Here at Alaska Car Crushing and Recycling, we understand that people have questions about what steps to take after their car has been impounded. Hopefully, this is not something you have to deal with regularly, but no matter what, you need to be sure that you know what to do if your car is impounded.
What Happens When a Car Is Impounded?
Generally speaking, a car impound is generally something that happens as the result of law enforcement or some other government agency coming after your vehicle. They may do so because you have unpaid parking fines or some other kind of issue that you need to take care of. However, you need to know what to do when your car is impounded.
Find the Lot Where It Was Towed
You may need to call around to figure out where your vehicle has been towed. After you have located that lot, you should go in person to retrieve your vehicle.
Storage Fees
The impound lot is legally allowed to charge storage fees on the vehicles they impound. If you want to know “how do I get a car out of an impound?”, the answer generally boils down to paying the storage fees charged by an impound lot. Those fees are charged as a penalty for the work that the impound lot had to do to remove your vehicle from its previous location.
Show Legal Proof of Ownership
It is necessary for you to show legal proof of ownership of your vehicle before you begin the process of getting it unlocked from the impound lot. This is necessary because the impound lot needs to verify that you are the vehicle’s legal owner. Otherwise, it is simply your word against the word of anyone else who comes along. To ensure that the impound lot only releases a vehicle to the legal owner, it is 100% necessary that the lot has the opportunity to verify ownership of that vehicle.
Pay Out of Pocket or Use Insurance
Some vehicle owners have insurance that covers the cost of getting their vehicle out of an impound lot, but this is not all that common. Most people need to pay the expense for themselves. Regardless, it is important to make a decision at this stage about what you will do to get your vehicle out of the lot. You need to get your vehicle back to be sure, but the only way you can make that happen easily is to pay the fees. If you do so, you should be in great shape to get your vehicle back in your possession without any further issues.
Consider your options as you review what you will do to get your vehicle back if it has been impounded. It is your mode of transportation, and you really can’t be without it for long.