A DUI impound in San Diego can run from around $314 for a next-day release up to roughly $1,462 if the car sits the full 30 days. This page is the DUI-specific breakdown. For the general rundown of every fee a San Diego impound can charge, see what it costs to get your car out of impound. Here, we run the total across a full 30-day DUI hold, day by day, so you can see exactly where the number comes from. Quick Tow SD does not run an impound lot and can’t release a city-held car. Once it’s released, we can tow it home for you.
A DUI arrest in California can trigger a 30-day vehicle hold under Vehicle Code 14602.8, which lets police impound the car for up to 30 days when the driver has a prior DUI or a high BAC. Vehicle Code 23594 also lets a court order impound or forfeiture tied to a DUI conviction. A first-offense DUI with no priors often gets a shorter hold. The 30-day scenario below is the one that catches people off guard, because the daily storage fee doesn’t stop for a weekend or a court date.
Why the daily fee matters more than the tow itself
The tow fee is a one-time charge. Storage is what turns a routine impound into a real financial hit. In San Diego, storage runs $41 a day for a regular passenger car, starting the day the vehicle arrives at the lot, not the day you find out about it. Miss a week because you’re dealing with bail, an arraignment, or a rental car, and you’ve already added close to $300 in storage alone.
The running total, day by day
Here’s what a regular passenger car (under 9,500 lbs) actually costs at different points in a 30-day DUI hold, using the tow fee, TICR fee, and daily storage rate:
| Day | Tow fee | TICR fee | Storage so far | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (same-day release) | $178 | $54 | $41 | $273 |
| Day 7 | $178 | $54 | $287 | $519 |
| Day 14 | $178 | $54 | $574 | $806 |
| Day 30 (full hold) | $178 | $54 | $1,230 | $1,462 |
The TICR fee, short for Tow/Impound Cost Recovery Fee, is a flat $54 charged on every release. It’s non-negotiable and shows up whether the car sits one day or thirty. Storage is the variable that does the real damage: at $41 a day, every week you wait adds $287.
A more realistic near-term number is the next-day release, since most people aren’t cleared to reclaim the car same day. That lands around $314, covering the $178 tow, $54 TICR, and two days of storage at $41 each. From there, every additional day adds $41 flat.
What pushes the number higher
A few things change the total beyond the base numbers above:
- Vehicle class. Medium-duty vehicles run $190 to tow and $70 a day to store. Heavy-duty runs $250 to tow and $100 a day. A pickup truck or larger SUV can sometimes fall into the medium-duty rate depending on the lot.
- After-hours release. Picking the car up after 5 PM or on a weekend adds a $48 after-hours fee on top of everything else.
- Flatbed or dolly. If the car needs to be towed off the lot with a flatbed or dolly (some cars won’t roll on their own wheels after sitting), that’s another $47.
- Which lot holds the car. City of San Diego impounds go through AutoReturn, the city’s contractor. Private lots like Western Towing or Angelo’s Towing may run slightly different rates depending on the agency and rotation contract involved.
These are the site’s own current published numbers, not estimates, but exact totals still vary by vehicle class, the specific lot, and any add-on fees that lot charges. Always confirm the exact figure with the lot directly before you drive out with cash or a card in hand.
Can you shorten the 30 days
Sometimes. If you request a post-storage hearing within 10 days of the mailed notice, San Diego’s Tow Administration can review whether the hold was valid. Winning that hearing can get the car released early and stop the daily storage clock, though it doesn’t erase fees already owed for the days it already sat.
If the car belongs to someone other than the driver who was arrested, the registered owner can usually reclaim it without waiting out the full 30 days, as long as they show up with ID, a valid license, registration, insurance, and payment.
What Quick Tow SD can and can’t do
We want to be straight about this: Quick Tow SD doesn’t operate an impound lot, and we can’t release a car that police or the DUI impounding agency are holding. Only the impounding agency and its contractor can do that. Once the release paperwork is done and the fees are paid, we can send a truck to bring the car home, so you’re not driving it (or asking a friend to) right after a stressful release day. For the step-by-step release process, see how to get your car back from impound, and for the broader legal picture on DUI holds specifically, see DUI vehicle impound in California.
If the car sits past 30 days without anyone claiming it, it can move toward a lien sale, so it’s worth acting before the hold runs its full course even if you’re not in a hurry to drive again right away.
When the release is done and you need a ride home for the car, call Quick Tow SD at (858) 923-5787 and we’ll get it there.