If a tow truck took your car in San Diego, the first job is to tell two stories apart. A breakdown you asked for is a consensual quote. A lot tow or a police hold is not. This page is for the second story, mainly private-property tows from parking that is open to the public, using the San Diego Police Department’s Know Your Towing Rights page (citing CVC 22651.07, 22658, and 22953) plus the statute notes in our claims ledger. It is general information, not legal advice.

Quick Tow SD is a referral line, not a tow yard. Call (858) 923-5787 for a consensual move you request. The brand does not retrieve police-held cars, run an impound lot, or tell you which yard took a vehicle we did not move. For a City of San Diego private-property tow, SDPD says a motorist who wants help getting a company to release the vehicle should call local law enforcement, and can submit a Towing Complaint Form to the City Attorney’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit.

A driver standing next to a tow truck in San Diego with their phone out, reading a tow notice.

What SDPD says you can check first

On that rights page, among the rules for this kind of tow in the City of San Diego:

  • A property owner or agent generally may not allow a vehicle to be towed within one hour of it being parked (CVC 22953(a)), with listed exceptions such as a fire lane, a designated disabled space, a designated tenant space, within 15 feet of a hydrant, or blocking an entrance or exit.
  • The property owner or agent must authorize the tow, generally must be present, and must sign a written authorization. SDPD lists exceptions for some illegally parked vehicles and for tenants at residential property with 15 or fewer units and no onsite manager.
  • Signs that parking is prohibited, that vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense, and the local law-enforcement number must meet the size rules on that page (at least 17 by 22 inches with 1-inch letters), with named exceptions.
  • If you return before the truck has left the lot, the driver must release the vehicle immediately and unconditionally. The driver cannot demand payment on the spot to release it. The company may still pursue up to one-half the regular tow fee for a hoist that is released at a returning owner’s request.
  • The storage facility generally must be within 10 miles of the property unless local law enforcement gives written permission to go farther.
  • Hours to pick up: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except holidays, and the facility must also release vehicles after those hours.
  • You are entitled to an itemized invoice. It is unlawful to charge more than the rates specified by law enforcement in the area for that kind of tow.
  • Valid credit cards must be accepted, and cash change must be available.
  • Personal property may be retrieved during normal business hours, at no charge, without first paying the tow, storage, or recovery charges.
  • A towing company must notify San Diego Police no later than 30 minutes after removing the vehicle, or 15 minutes after arriving at a storage facility, whichever is earlier.

If those facts do not match what happened, keep the paperwork and use the complaint path SDPD publishes. For any storage hearing, follow the dates on your notice and the current statute. This page is not a deadline calculator.

Consensual tows are a different number

If you called for a breakdown, the independent operator who accepts the work sets the price and the arrival estimate for that location. That is not the SDPD private-property schedule. See tow cost in San Diego for that split.

How to look for the car

  1. Call San Diego Police non-emergency using the number on the city’s police site if it may be a police-logged tow, and give the plate.
  2. Call the property where you parked. They should have the company name.
  3. If you asked Quick Tow for a consensual job, call (858) 923-5787 about that job only. We cannot open another company’s yard.

If none of those fit, treat it as a possible theft and report it to police.

Disputes SDPD lists

Victims may sue the property owner, tow company, and storage facility for damages, including up to four times the towing and storage fees under CVC 22658(j)(1), or file in Small Claims Court for up to $12,500, according to that SDPD page. That is their published summary, not a promise about your case.

Related: how to get a car back from impound, illegal private property tow, can a tow company keep your belongings.

Official: SDPD Know Your Towing Rights, CVC 22658.

Need a quoted move you requested in San Diego County? Call (858) 923-5787. The line takes calls 24/7. The operator who accepts the work quotes that job.