Towed and Impounded Vehicles

Effective November 1, 2016, the Scottsdale Police Department Vehicle Impound Unit hours of operations are Monday through Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

 

When and how you can retrieve your vehicle from impound depends on why it was towed/impounded:

 



Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 28-872 links to external site

  1. Call All City Towing at 480-833-7278 to verify where your vehicle is stored
  2. The registered owner may go directly to the tow yard
  3. Bring government-issued photo identification and current vehicle registration or title
  4. Pay towing and storage fees:
  • Towing fee: $0.01
  • Storage fee: $51.29 per day
  • After hours fee (if applicable): $100.00 
    (when claiming your vehicle after normal business hours and on weekends)
  • Additional fees apply for vehicles which exceed 10,000 GVW

If a certified ignition interlock device is required to be installed on your vehicle, the towing company cannot charge a fee to access your vehicle during normal business hours for the purpose of installing the device.

Requesting a hearing

If you are the registered owner and wish to contest the officer’s legal reason to tow your vehicle, you may request a hearing in person (or in writing) at Scottsdale Police McKellips Station (7601 E. McKellips Road, Building A, Scottsdale, AZ 85257) Monday through Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Arizona law (ARS 28-3511links to external site) requires vehicles be towed and impounded for any of the following violations:

  • Revoked driver's license
  • No driver's license and no record of ever having one
  • Cancelled driver's license (must also be involved in a collision and not provide insurance)
  • Extreme DUI
  • Aggravated DUI
  • Driver under 21 with any amount of alcohol in their system
  • Violation of an ignition interlock requirement
  • Reckless driving
  • Street racing / exhibition of speed
  • Obstructing public thoroughfare

If your vehicle was towed & impounded under ARS 28-3511:

State law requires we hold the vehicle for 20 days. 

The registered owner or their spouse may qualify to have the vehicle released early if State requirements are met.

Impounds pursuant to ARS 13-2906 (Obstructing a Thoroughfare) are subject to 7-day impoundment period.

State law dictates these conditions to release a vehicle early – personal hardships cannot be considered:

  • You must have been listed as an owner on the title in the MVD computer at the time of impound
    • If you sell the vehicle or change the name on the title after the vehicle was impounded, the new owner will not qualify for an early release
  • If your vehicle was impounded for a revoked/cancelled or no driver’s license:
    • The registered owner was the driver and their driver’s license has been reinstated
    • The registered owner or their spouse was not the driver, and is willing to appear in person with a valid driver’s license to sign an agreement stating they will only allow the vehicle to be driven legally by a driver with a valid driver’s license
  • If your vehicle was impounded for extreme/aggravated DUI or a driver under 21 with alcohol in their system:
    • The registered owner or their spouse was not the driver, and is willing to appear in person with a valid driver’s license to sign an agreement stating they will only allow the vehicle to be driven legally by a driver with a valid driver’s license
  • If your vehicle was impounded for an ignition interlock violation:
    • If the registered owner was the driver, and has had the interlock installed while in impound, present documentation showing the device is now installed
    • The registered owner or their spouse was not the driver, and is willing to appear in person with a valid driver’s license to sign an agreement stating they will only allow the vehicle to be driven legally by a driver with a valid driver’s license
  • If the vehicle was a rental (registered under ARS 28-2166links to external site) and was being driven by a renter
    • An employee of the rental agency with proper credentials and identification must present all required documents along with a valid rental contract and a letter on company letterhead authorizing the employee to recover the vehicle on the company’s behalf
  • If an employee of a parking service, repair garage or business was operating the vehicle (“subject to bailment”) when it was impounded, the registered owner may claim the vehicle with proper documentation
  • If you are the lien holder (Repossession information)
    • Lien holders must meet the requirements of Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) 28-3512.D, E, F and G. The lien holder must have been listed as the lien holder on the MVD record at the time of the tow or impound in order to be granted a release. The lien must still in force in order for the lien holder to qualify.

