State guide
New York
New York does not show a single statewide towed-vehicle locator on the official state pages reviewed, and private-property towing rules are heavily local. State law clearly governs liens and owner notice for law-enforcement-requested tows, while New York City separately licenses tow truck companies and caps certain private-lot towing fees.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
Try a ZIP like 30303, “Travis County” or “Columbus, OH”
- How to find a towed car
- No statewide New York towed-vehicle search was found on the official state pages reviewed.
- State rules on tow and storage fees
- No single statewide private-property non-consent tow fee cap was found; New York City caps private-lot tows at $125 including the first three days of storage, then $15 per day after that.
- Notice rules (police and owner)
- For law-enforcement-requested tows, the owner must be notified within five working days from the initial towing and lienholders within twenty days of the first day of storage; private-property police-notification duties are local on the pages reviewed.
- Who regulates tow companies
- Statewide regulator for private-property tow companies was not identified on the official state pages reviewed; New York City licenses tow truck companies through the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
- File a towing complaint
- Official page →
Official resources in New York
Lien Law § 184
Official New York statute page on garageman liens and owner notice for law-enforcement-requested towing and storage.
MV-901DI Instructions
DMV instructions explaining notice and mailing proof for lien and sale of towed or stored vehicles.
File a complaint | New York Attorney General
Statewide complaint portal for consumer issues and services.
Retrieve a Towed Vehicle — NYC Department of Finance
Official New York City vehicle locator and retrieval guidance.
Key facts for New York
- For a motor vehicle towed and stored at a law-enforcement officer’s request, the tower must mail certified notice to the owner within five working days from the initial towing.
- If that five-working-day notice is late, the tower keeps its towing lien but storage lien runs only from the mailing date.
- For those law-enforcement-requested tows, notice to lienholders or secured parties must be mailed within twenty days of the first day of storage.
- New York City private-parking-lot tows are capped at $125 for removal and the first three days of storage, plus $15 per day after that.
- In Yonkers, a private-lot tow operator must notify the Police Department radio room at pickup and keep a running log.
- Rochester’s Auto Impound says private-lot tows are not reported to the Rochester Police Department.
City towed-car lookups and impound lots in New York
| City | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| NYC Department of Finance — Retrieve a Towed Vehicle New York | New York City | 646-517-1000 | City page for locating and retrieving a towed vehicle; also lists the boot release line. |
| NYCServ Towed Vehicle Locator New York | New York City | Not published* | Official New York City online locator for towed vehicles. |
| Has My Car Been Towed? | Buffalo, NY Erie | Buffalo | 716-851-5182 | Official Buffalo page for checking city tows and impound procedures. |
| RPD: Auto impound Monroe | Rochester | (585) 428-6717 | Includes Rochester’s vehicle lookup application, hours, redemption rules, and fees. |
| Boot & Tow Information / Policy Westchester | Yonkers | 914-377-6000 | Official Yonkers page explaining how to get a release form for a booted or towed vehicle. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- If your vehicle was towed in New York City, use the Towed Vehicle Locator or contact 311 before going to a tow pound.
- If your vehicle was towed at police request outside NYC, ask the tower for the certified-mail notice and the address and release hours required by Lien Law § 184.
- For private-lot disputes, check the local city code or permit page because licensing, fee caps, and police-notification duties may be local rather than statewide.
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 New York's population center, for comparison only):
- Paterson Police Division, New Jersey · about 46 miles
- Newark Police Department Licensing Unit — Wrecker, New Jersey · about 58 miles
- City of Jersey City Commerce — Vehicle Information Form - Towing Class A & Class B, New Jersey · about 61 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.File a complaint | New York Attorney General
Website →Phone: (800) 771-7755 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the New York page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.