost every DC tow starts with a sign that was read wrong, or a restriction that started while the car was already parked. Curblee reads every sign on your block and warns you before the rush-hour lane, sweeping window, or RPP limit hits.
Join the waitlist →Related guides
This guide summarizes towing, booting, and impound information published by DC DPW, DC DMV, and the DC Code as of August 2026. Fees, hours, lot assignments, and procedures change — always confirm by calling DPW Towing Control at (202) 541-6083 and checking dpw.dc.gov and dmv.dc.gov. Curblee is not affiliated with the District of Columbia government and this is not legal advice.