Towed in San Francisco: get the car back, or decide to let it go
If SFMTA or SFPD towed your car in San Francisco, you claim it at the City and County of San Francisco Impound, 450 7th Street, and you must pay every fee there, in person, before it is released. Under SFMTA's 2026/2027 fee schedule, a standard tow of a passenger car costs a $385 administrative fee plus a $317 tow fee. After four free hours, storage adds $69 for the first day and $82 for each day after. This page covers why cars get towed, how to find yours, the waivers, what to bring, and what to weigh before you pay.
Sources re-checked .
Short answer
A car towed by SFMTA or SFPD is claimed at the impound at 450 7th Street, open around the clock. Under the 2026/2027 schedule you pay, in person, a $385 administrative fee, a $317 tow fee and storage: four free hours, then $69 for the first day and $82 a day after. Low-income owners pay far less. Release the car before you sell it.
Why SFMTA and SFPD tow cars in San Francisco
SFMTA tows illegally parked and abandoned cars, on orders from its Enforcement officers or SFPD. The published reasons:
- The 72-hour limit. A car left in one spot past 72 hours can get a Marking Notice on the windshield. SFMTA's parking guide spells out the next step: "If you do not return to move the marked vehicle by the date and time listed on the Marking Notice, the vehicle may be towed for being parked overtime".
- Tows with no warning. A car can be cited and towed at once if its DMV registration is more than six months out of date, if it blocks traffic or a driveway, or if it is obviously disabled and inoperable.
- Commute-hour tow-away zones. Some parking lanes become tow-away zones at peak hours, as the meter face and signs show.
- Driveways. Parking in a red-tipped curb or inside the curb cut can get the car towed.
- Police tows. SFPD lists illegal parking, a car that looks abandoned, expired registration, unpaid parking tickets, a crime, a crash, a car unsafe to drive, and an expired driver's license.
If you enroll in SFMTA's Text Before Tow program, it texts you before some tows, such as 72-hour and blocked-driveway tows, but not peak tow-away tows.
Source: SFMTA: how to park legally; SFMTA: towed vehicles; SFPD: towed vehicle information; SFMTA: Text Before Tow.
Finding the car: 450 7th Street, open around the clock
Call the impound at 415.865.8200, or search for the car online, with the plate number, a description, the tow date and the street. If the impound has no record, the car may have been stolen or towed by another agency; report a theft to SFPD at 415.553.0123.
The impound is at 450 7th Street, between Harrison and Bryant, near the Hall of Justice. SFMTA says it is open around the clock, holidays included. The city's contractor, TEGSCO, runs it.
Some oversized vehicles go straight to a second yard in Daly City. A car nobody claims may be moved to the long-term lot at 2650 Bayshore Blvd, Daly City, open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to noon. That lot takes no payments, so you pay at 7th Street first.
Source: SFMTA: towed vehicles; The city's tow contractor: San Francisco location; SFPD: towed vehicle information.
What the tow costs under the 2026/2027 schedule
These are SFMTA's amounts as of October 2026, from its 2026/2027 Fee and Fine Schedule, in effect since July 1, 2026:
- Administrative fee: $385, or $335 for an individual's first tow.
- Tow fee: $317.
- Car storage: the first four hours are free, then $69 for the first 24-hour period or part of it, then $82 for each calendar day or part of one after that. Motorcycles, medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles have their own rates.
- Dolly fee: $56, only if the tow needed one.
- Lien fee: $35 for a car valued at $4,000 or less, $50 above that, when a lien is started and again when it is completed.
SFMTA notes that fees can vary with the vehicle's weight; the impound at 415.865.8200 gives an estimate. Unpaid citations come on top; if a car is towed before a DMV payment reaches SFMTA, you pay those citations to SFMTA directly.
SFMTA's rule: "You must appear in person and pay all fees before your vehicle can be released."
Source: SFMTA: fee and fine schedules; SFMTA 2026/2027 Fee and Fine Schedule (PDF); SFMTA: towed vehicles; SFMTA: citations.
Low-income, homelessness and first-tow reductions
The owner or renter must be an individual; businesses are excluded, and nonowners cannot get the low-income waivers.
- Low income. The administrative fee is waived, the tow fee drops to $111, and up to 15 days of storage and the dolly fee are waived. The line is 200% of the federal poverty level, which SFMTA lists as $25,520 a year for one person and $52,400 for four. Show a Medi-Cal, EBT or SFMTA Lifeline card, WIC benefits, or SFMTA's Income Verification form.
- Experiencing homelessness. After a visit to a Coordinated Entry Point in the past six months, you get a one-time waiver of the administrative fee, the tow fee, up to 30 days of storage and the dolly fee.
- First tow. If SFMTA or SFPD has never towed your car, the administrative fee is $335. Bring the DMV registration showing when you first owned the car.
Bring the proof when you pay. If you paid full fees and qualified, ask SFMTA for a refund within 30 days of the tow or of paying.
Source: SFMTA: reduced tow fees; SFMTA: boot and tow fee reductions.
What to bring to the impound window
The contractor's San Francisco towing notice lists four conditions for release: all fees paid, a valid photo ID, proof you own the car or that the owner authorized you, and any police release the tow requires.
- An SFMTA tow. You must be the registered owner. Someone you send in your place may need a Hold Harmless form.
