Tow and Storage Fees After a Car Accident: Who Pays and How to Stop the Clock

If another driver caused the crash, towing and a reasonable amount of storage are generally part of your property damage claim against that driver's insurer. The catch is the word "reasonable." Storage is billed by the day, insurers often take weeks to decide fault, and the yard wants to be paid before it releases the car. If you wait for someone else to act, the bill can grow larger than the car is worth.

This guide explains who pays, why the fees add up, how police-ordered tows differ from tows you choose, and how to get the car moved. The tow and storage fee calculator shows your own running total and writes a letter to the insurer.

Who pays for towing and storage

There are three possible payers, and the order matters.

• The at-fault driver's insurer. Their property damage liability coverage pays for the damage their driver caused, which usually includes towing and storage for a reasonable period. They pay only after they accept liability, and only for days they consider reasonable.
• Your own insurer, if you have collision coverage. Your collision claim can pay to move and repair or total the car now, minus your deductible. Your insurer can then try to recover from the other insurer (subrogation), and you may get your deductible back if it succeeds.
• You. The yard's bill is usually addressed to the vehicle owner. If no insurer pays, or an insurer pays only part, you owe the yard and then claim the difference from the at-fault driver.

If you were partly at fault, the other insurer may pay only a share of the storage, just as it would for repairs. See the fault and compensation estimator.

Why storage fees build up so fast

A yard may charge a tow fee, a daily storage rate, and extra fees for gate access, after-hours release or administration. The daily rate is what makes the bill grow. A hypothetical example:

Day	Tow and fees	Storage at $65/day	Total
1	$500	$65	$565
15	$500	$975	$1,475
30	$500	$1,950	$2,450
60	$500	$3,900	$4,400
131	$500	$8,515	$9,015

If the car was worth $9,000, the storage bill passes its value around day 131. For an older car worth $4,000, it happens around day 54.

The usual cause is a gap in decisions. The other insurer has not accepted liability, so it will not authorize a repair. You do not want to pay for a repair yourself. The car sits. Each party assumes the other is responsible for the delay.

Reasonable storage and your duty to limit losses

People who claim damages are generally expected to take reasonable steps to keep their losses down. Insurers use this idea to refuse storage days that ran on after the owner could have moved the car. They may pay the first days and dispute the rest.

You protect yourself by acting early and in writing:

1. Report the claim and tell the adjuster where the car is and what the yard charges per day.
2. Ask the insurer, in writing, to move the car to its own yard or an approved shop, or to confirm that it will pay storage from that date.
3. If it does not answer, use your collision coverage or move the car yourself to a place that charges less, such as your home or a shop that will hold it without daily fees.

A written request gives you a record. If the insurer later argues that you let storage run up, you can show that you asked it to act and it did not. The storage fees letter template is written for this.

Police-ordered tows and tows you choose

After a crash, the car may be towed in one of two ways, and the rules differ.

A nonconsent tow is one you did not arrange. Police may call a company from a rotation list, or the car may be towed later from private property. Because the owner did not choose the company or agree to a price, many states and cities regulate these tows. Common rules cover maximum rates, how soon the owner must be notified, how far the car can be taken, when the yard must be open for release, which payment methods it must accept, and access to personal belongings.

A consent tow is one you or your roadside service arranged. The price is generally the one you agreed to, and regulators often have less authority over it. Colorado's Public Utilities Commission, for example, says it has little to no authority over tows that you or your insurer authorize.

If you are not sure which kind you had, ask the police agency that handled the crash whether the tow was from its rotation, and ask the yard for the tow ticket.

State and city rules we have verified

The table lists rules we checked at an official source (a state legislature, a regulator or law.justia.com) on November 3, 2026. It is not a complete list. A state that is not listed may still have rules, and many cities and counties set their own tow rates. Rules change, so open the source before relying on it.