    • Must provide a Repossession Affidavit (PDF) form and Power of Attorney/Hold Harmless (PDF) form to obtain a release. Documents must be the original notarized documents. If the vehicle is being repossessed prior to the end of the impoundment period, the “Agreement of Operation” statement must be included.

  1. Determine if you qualify to release your vehicle early (see above)
  2. Appear in person at Scottsdale Police McKellips Station (7601 E. McKellips Road, Building A, Scottsdale, AZ 85257) Monday through Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
    • Hearings are handled on a walk-in basis only – no appointments can be made
    • You will appear before a hearing officer – cases cannot be discussed on the phone
  3. Bring required payment and documents (see below)
  4. If the hearing officer releases your vehicle, you may claim it from All City Towing
  5. Contact All City Towing at 480-833-7278 to verify where the vehicle is stored
  6. Pay towing and storage fees:
  • Towing fee: $0.01
  • Storage fee: $25.00 per day
  • After hours fee (if applicable): $100.00
    (when claiming your vehicle after normal business hours and on weekends)

Except for stolen or improperly impounded vehicles, the vehicle owner is responsible for all administrative, towing and storage fees regardless of when the vehicle is released.

You must bring these documents to your hearing:

  1. A $150.00 money order or cashier’s check payable to the City of Scottsdale
    • No other forms of payment will be accepted
    • This fee is set by state law and applies to every vehicle impounded under ARS 28-3513links to external site
  2. Proof of insurance for the impounded vehicle valid at the time of the hearing
  3. A valid driver’s license (if you do not have a valid driver’s license you must bring a valid government issued photo ID for information only)
  4. Your pink or yellow vehicle impound report
  5. Valid and current vehicle registration – any suspensions or expired tags must be fixed

You might need to bring these to your hearing:

  1. Marriage License (if you are the spouse of the registered owner & your name is not on the title)
  2. Ignition Interlock installation documentation (if you are required to have an interlock)
  3. A new license plate (if your impound form indicates your license plate was impounded you must obtain a new plate, or temporary paper license plate)
  1. Appear in person for a hearing at Scottsdale Police McKellips Station (7601 E. McKellips Road, Building A, Scottsdale, AZ 85257) Monday through Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
    • Hearings are handled on a walk-in basis only – no appointments can be made
    • You will appear before a hearing officer – cases cannot be discussed on the phone
  2. Bring required payment and documents
  3. If you own the vehicle but do not have a valid driver’s license, you must bring someone who has a valid driver’s license and your valid government-issued identification
  4. If you are using a Limited Power of Attorney (PDF) form, you must provide the original, notarized document along with a copy of the owner’s identification used to get the document notarized
  5. Contact All City Towing at 480-833-7278 to verify where the vehicle is stored
  6. Pay towing and storage fees:
    • Towing fee: $0.01
    • Storage fee: $25.00 per day
    • After hours fee (if applicable):$100.00   (when claiming your vehicle after normal business hours and on weekends)
    • Vehicle cannot be released until all towing and storage fees are paid in full
Additional documents may be required and vehicles may not be released early if special circumstances exist.

 

If you are the registered owner, their spouse, their attorney or the lien holder and wish to contest the officer’s legal reason to tow your vehicle under ARS 28-3511links to external site, you may request a hearing within 10 days of impound.

You must do this in person at Scottsdale Police McKellips Station (7601 E. McKellips Road, Building A, Scottsdale, AZ 85257) Monday through Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

The tow company will (per state law) file for abandoned title and take ownership of any vehicles left unclaimed at the tow yard (after the impoundment period has expired, when applicable), and you could be charged an abandoned vehicle fee. 

If you will be delayed in recovering the vehicle and wish to request more time, contact the Motor Vehicle Department Abandoned Vehicles Unit at 602-712-7784 or via email at [email protected] .


The registered owner can claim property from the vehicle by providing government-issued identification and current proof of ownership to the tow company.

