Our kindest condolences that they impounded your car, but the purpose of this guide is as effective as an ointment for your wound, where you would not only learn the causes owning the impoundment of your car but also the answer to ‘can my finance company get my car out of impound?
Not only your finance company, but we’d suggest you should also learn other approaches to emancipate your impounded car, for they have equally higher chances to fall handy at the time of need. And fortunately, you’d also be finding them listed below, just that you stay with us, and pay meticulous attention to what is to come.
Do I Need To Pay The Impound Lot Fees To Get My Car Out?
We’ll start with answering this question, for not only that this makes the most sense, but also it will calm you down if you are tight on budget or somewhat confused about whom to pay.
So, the answer as to whether you’d have to pay or not is simply positive, which means you’d have to pay a pre-defined amount of fees to the impound lot while showing them the legislated paperwork in the name of your vehicle.
It begs one more case, i.e., if your vehicle is unregistered, your case will only worsen, which is why you need to buy coverage right off! An idea of the intensifying situation could come from the complete seizure of your car even when you are ready to pay the penalty equivalent to a fortune.
In this case, we’d suggest you opt for legal advice and visit your lawyer to find out all the possibilities your car could come out of the impound intact, paying the money would be inevitable, either to the impound lot, the lawyer, or while getting your car insured.
But, I Bought The Car Via A Finance Company?
That’s where the twist slides in, and so does the question ‘can my finance company get my car out of impound?’
While we have already put limelight over the scenario where you’d have to pay the fees, count your finance company in the list; when it is the case, you would not have to go to the lawyer, which is a plus point.
It also tells that, yes! Your finance company can get your car out of impound, but they’d charge you a fee depending on the magnitude of your case, and it could accordingly fluctuate. So, we’d advise you to stay prepared to expect anything from them, unless there are exceptions.
Reasons The Police May Impound Your Car
Now that you know all the ins and outs of financial affairs that may occur, you should also know what may cause your car to get impounded and that you should keep a close watch on committing them.
1. Vehicle Abandonment
In vehicle abandonment, it does not matter if your vehicle is registered or not. If it is parked on a certain spot or left behind for more days than normal, the police might abduct and impound your car until someone comes to retrieve it.
It mostly happens when you leave your car in the middle of nowhere when it stalls or starts underperforming that you later procrastinate its towing or getting it repaired, following its abandonment in the spot only to let it get impounded.
In this case, we’d suggest you get legal advice from your lawyer, for there could be exceptions while dealing with the officials that they can help you counter by every means possible.
2. Parking/Traffic Ticket(s)
At times, you don’t recall being charged for a parking ticket or forget paying for them. In either case, if the number of tickets has exceeded a specific figure, you wouldn’t be seeing your car in the parking lot but in that of impound’s. Not only you will have to pay for all the tickets, but you will also have to pay for the impound lot’s fee, and extra charges if any.
3. Felony Activity
You need to be quite conscious of your car’s safety while in the USA, for by any possibility, if it is linked to a crime, it may put you behind bars for as many as 10 years with thousands of dollars fine to be paid alongside the bail fees, i.e., if the court allows it.
Of course, different car crimes have different penalties, so, it will depend on what you will be charged with, best briefed over by your lawyer.
Related Article: How to safely do car towing & see if you can tow other cars
4. Uninsured Vehicle
Of many frequent causes related to vehicle impoundment, one is an uninsured vehicle. But, it is not as obvious as other causes listed earlier. Why? The police officer would only come to know it when they stop you over for overspeeding or if they become doubtful of any suspicious activity ongoing in the vehicle.
They might ask you to show them the insurance of your vehicle, and that’s where you will sweat on your forehead if you don’t have the insurance, having the policemen impose heavy charges on you, so much to have you worrying if you’d be able to pay them or let go of your car.
Read more: Penalties You Will Face For Using Fake Proof of Insurance
5. Altering The Vehicle Illegally
If you are a car enthusiast, you may have a few times struck with an urge to modify it to gain more attraction or to satisfy your cravings. There are no odds to doing so, just that you need to be aware of the alterations the USA law has marked illegal.
Loud exhaust, Radar detectors, lowriders, removed emissions, underbody neon, and more are some of the modifications you need to maintain a drastic distance from, for they are illegal and, if spotted, may withdraw a decent amount of money off your pockets.
