There isn’t one verified statewide flat price for a 30-day California impound. Your total depends on the local tow rate, daily storage, vehicle class, release charges, and any approved extra services. Ask the storage yard for an itemized total and the impounding agency for the exact release conditions.
Why a 30-day hold is a different bill than a regular tow
A regular tow may end when the vehicle reaches its destination. A 30-day impound includes a legal hold and continued storage. Paying the yard doesn’t necessarily cancel the hold or authorize release.
California Vehicle Code 14602.6 provides for a 30-day impound in specific licensing situations. Those include driving with a suspended or revoked license, violating certain restricted-license conditions, or driving without ever receiving a license. It isn’t a general 30-day DUI statute.
That distinction matters when reviewing your paperwork. California’s separate DUI impound provisions don’t all use 30 days. Vehicle Code 14602.8 covers certain arrests involving a qualifying prior DUI conviction. Its impound periods are five or 15 days, depending on the number of qualifying prior convictions. A court can also order an impound lasting from one to 30 days at DUI sentencing under Vehicle Code 23594.
Start with the section named on your notice. Our California DUI impound guide explains those separate paths. Don’t assume every DUI-related tow creates the same hold.
A private parking-lot tow is also different. Those removals fall under California Vehicle Code 22658, not the 30-day licensing rule. Read our private property towing guide if the car came from an apartment, store, or private lot.
What the total usually includes besides the hook-up
A 30-day bill begins with the tow, but it doesn’t end there. The main parts are the initial tow charge, storage, and any agency or release charge that applies. Vehicle size and work actually performed can also affect the authorized rate.
California doesn’t provide one confirmed statewide dollar total for every 30-day impound. Public-tow rates are established through agreements between law enforcement agencies and towing companies. That means a San Diego Police Department tow may follow a different schedule from a tow ordered elsewhere in California.
The City of San Diego publishes a local fee schedule, but schedules can change. No current 30-day total could be confirmed for this publication date. Ask the yard to identify the schedule it’s using and provide the present amount in writing.
Request an itemized invoice before paying. California’s towing protections allow an owner to receive a breakdown of the actual charges. Check that each line identifies what was provided. Don’t accept a verbal grand total as the only explanation.
Some charges apply only when the related service occurred. Ask whether the bill includes specialized towing equipment, additional mileage, or an after-hours release. Then ask what authorizes each charge.
For a broader explanation of release bills, see our guide to the cost of getting a car out of impound in San Diego. It covers the release process without treating every hold as a 30-day case.
How storage days change the amount before release
Storage is the part that turns a tow bill into a 30-day impound bill. The daily rate is multiplied by the yard’s billable storage days. The tow and release charges are then added separately.
Don’t calculate the total until the yard confirms three details:
- The current daily rate for your vehicle class
- The first billable storage date
- The number of storage days charged through pickup
A 30-day hold doesn’t automatically answer the third question. The release date, processing time, and yard’s billing cutoff can affect the count shown on the invoice. Ask for the exact pickup total for a specific date.
A current statewide maximum daily storage figure couldn’t be confirmed from the approved sources. San Diego’s published schedule contains local rates, but those figures require fresh verification before reuse. The yard and impounding agency remain the right sources for today’s amount.
Early release may be possible in defined Vehicle Code 14602.6 situations. Examples include a stolen vehicle or a driver who reinstates the license and provides proof of insurance. A storage hearing can also address whether the impound was valid. These paths aren’t automatic, so contact the agency named on the notice.
Storage and release rules also differ from ordinary yard billing. Our guide to tow-yard storage fees in San Diego explains how to read those charges. It shouldn’t replace instructions from the agency controlling your hold.
Questions to ask the yard and the impounding agency
Call both organizations before traveling to the lot. The yard explains its invoice and pickup process. The impounding agency decides whether the legal hold has ended or qualifies for early release.
Ask the yard:
- What’s the itemized total for pickup on my planned date?
- Which daily storage rate applies to this vehicle?
- How many storage days appear on the bill?
- What payment methods does this location accept?
- Which identification and ownership documents are required?
- Does the file show an unresolved police release?
- When can I inspect the vehicle or collect personal property?
California law provides access to an itemized invoice before payment. It also permits personal-property retrieval without charge during normal business hours, subject to statutory exceptions. Inspection is available without charge during normal business hours.
Ask the impounding agency:
- Which law or order created the hold?
- What date and time does the hold end?
- Is an agency release required before yard pickup?
- Does this case qualify for an early-release review?
- How can I request a post-storage hearing?
- What documents must I bring to that review?
No statewide spouse-release rule was confirmed for this article. Ask whether the yard requires ownership authorization and whether the agency must approve the release.
If the notice identifies the California Highway Patrol, follow the instructions provided for that specific impound. Don’t rely on requirements from a different police agency or city.
Where to confirm the current California and San Diego figures
For a City of San Diego impound, begin with the city’s official contractor, AutoReturn. Its vehicle locator is available at search.autoreturn.com. Use the license plate or vehicle information requested by the locator.
Confirm four items before paying or arranging transportation:
- The vehicle’s exact storage location
- The agency that ordered the impound
- The current itemized release total
- The release documents and pickup conditions
If the tow occurred near Port District tidelands, check the agency name carefully. Harbor Police patrol Port areas in San Diego, Chula Vista, National City, Coronado, and Imperial Beach. That process includes a Harbor Police release and payment at the towing yard. It isn’t the same as every City of San Diego impound.
A post-storage hearing request generally must be made within 10 days of the mailed notice under Vehicle Code 22852. The hearing addresses the validity of the storage. It doesn’t create one statewide 30-day price.
If the vehicle can’t be released, keep records of every contact. Save the hold notice, itemized invoice, payment receipt, and written release instructions. Record the pickup date used for the quoted total.
Quick Tow SD can’t release a police-held vehicle or change another yard’s fees. We connect customers with independent licensed towing operators for ordinary towing after a vehicle is legally available for transport.
When to call us
Call when the impounding agency has released the vehicle, but it still needs professional transport to a repair shop, home, or another permitted destination. The independent operator we dispatch performs the tow and sets the price directly with you. Call (858) 923-5787 to reach dispatch.