The issue of getting a car out of impound has caused lots of debate but the question is, Can someone else get my car out of impound?
Someone can get your car out of impound as long as you provide the person with a signed letter of authority, a copy of your passport to ascertain that truly, the letter is from you, the vehicle registration documents and vehicle insurance documents, etc.
Can Someone Else Get My Car Out of Impound?
Yes, someone can get your car out of impound if they have to have the necessary signed documents required to do so such as a signed letter of authority, and a copy of his passport.
You can certainly delegate the duty of retrieving your car from impound to someone else if it is unavoidable to do so, like the scenario in the introduction above.
However, for the man to get someone else to do this, he must provide the person with a signed letter of authority, and a copy of his passport to ascertain that truly, the letter has come from him, alongside the necessary documents for the release of his vehicle.
Without the necessary signed letter and the relevant documents from the owner, it is impossible to get the car out of impound, because that would mean that such a person is trying to get the car without the owner’s consent or approval.Â
Who Can Impound a Car?
Cars are impounded by the relevant authority in a particular state, region, or jurisdiction, usually the police or troopers. They usually do this when a car is breaking the law by being parked in unauthorized places.
What Does it Mean for a Car to be Impounded?
Your car is said to have been impounded when the relevant authority in the area legally (that is after the necessary legal paperwork has been filed) moves your car with a towing vehicle to an impoundment yard.
An impoundment yard, a tow yard, or a scrap metal yard is a place where cars and all manner of vehicles are stored for different purposes.
Some are stored temporarily until they return to their rightful owners, some have been abandoned there and their only use is to be broken down and turned into scrap metal, some others will be pieced and be used for their parts, while some others will be auctioned off for the impoundment lot to earn some revenue to continue their work.
When you get a notification that your car has been impounded, it means it has been moved to one of the numerous impoundment lots in the state, and if you decide to leave it there for many, many months, it will meet the same fate as vehicles that have become scrap metals and have no owners.
Reasons Why Cars are Impounded
Cars are impounded by the police when the owner of the car isn’t present to claim responsibility or fix the positioning of the car.
If you have just parked your car by the roadside indiscriminately and you go someplace else, you might have your car impounded by the police.
Also, when drivers are arrested for reckless driving, traffic or DOT violation, or driving under the influence (DUI), technically, there won’t be anyone else to take responsibility for the car, therefore, it will be impounded by the police.
What to Do When My Car is Impounded
When your car is impounded by the police, the first thing you need to do is locate where it has been taken to. This is done by calling the appropriate authorities in the state where your car has been impounded.
They are the right people to answer the question of the location of your car. Once you have located your car, you have to provide four items to retrieve your car:
- Your valid driver’s license. You don’t have to worry if you don’t have a valid driver’s license though. You can simply go with someone else who does, but make sure you have a valid identification card with you like photo proof that you are in fact, the owner of the car.
- Vehicle registration. This is another form of identification or proof of ownership. The car registration must be the latest one, and it must have your name on it.
- Your recent vehicle insurance too will have to be provided to release your car from impound.
- Finally, the amount of money you have to pay to get your car out of the impoundment lot. The tow fees and then the storage fees. The tow fees depend on the weight of your car, while the storage fees depend on the number of days your car was kept for.
How Much Does it Cost to Release a Car from Impound?
There are two separate fees you will have to pay to release your car from impound; the tow fees and the storage fees.
The tow fees vary according to the weight of your car. It is the amount paid to the towing company for their service of towing your vehicle.
For cars with a weight less than 10,000 pounds, the tow fee is $150.00, for cars with a weight higher than 10,000 pounds, they pay $200.00, while trailers pay $75.00. Additional services such as wrapping windows attract additional fees.
The storage fees cost $25.00 per day if your vehicle is up to 1-ton capacity, $30.00 per day if it is between 1 and a 5-ton capacity, and $40.00 per day for vehicles like trailers, commercial buses, etc. that have a ton capacity above 5 tons.
Disadvantages of Police Impounding Your Car
You won’t want the police to impound your car for many reasons. Your car going to the impoundment lot has several disadvantages.
It is Expensive
When the police impound your car, you have to spend several dollars to the tune of towing fees to get your car back, and as the day goes by, with your car still in the impoundment lot, the amount of money you have to pay increases.
The Stressful Process of Locating Your Car
Locating your car after an impound can be a very stressful endeavor because you have to call the police, then get routed to different stations until you finally find the right information as regards the location of your car.
Final Thoughts
Endeavor not to let your car get impounded, but if it does get impounded, and you are out of town, or for one reason or the other, you can’t go by yourself to release your car out of impound, you should rest assured that as long as the right documents are in places such as a letter of authority from you, properly signed, a means of identification, vehicle registration documents and vehicle insurance documents, you can get someone else to help you get your car out of impound.