How to get your car out of impound in Downtown
If your car got towed in Downtown, here's how to find it fast and get it back the same day.
What Tennessee law says
Memphis doesn't run a network of private contractors the way some cities do. Vehicles towed under the authority of the Memphis Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, or Housing and Community Development all land at one facility: the MPD Vehicle Storage Lot at 465 Klinke Avenue, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There's no online lookup tool published for finding a towed vehicle here, so the fastest path is calling the lot directly at (901) 636-8200. Expect a $135 impound fee plus $30 a day in storage, which doesn't include winching or other add-on charges, payable by cash or credit card. To retrieve the car, the registered owner needs proof of ownership (current registration, title, or lease agreement), the plate number or VIN, and valid picture ID, plus a licensed driver to drive it off the lot or a tow arranged for an extra fee. Someone other than the registered owner needs a notarized statement naming them, a copy of the owner's photo ID, the plate or VIN, and the vehicle's make and year; a rental needs the rental agreement and matching ID. If the car's tied to an open investigation, call the same number to check hold status before making the trip. Any private tow company working inside Memphis city limits, including anyone on the MPD Wrecker Rotation list, first needs approval from the Memphis Transportation Commission, and if you had a preferred company in mind, the City's own Wrecker Rules say your choice gets honored unless that company isn't permitted, can't respond in reasonable time, or your vehicle is an immediate hazard. Questions about a towing company itself, not the impound lot, go to the Permits Administrator or Wrecker Coordinator at (901) 636-6735 or permits@memphistn.gov. Southaven and the rest of DeSoto County, Mississippi run under Mississippi law, not Tennessee's, and West Memphis and Marion, across the river in Crittenden County, Arkansas, run under Arkansas law, so a tow that started on the other side of a state line follows a different process entirely, call whichever department or lot actually handled it. Quick Tow Memphis is a private tow company, not the city's impound lot. We can't waive fees the city sets, but we can help with transport once your car's released.
How it works in Downtown
- 1 Find out where your car went
Call the MPD Vehicle Storage Lot at (901) 636-8200 to confirm a Memphis Police, Sheriff's, or HCD tow. Outside city limits, call the department that ordered the tow instead.
- 2 Confirm it's at 465 Klinke Avenue
MPD's single impound facility is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call ahead so you're not making a trip for nothing.
- 3 Gather what you'll need
Bring proof of ownership, your plate number or VIN, and valid picture ID. A licensed driver has to take the car off the lot, or you can arrange a tow for an extra fee.
- 4 Know what you'll owe
Expect a $135 impound fee plus $30 a day in storage, cash or credit card, on top of any winching or extra charges. A private wrecker company's on-scene rate is a separate, unpublished schedule, so ask before it hooks up.
- 5 Pay the lot directly
Quick Tow Memphis doesn't set or collect city impound fees. You pay the lot, not us.
- 6 Retrieve your vehicle
If you're not the registered owner, bring a notarized statement naming you, a copy of the owner's ID, and the plate or VIN. Rentals need the rental agreement and matching ID.
What this looks like around Downtown
A tow from {c} lands at the MPD Vehicle Storage Lot, 465 Klinke Avenue, the single facility that processes every Memphis Police, Sheriff's Department, and HCD tow. Call (901) 636-8200 to confirm it's there before you drive over.
Downtown Memphis is where every interstate and US highway serving the metro physically comes together before I-40 crosses the Mississippi on the Hernando de Soto Bridge, so anything that breaks down approaching that bridge funnels through these same few blocks. Beale Street's bar and restaurant district generates a steady run of private-lot tows on weekend nights, cars parked in venue lots that were never meant to hold them, and event nights at FedExForum and AutoZone Park add their own wave of congestion-driven calls on top. The Peabody Hotel, the Mississippi River waterfront around Mud Island, and the historic core around Court Square sit close enough together that a single dispatch often covers two or three calls in the same walk. We reach Beale Street, FedExForum, and the Hernando de Soto Bridge approach in about 15 to 25 minutes, running wheel-lift for the ordinary lot tow and flatbed for anything caught on the bridge approach itself or in standing water near the riverfront.
Common Downtown questions
How do I find out where my car was towed in Downtown?
Call the MPD Vehicle Storage Lot at (901) 636-8200, the single facility for every Memphis Police, Sheriff's, and HCD tow. Outside Memphis city limits, call the department that ordered the tow instead.
What will I owe to get my car out of impound in Downtown?
MPD's Vehicle Storage Lot charges a $135 impound fee plus $30 a day in storage, cash or credit card. Winching or other extras cost more, and a private wrecker's on-scene rate runs on a separate, unpublished schedule, so ask before it's hooked up.
Is there an online tool to look up a towed vehicle in Downtown?
No. Memphis doesn't publish a self-service lookup tool, so calling (901) 636-8200 is the fastest confirmed way to check.
Can Quick Tow Memphis release my car from impound in Downtown?
No, we're a private tow company, not the city's impound lot. We can't waive fees, but we can help with transport once your car is released.
Related help for Downtown
Need your car towed once it's released in Downtown?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can tow it home the moment it clears.