State	What the rule covers	Source
California	For private-property tows, charges above the greater of the local law enforcement agreement rate or the CHP-approved rate are excessive, and the owner can recover four times the amount charged. Storage generally must be within 10 miles. Yards must give an itemized invoice and let you retrieve personal property without first paying tow and storage fees.	Cal. Veh. Code §§ 22658, 22651.07
Colorado	The PUC regulates towing carriers and sets rules and rates for nonconsent tows. For private-property tows, storage is prorated hourly, and only the first 24 hours may be charged until certified notice is mailed.	Colorado PUC towing notice
Florida	No storage fee for storage under 6 hours. Notice of lien must go by certified mail to the owner, insurer and lienholders within 5 business days, or storage charges are barred or limited. Owners and insurers must get access to the car and personal property within 1 hour during business hours. Fees above the posted rate sheet are deemed unreasonable.	Fla. Stat. § 713.78
New York (NYC only)	After a crash on a city street, a car that cannot be driven must be towed by a DCWP-licensed company authorized by police. Maximum rates: $125 for vehicles up to 10,000 lbs, storage $25 a day for days 1–3 and $27 a day after. Companies must give a receipt and accept credit cards.	NYC DCWP towing guide
Texas	TDLR licenses vehicle storage facilities. Daily storage fees are capped by statute and rule, notice to the owner is due within 5 days for Texas-registered vehicles, and you may inspect the tow ticket before paying, retrieve belongings and pay by cash, debit or credit card.	Tex. Occ. Code ch. 2303; 16 TAC ch. 85 (TDLR)

Florida's private-property towing statute (§ 715.07) and Texas's towing statute for nonconsent tows (Occupations Code ch. 2308) also apply in their areas. We did not summarize them here.

How to get the car moved

You usually have four options. Pick the one that stops the daily charges soonest.

• The at-fault insurer moves it. Many insurers have contracts with salvage or storage yards and can tow the car there at their expense. Ask directly.
• Your own insurer moves it. With collision coverage, your insurer can take the car to a shop or its own yard and settle with the other insurer later.
• A repair shop takes it. Some shops will hold a car while the estimate is approved. Ask whether they charge storage, and how much.
• You move it. If the car is safe to store at home, paying the yard and a second tow may cost less than waiting. Keep the receipts and claim them.

Before you go to the yard, call to ask about release hours, the documents they need (usually ID, registration or title, and proof of insurance), the payment methods they accept, and whether your insurer can pay them directly. Ask for an itemized invoice before you pay.

Get your things out of the car

Remove personal items, registration papers, child seats, garage openers and anything with your address on it as soon as you can. Several states require yards to allow this. In Florida and California, for example, owners can get access to personal property without first paying the tow and storage fees. If the car is a total loss, it may be moved to a salvage auction yard, and getting items out becomes harder.

Disputes and complaints

If you think a bill is wrong, start with the paperwork.

1. Get the itemized invoice and the tow ticket. Compare each line with rates posted at the yard and any rate rules for your state or city.
2. Dispute in writing with the yard, and send a copy to the insurer. Pay under protest if you must to get the car back, and say so on the receipt or in an email.
3. Complain to the regulator. Depending on where you are, towing may be overseen by a state licensing agency, a public utilities or commerce commission, a city consumer protection office, or the police agency that runs the rotation list. In New York City it is DCWP; in Texas, TDLR; in Colorado, the PUC. If you cannot find a towing regulator, the state attorney general's consumer protection office is a reasonable place to start.
4. Claim the cost. Storage you could not reasonably avoid belongs in your property damage claim. If the insurer refuses and the amount is modest, small claims court is one option. Check your state's filing deadline on our state law pages.

For larger disputes, especially when the insurer's delay caused most of the storage, it may be worth a call to a licensed attorney in your state. See do I need a lawyer?.

The short version for this week

Write down the yard's daily rate. Send the insurer a dated request to move the car or accept the storage. If nothing happens within a few days, use collision coverage or move the car yourself, and keep every receipt. A car rarely gains value at a tow yard, but the bill grows every day it stays there.