To get your car back from an LA police impound, first find the lot at opglaviic.com by searching your plate or VIN. Then get a police release from the LAPD Area station that ordered the tow, bring valid ID and your registration to the Official Police Garage (OPG), and pay every charge on the ticket before they hand you the keys. Most drivers can finish the whole thing in one trip if they show up with the right paperwork.
Quick Tow LA is a towing company, not the City of LA and not an OPG. We can’t release your vehicle for you. But once the garage clears it, we can get it home, to a shop, or wherever it needs to go anywhere in LA County. Call (213) 410-1414 once you’re holding your keys.
Step one: find out which lot has your car
The City of LA doesn’t run one central impound lot. It contracts with 17 Official Police Garages spread across the city, each one assigned to a service area, and LAPD or LADOT tells the tow company which garage to use. Guessing wrong means a wasted trip, so start at the source:
- opglaviic.com, the OPGLA VIIC public database. Search by license plate or VIN and it tells you which OPG is holding the car.
- Call 311. LADOT staffs this line and can point you to the right garage if the website comes up empty.
- Check the curb. A posted sign, a chalk mark, or a citation left on the ground sometimes names the agency that ordered the tow.
If the car was pulled from a freeway rather than a city street, it may have gone through CHP’s rotation tow program instead of an OPG, which runs on a different list of contracted operators. When in doubt, start with opglaviic.com since most in-city tows land there.
Step two: get the police release
This is the step people skip, then drive to the garage and get turned away. An LAPD Area auto detective, not the garage, authorizes the release. The paperwork runs through a CHP 180 form plus LAPD Form 15.23.07, and it’s issued at the LAPD Area station that ordered the tow, the same station connected to wherever your car was parked or stopped.
Bring to the station:
- A valid driver’s license or a US government-issued photo ID.
- Your current DMV registration, or other proof you’re the legal owner.
- Anything that shows you’re entitled to the car: the registered owner, the legal owner, or someone acting for them.
Once the detective signs off, you take that release to the OPG. Skipping the station and driving straight to the garage is the single most common reason people get sent away empty-handed.
Step three: pay the garage and drive out
Official Police Garages keep business hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., in person only. There’s no after-hours gate fee on the City schedule, because there’s no after-hours release at all. Bring your police release paperwork, your ID, and your registration, and be ready to pay in full. Every charge has to clear before the car leaves the lot.
If your license is suspended or you never had one, the garage won’t let you drive off, but a licensed friend or family member can come with you and take the car home.
What it costs, as of January 1, 2026
The Board of Police Commissioners resets OPG rates every January, so treat these as this year’s numbers and expect them to move again next January:
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tow, first hour | $220.00 |
| Additional half hour | $109.00 |
| Daily storage | $68.00 per day |
| Vehicle release fee | $115.00 |
| EV surcharge | $77.00 |
| Boot fee (5+ unpaid citations) | $150.00 |
Paying by cash or check instead of credit card knocks a few dollars off most line items, since state law lets garages charge a small surcharge for card payments. Storage is billed daily and starts the clock the moment the car lands on the lot, so a car picked up the next morning costs meaningfully less than one left sitting through the weekend.
The 30-day hold: CVC 14602.6
Some impounds aren’t a quick pickup no matter how fast you show up. If the driver had no license, or a suspended or revoked one, California Vehicle Code 14602.6 puts the car under a 30-day impound, and the OPG can’t release it early just because the registered owner walks in with cash and ID.
The agency has to mail the legal owner notice within two working days of the tow. If they miss that window, the hold caps out at 15 days instead of the full 30. Either way, you’re entitled to a poststorage hearing under CVC 22852 to challenge whether the impound itself was valid. Ask the impounding agency how to request one; it’s your fastest legal path to getting the car back before day 30 if you think the tow was wrong.
Boots, 72-hour tows, and street sweeping
Not every LA impound starts with a moving violation. Five or more unpaid parking citations gets a vehicle booted, and PayLock’s 24-hour self-release line, (855) 288-2642, lets you clear it yourself once the fines and the $150 boot fee are paid and you can show current registration. Leave a booted car too long, generally past 72 hours, and it gets towed on top of everything else.
A car that sits on the same city street or alley for 72 straight hours without moving can also get flagged and towed as abandoned, even with no citations attached, once a traffic officer has documented it over that period.
Long Beach, Burbank, and Pasadena run their own show
If your car got towed in Long Beach, Burbank, or Pasadena, none of the numbers above apply. Each of those cities runs its own impound program with its own lot, its own hours, and its own fee schedule, separate from the City of LA’s OPG system:
- Long Beach operates its own Towing Operations & Vehicle Storage Facility on Willow Street, with an info line and its own posted rate card.
- Burbank contracts with a private operator whose yard handles the city’s impounds under its own hourly and storage rates.
- Pasadena processes releases through its city Parking Office, in person, with a separate release-fee structure for impounded versus abandoned vehicles.
If you’re not sure which city ordered the tow, that’s reason enough to start at opglaviic.com or call 311 rather than guessing. Driving to the wrong lot with the wrong paperwork costs you a day you didn’t need to lose.
What to do once your car is cleared
Once the garage hands you the keys, you still have to get the car somewhere. If it’s not safe to drive, needs a flatbed because it’s an EV or all-wheel-drive, or you just don’t want to drive a car that’s been sitting in an impound lot straight onto the freeway, Quick Tow LA connects you with a local licensed operator who can move it. Coverage runs across LA County, from the San Fernando Valley to the South Bay and the Gateway Cities.
Call (213) 410-1414 once your car is released and ready to move.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out which garage towed my car in Los Angeles?
Search your license plate or VIN at opglaviic.com, the City’s public impound-lookup database. If nothing comes up, call 311 and LADOT can point you to the right Official Police Garage.
What do I need to bring to get my car out of impound?
A police release from the LAPD Area station that ordered the tow, a valid driver’s license or US photo ID, and your current registration or proof of ownership. Without the police release first, the garage can’t process you.
How much does it cost to get a car out of an LA impound lot?
As of January 1, 2026, expect $220 for the first hour of tow, $68 per day in storage, and a $115 vehicle release fee, plus any extras like the $77 EV surcharge. Rates reset every January.
What if my car was impounded for 30 days under CVC 14602.6?
An unlicensed or suspended-license impound holds the car for up to 30 days. You can request a poststorage hearing under CVC 22852 to challenge the impound and potentially get it released early.
My car was towed in Long Beach, Burbank, or Pasadena. Does the LA OPG process apply?
No. Each of those cities runs its own impound lot and fee schedule, separate from the City of LA’s Official Police Garage system. Contact that city’s parking or police department directly.
Can someone else pick up my car for me?
The OPG requires the person taking the car to show entitlement, generally the registered owner, the legal owner, or someone acting on their behalf. If you’re unlicensed, bring a licensed driver to take the car away, since the garage won’t let an unlicensed person drive it out.