For a special event using a street as part of the event venue, it is often necessary to make sure vehicles will not be parked in the way of the planned event area. Special event permit holders must follow specific procedures to lawfully remove these vehicles. It is important to note a vehicle parked on a public street may only be removed by the order of a police officer whenever the vehicle owner is not present to give consent.

Procedures

The following instructions are for the private person responsible for a special event (Event Organizer) on how to properly remove vehicles from public property for a special event. For questions or additional information, contact Sgt. Wes Shaffer, Scottsdale Police Department (SPD) Special Events Unit (SEU) Supervisor, at 480-312-4390 or [email protected].

Failure to follow the instruction will result in vehicle(s) not being removed regardless of the impact on the special event.

Policy

When the public roadway or a public parking area is to become a special event venue pursuant to a special event permit, and vehicles parked in the roadway or public parking area will create a hazard or will otherwise interfere with the operation of the special event, the Event Organizer may request the Scottsdale Police Department respond to relocate or remove the vehicles. With proper notification and properly posted signs, and due to the exigency of the special event itself, any vehicle on the public roadway or public parking area within the special event venue may be considered as abandoned and thereby removed by the contracted towing company of the Scottsdale Police Department pursuant to ARS § 28-4834.

Only a police officer or police aide may authorize the removal of a vehicle from public property.

Event Organizer Responsibilities

The Event Organizer must complete and adhere to the following:

  1. At least 72 hours prior to your event, e-mail the SPD SEU Supervisor:
    1. A diagram of the restricted parking area
    2. The date and time you want the illegally parked vehicles to be towed
  2. Create and properly post no parking signs. The no parking signs:
    1. Must be identical to the sample on the right (color, font, wording) except the date and time must be changed to correspond to your event. The SPD SEU Supervisor will e-mail a sample sign to the Event Organizer.
    2. Must be printed on a durable material, such as heavyweight paper, laminated paper, plastic or metal no smaller than 11 inches tall and 8.5 inches wide (sign stock may be available for purchase from a barricade company).
    3. Must be posted at least 18 hours prior to the beginning of the event or the time vehicles will be towed, whichever occurs first.
    4. Must be placed on a vertical panel-type barricade in front of EVERY affected parking space (available for rent from barricade company—see sample to the right).
    5. Must be attached near the top of the vertical panel-type barricade so as to be clearly visible to the driver of a vehicle entering the parking space.
  3. The SPD SEU Supervisor will inspect the no parking signs 12-18 hours before vehicles need to be towed. The Event Organizer or designee must be immediately available to fix identified problems. Note: If there is a problem with sign wording or placement, any vehicles already parked prior to correcting the problem CANNOT be towed unless the owner or operator is contacted and informed of the parking restriction.
  4. On the day of the event, if a vehicle is parked in violation of a sign, call 480-312-5000 (unless the SPD SEU Supervisor has already made arrangements for an officer to be present for towing), request a police response, and be present to identify any vehicle needing to be removed. Allow at least two hours between the time towing may begin (the time on the sign) and the time the vehicles must be out of the way of the event. An officer or police aide will respond as soon as practical. If all criteria have been met, the officer or police aide will tow the vehicle(s). The vehicle(s) will be impounded and stored at the SPD contracted towing company lot.
  5. Whenever possible, leave all vertical panel barricades with attached signs in place until the end of the event. This allows for the owner or operator of any towed vehicle to see and read the sign when they return to the area.

Contact Information

The city has contracted with All City Towing for towing and impound services:
All City Towing
922 E. Gilbert Drive
Tempe, AZ 85281
P: 480-833-7278

Scottsdale Police Department Towing Contacts:
Vehicle Impound Unit - General Towing Questions related to police impounds
P: 480-312-5314
[email protected]

Alex Ristuccia - Police Tow/Impound Supervisor
P: 480-312-5643
[email protected]

Sgt. Wes Shaffer - Special Events Towing Questions
P: 480-312-4390
[email protected]