If police ordered your vehicle to an impound lot as evidence, start by confirming the hold, not by choosing a complaint form. Get the ordering agency, reason for the hold, storage location, billing party, and any hearing or review deadline in writing. Then request the tow records and an itemized invoice.

A complaint might result in a corrected bill or refund, but it doesn't automatically undo a lawful tow. A dismissal or acquittal in a criminal case doesn't, by itself, decide whether the tow was authorized or whether all towing and storage charges should be returned. The answer usually turns on the tow's legal basis, the notice you received, the applicable rate schedule, and whether the tower or a public agency caused the disputed charge.

Confirm what "evidence tow" means

"Evidence tow" isn't one nationwide legal category. Police may remove a vehicle after a serious crash, an arrest, a suspected crime, a seizure, or another investigation. The vehicle may be held as evidence, or it may be in an ordinary administrative impound while the agency completes its work.

Pin down these details first:

Question Why it matters
Who ordered the tow? A police department, sheriff, parking authority, or other public agency may use a different process.
Why is the vehicle being held? An evidence hold can prevent release even after you pay the towing company.
Who is charging you? The private tower and the government agency may have different billing and dispute rules.
When did storage begin? The dispute may involve the first billable day, a release delay, or the time before you were told where the vehicle was.
What is required for release? You may need proof of ownership, identification, insurance, payment, or written police authorization.

The label on the paperwork doesn't decide who owes the money. Check the tow notice, police documents, contract or rate schedule, local ordinance, and state procedure.

Act before more storage is billed

Storage charges may continue while a dispute is under review. Start with these steps:

  1. Call the ordering agency using an official number. Confirm the impound facility, case number, reason for the tow, current hold status, and release process. Don't rely only on a number from an unexpected text or unofficial message.
  2. Request the hold and release status in writing. Ask whether police authorization is still required, when the vehicle became available for pickup, and which charges the agency says you must pay.
  3. Get an itemized invoice. Look for the base tow, mileage, storage dates, administrative charges, labor, cleanup, gate or access fees, taxes, and special equipment.
  4. Request the rate authority. Depending on the location, this could be a posted rate sheet, an approved schedule, a municipal contract, or another document supporting the charge. A "typical towing price" from another city doesn't establish the rate that applies to your vehicle.
  5. Ask whether payment is required for release. Find out whether you can pay under written protest and keep disputing the charges. Refusing to pay may leave storage or lien deadlines running, while payment doesn't necessarily resolve an unlawful charge.
  6. Document the vehicle and its contents when access is allowed. Photograph damage, the odometer, the vehicle's condition, and personal property. If police still treat the vehicle as evidence, don't remove or alter anything without asking the agency about the access process.

If the investigation is active, the agency may withhold some records. Request the portions that can be released and ask for a written explanation of any denial.

Send each dispute to the right place

One incident can involve three separate complaints. A police misconduct complaint, a billing dispute, and a challenge to the tow's legal basis may not go to the same office.

Challenge the tow or evidence hold

Contact the police department's impound unit, sheriff, parking authority, or other agency that authorized the tow. Ask whether the notice provides a post-storage hearing, probable-cause hearing, administrative review, or another challenge process.

Use the deadline printed on the notice. Don't assume it matches the deadline for a lawsuit or small-claims case.

Possible grounds for review include:

A complaint about an officer's conduct generally isn't a substitute for a hearing on whether the tow was lawful.

Dispute the invoice

Send the towing company a written dispute that identifies each charge and the reason you challenge it. If a public agency collected the fees, send the dispute there as well. Compare the invoice with the official rate schedule or contract rather than with an average price from another area.

Common questions include whether the invoice contains:

An unexplained line item is a reason to request records, not automatic proof of fraud. Keep the original invoice and mark disputed entries on a copy.

If you must pay to recover the vehicle, ask whether the relevant procedure permits payment under written protest. If you do so, keep the receipt and state in an email or letter that payment was made to obtain release while the listed charges remain disputed.

Report licensing or employee conduct

A state towing regulator, local licensing office, consumer-protection agency, or attorney general may accept complaints about licensing, rate violations, deceptive billing, or repeated conduct. These offices may investigate or refer a matter, but a complaint may not produce an individual refund.

For an alleged police employee violation, use the department's internal-affairs or civilian-complaint process. If the issue involves a California Highway Patrol employee, the California Highway Patrol commend or complain page describes its civilian complaint process and how employee allegations are investigated. That process addresses conduct; it doesn't replace a billing dispute or a hearing about the tow.

State procedures can change the form and deadline

There is no single U.S. form for an evidence-tow fee complaint. A DMV complaint, police complaint, post-towing hearing, and small-claims case serve different purposes. Start with the agency named on your notice and follow the deadline it gives you.

