Can Someone Else Pick Up My Towed Car?

Yes. Someone else can collect your towed car, and the rule that makes it possible is worth knowing precisely, because getting it slightly wrong means they are turned away at the counter and the storage charge runs another night.

The rule, in the city’s own words

An NYPD tow pound releases a vehicle only to the registered owner, their spouse, or an authorized representative. To be an authorized representative, that person must have authorization in writing carrying the notarized signature of the registered owner.

Read that again, because every word does work. It must be in writing. It must come from the registered owner, not from whoever normally drives the car. And the owner’s signature must be notarized.

Why a phone call will not do

People assume they can ring the pound and authorize it verbally, or send a text message, or forward a photo of the registration. None of that works, and it is not the clerk being difficult.

Releasing a vehicle to the wrong person is a serious liability. A notarized letter is the pound’s evidence that a commissioned officer checked the owner’s identification and watched them sign. That is the whole point of the requirement, and no amount of explaining at the window substitutes for it.

Cannot get there yourself? Send someone with a notarized letter.

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What your representative needs to carry

The notarized authorization letter, naming them specifically and describing the vehicle by year, make, model, VIN and plate
A copy of your photo identification
Their own valid photo identification
The vehicle’s current registration and insurance card
Payment, and it matters whose

On that last point: if they pay by card, the card must be in their name. Handing them your credit card does not work. Send them with their own card, or with cash, a money order, or a certified check payable to the New York City Police Department.

What the letter should say

Name yourself as the registered owner, with your address. Name the person you are authorizing, spelled exactly as it appears on their identification. Describe the vehicle fully, including the VIN, so there is no ambiguity about which car. State plainly that you authorize that person to take possession of it from the pound. Date it, and sign it in front of the notary.

Being specific protects you as well as them. An open ended letter authorizing anyone to collect any vehicle is worth less and exposes you more.

Do not sign it early

This is the mistake that wastes the appointment. The notary has to witness the signature, so fill the letter in completely and leave the signature line blank until you are with them.

You do not need to be in New York, or even in the same country. A New York notary can swear you in over secure video, which is exactly the situation this comes up in: you are away, the car is in a pound, and every night costs another $20.

Judgments still have to be cleared

An authorized representative cannot get around outstanding parking judgments. A vehicle will not be released while judgments stand against it, they are paid to the Parking Violations Bureau, and they cannot be paid at the pound.

Check that before sending someone across the city, because a notarized letter and a clean set of documents still will not release a car with a judgment attached.

If the tow was not an ordinary parking tow

Vehicles towed for a DMV offence are handled through a Department of Finance business center rather than at the pound, and if you are not the titleholder you need notarized authorization from the titleholder along with their driver license.

Vehicles towed by a City Marshal or the Sheriff over judgment debt above $350 also go through the Department of Finance, and notarized authorization plus a certified copy of the title is expected where the vehicle is financed or leased.

In every version of this, the notarized letter is the common requirement.

Why speed matters

Storage runs at $20 every night on top of the tow itself. A regular tow starts at $185. Nine nights of hesitation costs more than the tow did.

If you cannot get there today and someone else can, the letter is the cheapest thing you will do all week. See how long a car can stay in impound.

Frequently asked questions

Does the letter really have to be notarized?

Yes. Written authorization with a notarized signature is what the NYPD requires for an authorized representative.

Can my spouse collect it without a letter?

A spouse is named alongside the registered owner in the release rule. Bring identification and documents connecting you to the vehicle.

The car is not registered to me. Who signs?

The registered owner signs and notarizes. If that is a leasing company or an employer, the authorization has to come from them.

Can I notarize it from another state or country?

Yes, by online notarization over secure video.

Can they pay with my card?

No. The card must be in the name of the person collecting the vehicle.

Getting the letter right the first time

The pound is checking a document written by somebody who is not present, so precision is what makes it work.

Name the vehicle completely: year, make, model, color, VIN and plate number. A letter that says my car is not useful to a clerk holding forty of them. Name your authorized person exactly as their identification reads, including middle names or initials if their license carries them.

State the authority plainly, in one sentence, without hedging. Add the date. Sign only in front of the notary.

If the vehicle is leased, financed or registered to a company, the authorization has to come from whoever appears as the registered owner, not from the person who normally drives it.

Send the whole package with them

Give your representative more than the letter. A copy of your photo identification, the vehicle registration, the insurance card, and a note of any judgments you have already cleared with a reference number.

Ask them to photograph the vehicle before driving away, in case of damage, and to keep every receipt. If anything is queried later, that record is what resolves it.

Why the notarization is the part that cannot be skipped

Everything else in that package can be photocopied or emailed. The notarized signature is the one element that cannot be produced remotely by somebody who is not you, which is exactly why the pound requires it.

It is also why an online notarization solves this so neatly. You can be in another state, or another country, and still produce the one document standing between your car and another $20 night.