The NYPD operates tow pounds in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. There is no pound in Manhattan and none on Staten Island, so a car towed in Manhattan does not stay in Manhattan. If yours was towed in the Bronx, it is most likely at the Bronx facility, but confirm before you travel rather than assuming.
Confirm the location first, every time
Do not drive to a pound blind. Use the city’s Find Towed Vehicle tool with your plate number and state, or call 311. From outside New York City, call (212) 639-9675.
The locator tells you whether the vehicle was towed at all, which facility has it, and what is owed. That last part matters, because it is how you discover an outstanding judgment before you arrive rather than at the counter.
If the vehicle does not appear as towed, it may have been relocated for a parade, street fair or film production, or it may have been stolen. Your local precinct can help work out which. Full steps are in how to find your towed car in NYC.
Check hours and confirm the address
Pound locations and operating hours change, and they are not the same across the three facilities. Confirm the current address and hours through the city’s towed vehicle pages or 311 on the day you plan to go.
Going at the wrong hour is not a minor inconvenience. Storage accrues at $20 for every night the vehicle is held, so a wasted trip has a price attached.
Cannot get there yourself? Send someone with a notarized letter.
What to bring
- The current vehicle registration certificate
- A valid driver license
- The current insurance card
- Payment
The vehicle will be released only to the registered owner, their spouse, or an authorized representative carrying written authorization with the notarized signature of the registered owner. See the full document list.
What it will cost
A regular tow is $185 and a heavy duty tow is $370. Overnight storage is $20, charged for each night the vehicle is held if it is not redeemed the same day it was towed. Removing a boot is $185.
Accepted payment is cash, certified check payable to the New York City Police Department, money orders and travelers checks, an ATM debit card drawing on a checking account, or Discover, American Express, Mastercard and Visa. The card must be in the name of the person collecting the vehicle.
Clear judgments before you go
A vehicle will not be released while parking judgments stand against it. Judgments are paid to the Parking Violations Bureau and cannot be paid at the pound.
The ticket that caused the tow is a separate matter again, paid or disputed through the Department of Finance within thirty days of the date on the ticket. Paying that ticket does not release the vehicle by itself.
If it was not an NYPD parking tow
A tow for a DMV offence, such as no valid registration or insurance, is handled at a Department of Finance business center rather than at the pound, and the vehicle will not be released without valid registration and insurance in place.
A tow by a City Marshal or the Sheriff for more than $350 in judgment debt is also handled through the Department of Finance, and those vehicles carry a hard deadline: if not retrieved within 72 hours, the vehicle may be auctioned as soon as 10 days after the tow.
If you cannot get there
The Bronx facility is not convenient from most of the city, and plenty of people simply cannot take a working day to reach it. You do not have to be the one who goes.
Send an authorized representative with a notarized letter, their own identification, a copy of yours, and their own means of payment. Every day that saves is another $20 you keep. See can someone else pick up my towed car.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Bronx tow pound?
Confirm the current address and hours through the city’s towed vehicle pages or by calling 311, since locations and hours change.
Is there a pound in Manhattan?
No. NYPD tow pounds are in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.
Can I check online whether my car is there?
Yes, through the Find Towed Vehicle tool using your plate number, or by calling 311.
What if my car is not listed as towed?
It may have been relocated or stolen. Contact your local precinct.
Can someone collect it for me?
Yes, with written authorization carrying your notarized signature, plus their own identification and payment.
Getting there without a car
The obvious problem with collecting a towed vehicle is that you no longer have a vehicle. The Bronx facility is not near most people, and the journey is part of the cost.
Plan the route before you leave, allow far longer than the map suggests, and remember you will be carrying documents and payment. If you are traveling with somebody, they can drive the vehicle away if they are the authorized person, but only if the paperwork names them.
Weigh that journey against sending someone who is already nearby with a notarized letter. A friend in the Bronx with the right document collects the car in an hour. You crossing the city on public transport during working hours costs a day and another $20 night if you arrive after closing.
Confirm what is owed before you set off
The city’s locator shows what is outstanding. Read it properly, because there are three separate numbers that can be involved.
The tow and storage charges, payable at the pound. Any parking judgments, payable to the Parking Violations Bureau and not at the pound. And the ticket that caused the tow, payable or disputable through the Department of Finance and entirely separate from the release.
A vehicle will not be released while judgments stand. Discovering that at the counter is the most common wasted trip in the whole process.
Bring more payment options than you expect to need
Card systems go down. Accepted methods are cash, certified check payable to the New York City Police Department, money orders, travelers checks, an ATM debit card drawing on checking, and Discover, American Express, Mastercard and Visa.
A card must be in the name of the person collecting the vehicle. If you are sending somebody, send them with their own card or with cash, not yours.
If the vehicle is not at the Bronx facility
NYPD pounds operate in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, and a vehicle towed near a borough boundary does not always end up where you expect. Vehicles are also occasionally moved between facilities when a lot is full.
If the locator and the lot disagree, ask them to search by VIN as well as by plate, since plates are transcribed by hand and digits get transposed. Note the name of the person you spoke to and the time.
If the vehicle was towed for a DMV offence, it is handled through a Department of Finance business center rather than at the pound, which is a different building and a different process entirely.
Vehicles towed by a Marshal or the Sheriff
These are not NYPD tows and do not follow the same route. They happen when more than $350 in parking or camera violations sits in judgment, and payment is handled through the Department of Finance rather than at a pound.
After paying in person you request a Vehicle Release Form. Bring notarized authorization and a certified copy of the title if the vehicle is financed or leased. And note the deadline: if the vehicle is not retrieved within 72 hours it may be auctioned as soon as ten days after the tow.
Related reading
- How to find your towed car in NYC
- How to get your car out of impound
- What to bring to pick up a towed car
- Can someone else pick up my towed car?
- What it costs
- How long can it stay there?
- Free vehicle release letter
Fees, procedures and locations are set by the NYPD, the NYC Department of Finance and the Sheriff’s Office and can change. Confirm current amounts and requirements before you travel. This is general information, not legal advice.