North Carolina

North Carolina has a statutory post-towing probable-cause process for some tows under Article 7A of Chapter 20. The North Carolina School of Government describes the process and identifies AOC-CVM-360, Order in Post-Towing Probable Cause Hearing, in its explanation of post-towing hearings.

That procedure doesn't apply to every North Carolina tow. The School of Government explains that Article 7A procedures don't apply when a city, county, community college, or public or private college or university, rather than the private tower, collects the towing fees. Read the notice and confirm with the clerk or agency before assuming that AOC-CVM-360 is the correct route.

North Carolina law may also give a business that repairs, services, tows, or stores vehicles lien rights for unpaid charges under Chapter 44A. The North Carolina State Bar's explanation of storage and towing liens explains why an unpaid bill can create a lien-enforcement risk. If you receive a lien or sale notice, deal with that deadline promptly instead of waiting for a general complaint to finish.

California

California procedures depend on the reason for the tow and the city or county involved. A general DMV complaint may not replace a local post-storage hearing or produce a refund.

For example, the City of San Diego's vehicle impound and towing guidance directs people who believe a vehicle was unlawfully towed to review the city's towing-rights information and contact the San Diego Police Department or City Attorney's Office. The page says owners should receive the towing company's name, vehicle location, and fees due. It also lists registered-owner identification and a driver's license among the requirements for recovering a vehicle.

If the tow occurred somewhere else in California, contact the agency that ordered it and ask for the exact hearing deadline, release requirements, and billing-dispute route. Quoting a California Vehicle Code section without matching the facts and local procedure may not resolve the dispute.

Other states

Search the official state or local government website for terms such as:

Use the form and deadline in the official notice whenever possible. A police evidence hold, abandoned-vehicle tow, parking tow, and seizure may follow different rules in the same state.

Build the refund request around a specific error

A refund request is easier to evaluate when it connects one charge to one document and one requested correction. Gather:

Ask for a defined remedy, such as removing a duplicate storage day, refunding an unsupported fee, correcting the release date, or paying for documented towing damage.

A criminal case that ends in your favor can provide useful context, but it doesn't alone prove that the original tow was unauthorized. An invoice that feels high is also weaker than one that conflicts with an official rate schedule or includes work the company can't document.

Complaint letter template

Keep the message factual. Name the vehicle, invoice, disputed entries, records requested, and remedy. Avoid citing a law unless you've checked that it applies to this tow.

Subject: Dispute of towing and storage charges for [vehicle and invoice number]

I dispute the charges on invoice [number] for [vehicle identification], towed on [date] at the direction of [agency].

The specific charges I challenge are:

  • [charge and amount] because [reason];
  • [charge and amount] because [reason].

Please provide the tow authorization, itemized work record, storage dates, applicable rate schedule or contract, and written basis for each disputed charge. Please also confirm whether an evidence hold remains and what is required for release.

I request [a corrected invoice, a refund of $ amount, or a written explanation]. Please preserve all records, photographs, and dispatch information related to this tow. This request does not waive any rights or deadlines that may apply.

Name: [your name]
Contact information: [phone and email]
Vehicle: [year, make, model, plate, and VIN]
Attachments: [list]

Send the letter through a traceable channel and save proof of delivery. If you paid to obtain release, keep the receipt and say so clearly.

When court or legal help may be appropriate

Consider a court or legal-aid consultation when the tower refuses to correct a documented overcharge, the vehicle was damaged, or the amount justifies the filing and service costs. Before filing, determine whether the proper defendant is the private tower, a government agency, or both.

Check:

Get prompt legal or legal-aid help if the vehicle has been sold or may be sold, you're a servicemember, the matter involves an active criminal investigation, or personal property was lost or damaged. A regulator may investigate, but a money-claim or court process may be needed for a binding decision about compensation.

Common questions

Does dismissal of criminal charges guarantee a towing refund?

No. It may support a review, but the tow could have been authorized based on the information available at the time. Request a separate review of the tow authority, hold period, notice, and charges.

What if the towing company refuses to itemize the invoice?

Record the refusal in writing. Ask the ordering agency which regulator handles the company, then submit the invoice and the refusal with your complaint. Keep watching for storage, lien, or sale notices while the dispute is pending.

Should I complain to the police or the towing company?

Contact both when both issues are present. The police or impound agency handles authorization, evidence holds, and release. The towing company generally handles billing and vehicle-handling records. A state or local regulator may address licensing or rate complaints.

Rules differ by jurisdiction, and this is general information rather than legal advice. Today, confirm the hold status and storage location through an official number, then request the itemized invoice and every applicable deadline in writing.