In the City of LA, getting your car out of an Official Police Garage costs $220 for the tow, $115 for the vehicle release fee, and $68 for every day it sits in storage, as of January 1, 2026. A next-day pickup runs about $403. Wait a week and you’re past $811. Quick Tow LA can’t release a car from an OPG, only the impounding OPG can do that, but we can walk you through the real math so the number at the window doesn’t blindside you, and we’re the call to make for a normal tow so you never end up there.
One thing drives the bill more than anything else: how many days pass before you show up with the right paperwork and pay. Below is the actual City of LA Official Police Garage fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, the worked math for next-day, one-week, and 30-day pickups, and what changes for a boot, an EV, or a car towed outside the city line.
How much does it cost to get your car out of impound in Los Angeles?
The City of LA runs 17 Official Police Garages (OPGs) that handle every tow ordered by LAPD, LADOT, and other city agencies. The rates below are the current published schedule, set by the Board of Police Commissioners and effective January 1, 2026 (Exhibit 3, BPC #25-326/#25-355, under LAMC 80.77.4). They re-set every January, so treat this as the 2026 number, not a permanent one.
- Standard vehicle tow, first hour: $220.00 (credit card) / $215.00 (cash or check)
- Each additional half hour: $109.00 / $106.00
- Daily storage, standard vehicle: $68.00/day / $66.00/day
- Daily storage, motorcycle: $18.00/day
- Mileage, per mile: $12.00
- Vehicle Release Fee: $115.00, charged to everyone who redeems a vehicle (LAMC 80.77.1)
- EV surcharge: $77.00 (credit) / $75.00 (cash)
- Upright heavy-duty tow, first hour: $400.00 / $390.00
- Boot fee: $150.00, only if the car was booted for 5 or more unpaid citations (LAMC 80.77.2)
California law gives cash and check payers a slightly lower rate than credit cards (Civil Code 1748.1(a)), so bringing cash saves a few dollars on every line item.
Picked up the next morning, one day of storage, a standard gas car comes to $220 tow plus $115 release plus $68 storage, which is $403. Driving an EV adds the $77 surcharge, for $480. A boot on top of a tow, from five or more unpaid citations, adds another $150 before any of the above.
What you actually pay: tow, release, and storage
The tow fee is the one-time charge for the truck that hauled your car to the OPG. It’s $220 for a standard vehicle no matter how many days it sits afterward.
The Vehicle Release Fee is a flat $115 every OPG charges on top of the tow and storage, set under LAMC 80.77.1. It applies to every release, no exceptions.
Storage is the line item that actually punishes you for waiting. It’s billed daily, starting the moment the car arrives at the lot, not when you find out it’s there. At $68 a day for a standard vehicle, every day you don’t show up with your ID and payment is another $68 on the bill.
Why every extra day makes it worse
Storage compounds on a clock you don’t control once the car is off the street. Hold it a full week, seven days of storage, and the math is $220 tow plus $115 release plus $476 storage ($68 x 7), for a total of $811. That’s $408 more than a next-day pickup, purely from six extra days of waiting.
OPG hours matter as much as the fee schedule
Every OPG operates 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and release is handled in person only. There’s no online payment or after-hours pickup on the LA OPG schedule. Show up at 7:15 p.m. and you’re paying for another full day of storage whether you like it or not, so build the lot’s hours into your plan before you go.
The 30-day hold: how impound costs explode
Under California Vehicle Code 14602.6, a car “shall be impounded for 30 days” when the driver was caught operating it while unlicensed or on a suspended or revoked license. That 30-day hold is the single biggest cost driver in the system, because storage keeps stacking daily whether or not you’re ready to pick the car up.
Run the full 30 days on a standard vehicle: $220 tow plus $115 release plus $2,040 storage ($68 x 30) comes to $2,375, before mileage or any other add-on. That’s close to six times the cost of a next-day release, and nearly all of it is storage.
You do have a right to push back. Under CVC 22852, the owner can request a poststorage hearing to challenge whether the impound itself was valid. The agency also has to notify the legal owner by certified mail within two working days of the impound, and if it doesn’t, the charge is capped at 15 days instead of 30. A hearing that goes your way is the only real way to stop the daily storage clock early.
City of LA rates vs. surrounding cities
The City of LA OPG schedule above applies only inside the City of LA. Long Beach, Burbank, and Pasadena each run their own impound programs with their own rate sheets, and none of them match the LA OPG numbers.
- Long Beach runs its own city Towing Operations & Vehicle Storage Facility. Its schedule, effective October 1, 2025, charges by vehicle weight class ($255/hour light, $348 medium, $463 heavy) plus $83 a day storage for a standard vehicle, a $61 vehicle release fee, and a separate $127 after-hours release fee.
- Burbank contracts its impound tows to a private operator (Girard & Peterson) at $308 an hour with $88 a day storage and a $154 after-hours release fee. You get your release paperwork from Burbank PD first, then pay the yard.
- Pasadena handles releases through its city Parking Office, in person only, with a $159 fee for a standard impound or $180 for an abandoned/abated vehicle, plus any outstanding citations.
If your car got towed in one of these cities instead of the City of LA proper, don’t use the OPG numbers above, call that city’s own impound line and ask for its current schedule.
Finding your car first
If you don’t know which OPG has your vehicle, search the OPGLA VIIC database at opglaviic.com by license plate or VIN, the same tool LADOT links to. You can also call 311, or LADOT’s general parking line at (866) 561-9742.
What to bring to the release window
Every OPG requires a valid driver’s license or a U.S. government photo ID, current DMV registration or proof of legal ownership, and proof you’re the registered/legal owner or an authorized agent. If you don’t hold a valid license yourself, a licensed person has to be present to drive the car away. All tow and storage charges are due before the gate opens, no exceptions.
When to call us
Quick Tow LA isn’t who releases a car from a City of LA impound, that authority sits with the OPG and LAPD. What we are is the call for a normal tow, roadside jump, or lockout, so a flat tire on the 405 or the Grapevine doesn’t turn into an impound story in the first place, and we’re who you call once you’ve got the car back and need it moved somewhere safe.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to get your car out of impound in Los Angeles?
A next-day release for a standard vehicle at a City of LA OPG costs about $403: a $220 tow fee, a $115 vehicle release fee, and $68 for one day of storage. The total climbs by $68 for every additional day, as of the rates effective January 1, 2026.
How much is the daily storage fee at an LA impound lot?
Daily storage for a standard vehicle at a City of LA OPG is $68 a day, or $66 if you pay cash or check. Motorcycles run $18 a day. The charge starts the day the car arrives, not the day you find out.
What is the Vehicle Release Fee?
It’s a flat $115 charge every City of LA OPG adds to every release, on top of the tow and storage fees, under LAMC 80.77.1. It applies whether the car sat one day or thirty.
How much does a 30-day impound hold cost in LA?
A full 30-day hold on a standard vehicle costs about $2,375: the $220 tow fee, the $115 release fee, and $2,040 in storage at $68 a day for 30 days. Requesting a poststorage hearing under CVC 22852 is the way to challenge the hold and potentially cut that total short.
Do surrounding cities like Long Beach or Burbank charge the same rates as LA?
No. Long Beach, Burbank, and Pasadena each run their own impound programs with their own fee schedules, none of which match the City of LA OPG rates. Confirm which city actually impounded the car before you budget for the release.
Need a tow before it ever reaches an OPG, or a ride once you’ve got your car back? Call Quick Tow LA 24/7 at (213) 410-1414 for coverage across Los Angeles, or reach out through our contact page.