- An SFPD tow. Get a release form first: in most cases the owner takes a driver's license and proof of ownership to the nearest police station. For an unlicensed or suspended driver, call the SFPD STOP unit at 415.678.3625. SFPD adds its own $194 fee on tows after an arrest, and fees cannot be waived for a car towed in the commission of a crime.
The notice also says you can generally take your personal property from the car, and have your insurer inspect it there, at no charge during business hours.
Source: Towing fees and access notice for San Francisco (PDF); SFMTA: towed vehicles; SFPD: towed vehicle information.
Selling a car that is still at the tow yard
Neither SFMTA nor its contractor describes releasing a towed car to a buyer. SFMTA releases to the registered owner, with a Hold Harmless form for anyone the owner sends. For a car SFPD towed because the driver was unlicensed or suspended, SFPD warns: "To avoid delays, do not change the vehicle's registration to another person's name."
Get an offer online first, so you know what the car is worth before you pay to free it. Release the car in your own name, and soon, because SFMTA says storage fees accrue daily. Then sell. With the partner buyer, cars that do not run can still get an offer, pickup is covered at a time that suits you, and the driver checks the car and pays by check at pickup. The California release of liability stays your job.
See how the offer and pickup work and the 5-day release of liability.
Source: SFMTA: towed vehicles; SFPD: towed vehicle information; SFMTA: contest a tow; The buyer: selling and free pickup.
Pay now or let it go: a worked example
Example. A passenger car is towed for the 72-hour rule. No reduction applies. With 2026/2027 amounts:
- Picked up on day 1, after the free four hours: $385 + $317 + $69 = $771.
- Picked up on day 10: $385 + $317 + $69 + (9 × $82) = $1,509.
- Picked up on day 30: $385 + $317 + $69 + (29 × $82) = $3,149.
After 72 hours a $35 or $50 lien fee can also apply.
Walking away does not clear the debt. The contractor's notice says the tow company may sell an unclaimed car, apply the money to the fees, and bill you for any balance. A hearing will not help on money grounds: "Financial hardships or unfortunate personal circumstances are understandable but will not exempt the vehicle owner from paying the tow, storage, and administrative fees". If you think an SFMTA tow was wrong, schedule a hearing within 30 days of the tow; for an SFPD tow, ask within 10 days at 415.678.3625. If the car is still held and you cannot pay, SFMTA offers a hearing within two business days at 415.646.2020, while storage keeps adding up.
A decision rule: pay early either way. If the offer beats the fees, you keep the difference; if not, each day still adds $82 to a debt you owe.
Source: SFMTA 2026/2027 Fee and Fine Schedule (PDF); Towing fees and access notice for San Francisco (PDF); SFMTA: contest a tow; SFPD: towed vehicle information.
Two questions people ask at the tow yard
Can a friend pick up my towed car in San Francisco?
Possibly. SFMTA says the registered owner must claim the car, and a representative you send may have to bring a Hold Harmless form. Call the impound at 415.865.8200 before they go, and check the SFMTA towed vehicles page for the current rule. For an SFPD tow, the police release comes first.
Can I pay the San Francisco tow yard by check or over the phone?
No. SFMTA takes cash, ATM cards and most major credit cards at the window, and the cardholder must be there with ID that matches the card. It does not accept checks, and it does not take payment by phone or online. See the SFMTA payment options for any change.
Pick the page that fits what happens next
If the car came home and you want it gone, read selling a junk car in San Francisco or selling a car in any condition. To ask about your own car, call (628) 333-6040.
Add up your San Francisco tow bill
Enter how many days the car has been at the impound and what kind of vehicle it is. The total uses SFMTA's 2026/2027 amounts for the administrative fee, the tow fee and daily storage. Count the first day of storage as day 1, and enter 0 if you are claiming the car inside the free first four hours.
A whole number from 0 to 365. Each calendar day, or part of one, after the first 24-hour period counts as another day.
Low-income owners and people experiencing homelessness pay much less; see the reductions above. This tool does not apply those waivers.
Source: SFMTA 2026/2027 Fee and Fine Schedule, effective July 1, 2026, and the SFMTA towed vehicles page for the free first four hours. SFMTA says fees can vary with vehicle weight; the impound at 415.865.8200 gives an exact estimate.
More on selling a car in San Francisco
- PaperworkWhich lines a San Francisco seller signs on the California title, when REG 227 replaces it, the 2026 odometer rule, and what the buyer pays.
- Release of liabilityHow a San Francisco seller files California's 5-day release of liability, online or on REG 138, and answers an SFMTA ticket or bridge toll after the sale.
- Smog checkWhen a San Francisco seller must hand over a California smog certificate, the exemptions by year and fuel, the 90-day validity, and help if the car fails.
- Title problemsHow to sell a car in San Francisco with a lost title, a loan, a late owner's estate, co-owners or a misspelled name, and the California DMV form for each.
- Any conditionSell a San Francisco car that won't start, lost its catalytic converter, was broken into or flooded: SFPD reports, BAR smog rules, free pickup.
- Junk carHow to get rid of a junk car in San Francisco: the partner buyer, a licensed dismantler or state retirement, the DMV forms, fee refunds and the SFMTA 72-hour rule.