State guide
Kentucky
Kentucky regulates towing and storage more centrally than Iowa or Kansas: towing and storage companies must hold a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet certificate and file rate sheets with KYTC. Kentucky also has specific statewide rules for private-property towing, owner/lienholder notice, and law-enforcement notification.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- How to find a towed car
- Not published by an official source we could verify. Ask the office.
- State rules on tow and storage fees
- KYTC says towing and storage companies must file rates with KYTC and may not charge more or less than the rates on file; Kentucky statute also treats charges above the filed rate sheet as excessive.
- Notice rules (police and owner)
- A tow company must contact the cabinet within 1 business day, send certified-mail notice to the owner and lienholder within 10 days, and report private-property tows to local law enforcement within 2 hours; evidence holds require owner notice within 5 business days and release notice within 2 business days.
- Who regulates tow companies
- Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Carriers
- File a towing complaint
- Official page →
Official resources in Kentucky
Official towing/storage page with rate-sheet library, complaint instructions, and consumer FAQ.
Private-property towing rules, signage, 25-mile storage limit, half-release fee rule, and police notification rule.
Rate-sheet, excessive-charge, invoice, and record-inspection rules for towing companies and storage facilities.
Owner and lienholder notice deadlines and required notice contents for involuntary tows.
Official forms library entry showing the KYTC Consumer Complaint form.
Key facts for Kentucky
- Kentucky requires all towing and storage companies to obtain an official Towing and Storage Certificate from the Division of Motor Carriers.
- KYTC says towing and storage companies must file their rates with KYTC and may not charge more or less than the rates on file.
- For private-property tows, the vehicle must go to a storage facility within 25 miles, or the nearest facility if none is within 25 miles.
- If the owner or operator returns while the private-property tow is underway, the release fee may not exceed 50% of the normal release fee.
- Private-property tows must be reported to the local law-enforcement agency within two hours after the tow is completed.
- Tow companies must contact the cabinet within one business day to identify the owner and lienholder and send certified-mail notice within 10 days of removal.
City towed-car lookups and impound lots in Kentucky
| City | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impounded vehicles Fayette | Lexington | (859) 233-9711 | Official Lexington page for police/LexPark impounds and private-property tow log help; private-property information is also available from Central Records Reports Desk at (859) 258-3563. |
| Police phone directory Fayette | Lexington | (859) 258-3531 | Lists Lexington Police Technical Services Unit as the impounded-vehicles and fleet contact. |
| Towed Vehicles Jefferson | Louisville | Not published* | Official Louisville Metro Police towed-vehicle page for determining which lot holds a vehicle. |
| Vehicle Impoundment Lot (Police) Jefferson | Louisville | (502) 574-7078 | Louisville Metro government locations page listing the police vehicle impoundment lot. |
| Central Records Unit Warren | Bowling Green | Not published* | Official Bowling Green Police records page stating the unit maintains vehicle impounds. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- Ask the tow company for its current KYTC-filed rate sheet and compare every line item on the invoice to that sheet.
- If the car was towed from private property, photograph the posted tow-away sign and note whether the storage lot is within 25 miles.
- If you cannot resolve the problem with the company in writing, use KYTC’s consumer complaint form; KYTC says unresolved fee disputes may still be civil matters.
Not seeing your city or county?
Not every city publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Kentucky's population center, for comparison only):
- Impound Unit FAQ, Ohio · about 99 miles
- Evansville Police towing contract materials, Indiana · about 125 miles
- Police Vehicle Impound Section, Tennessee · about 142 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.KYTC DRIVE — Towing-Storage
Website →Phone not shown: use the contact page on the official website above.Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Kentucky page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.