Max Towing Fees: Police-Authorized Impounds

You pay a fixed fee to retrieve a car towed from a Seattle public street or towed for any other police-related reason. The City of Seattle contracts with Lincoln Towing to provide services for police-authorized impounds. The contract also sets prices for the towing services.

Police-authorized impounds are requested for:

  • Certain parking violations.
  • Abandoned vehicles.
  • Investigative holds.
  • Stolen car recoveries.
  • Driving while license suspended (DWLS).
  • Scofflaw offenses (overdue, unpaid parking tickets).

The City of Seattle also regulates max towing fees: private property impounds.

Costs for police-authorized impounds

To retrieve your car, towing and storage fees must be paid to the towing company at the time of vehicle retrieval. If your car has been towed from a Seattle street, find out how much it will cost to retrieve it by using the Lincoln Towing Seattle impound website.

You will pay less by promptly retrieving your towed car from the storage lot. You pay no storage fee for the first 12 hours. After 12 hours, the fee is charged per additional 12-hour storage period.

Passenger cars and pickup trucks are Class A light-duty tows. Additional towing services, such as use of a dolly, may be necessary depending on your vehicle and its location.

You must also pay the City administrative fee. There is no sales tax on the City fee. This fee pays for the costs of administering and enforcing the towing rules.

Detailed towing costs

This table shows the towing fees charged by Lincoln Towing under its current contract with the City of Seattle. The contract runs through Dec. 31, 2024. Class A impound fees and 20' and under storage fees are determined by the impound storage location or zone. This map shows the north and south zones.

The following rates are effective Jan. 1, 2024 through Dec. 31, 2024.

Impound fees Rates through Dec. 31, 2024
Class A

$238 / impound in the north zone (includes dolly fee and first one-half hour of winch fee)

$210.50 / impound in the south zone (includes dolly fee and first one-half hour of winch fee)
Class B $202.79 / hr (north and south zones)
Class C $256.76/ hr (north and south zones)
Class E $202.79 / hr (north and south zones)
Class S1 Rotator $890 / hr (north and south zones)
Driving while license suspended $131.52 / impound (north and south zones)
Storage fee type Storage fees
20' or under

$17.50 / 12-hour increment in the north zone

$15.50 / 12-hour increment in the south zone
Each increment over 20' 100% of applicable zone storage fee
Driving while license suspended $16.24 / 12-hour increment (north and south zones)
Each increment over 20'+A1 $16.24 / 12-hour increment (north and south zones)
Additional service types Additional service fee
Dolly fee $62.36 / impound (north and south zones)
Winch fee $93.80 / hr (north and south zones)
Extra driver fee 50% of applicable zone Class A fee
Extra truck fee 75% of applicable zone impound fee
Mileage $9.96 / mi (north and south zones)
Hook and release fee 60% of applicable zone impound fee plus 60% of fees for any additional services
City administrative fee Per rule
Regular $35
Driving while license suspended $67
Scofflaw parking $67