6. Carousing/Joyriding
As obvious as the moon in the night, you can’t possibly be spotted joyriding or carousing on the roads, especially in the morning, when police officers are on strict rounds and most active. The punishment could be as severe as a year in jail paired with hefty fines. The fines may not burden you much, but it would be the jail to haunt your wildest nightmares.
It is primarily the activity to drive the cars of other people without their permission, which is typically called vehicle theft, only if you are not familiar with what joyriding is. Carousing, on the other hand, is driving drunk that the police would easily detect with a breathalyzer.
7. Unregistered Vehicles
Like uninsured vehicles, you will only get caught if you are stopped over by a policeman, which may have you paying as low as $200 or as much as $1000, influenced by the state regulations. The penalty is one punishment you could be charged for driving an unregistered vehicle, there could be more, including misdemeanor, jail time, and incarceration.
8. Wrong Parking
Wrong parking could own it for several reasons, including parking in a handicapped space, parking in a reserved space, or parking in a ‘no parking space. You can expect a ticket to be issued to you in either of the cases, with the most chances accredited to parking in the handicapped spot or in a ‘no parking space.
It will depend on the number of tickets you have been issued before they make the decision of impounding your car; if the number is higher, they will impound your car, if it is not, they will simply place a ticket on your windshield and walk their path. ‘They’ refer to the policemen on duty in that specific area.
9. Rooky Driving
You should know that rooky or reckless driving is not a felony but misdemeanor conduct in the US, which could still prove fatal to your financial landscape when you’d pay around $2500 for a fine, up to 12 months in jail, and/or 06 months of underprivileged driving.
All in all, if you are not careful, you could conduct the crimes listed in this guide, and get charged for the penalties accordingly. And, considering the regulations varying from state to state, the fines or punishments could be as severe.
Do The Fines Keep Increasing Every Day When Your Car Is Impounded?
Yes, you need to be as quick as you can be when retrieving your car from impoundment, for every day you procrastinate the emancipation, your fees will double the daily charges, and would soon become a mountain that is impossible to climb.
It may have you let go of your vehicle only to be scrapped and crushed for multiple purposes empowered with the waste of the cars.
Can You Retrieve Your Car From Impoundment Without Insurance?
The straightforward answer to this question would be a big NO! Because one of the requirements for vehicle emancipation from impoundment is that the vehicle should be insured; in fact, an uninsured vehicle could as well be the reason for impoundment.
So, if you are thinking about getting your vehicle out, you will have to buy insurance, if not full or premium, buy the least expensive or underprivileged; it will allow you to get your car out that you can later get covered for premium insurances.
Will They Crush Your Car While In Impoundment?
Well, that’s not as abrupt as you are thinking of it. When the vehicle is impounded, they park it in a reserved spot with proper serial numbers and record maintained in software installed across the facility. They have a time frame for getting it out, and if you don’t retrieve your vehicle in that window, there could be consequences:
- Auctioning
- Crushing
- Scraping & more
And, not to forget the increasing fees, you would hate the fact that you need to arrange the fees including that of next day’s if you are planning for the retrieval tomorrow morning.
Do I Need to Take Evidence For Vehicle Retrieval?
Well, yes, if you think there have been misunderstandings between you and the impoundment authorities. Showing them the evidence that you are 100% justified in your conduct might free your car without any fees, but that’s rare.
Depending on the situation, you may not be able to get the fees waived, even if the evidence is completely in your favor.
Impound Fee Per USA States
Arizona $15 |
Alabama $25 |
Arkansas $25 |
California $53 |
Colorado $30 |
Connecticut $25 |
Delaware $15 |
District of Columbia $20 |
Florida $25 |
Georgia $15 |
Hawaii $20 |
Idaho $25 |
Illinois $20 |
Indiana $30 |
Iowa $25 |
Kansas $40 |
Kentucky $15 |
Louisiana $19 |
Maine $25 |
Maryland $50 |
Massachusetts $35 |
Missouri $25 |
Nebraska $20 |
Nevada $25 |
New Mexico $20 |
New York $20 |
Ohio $17 |
Oklahoma $25 |
Oregon $27 |
Pennsylvania $25 |
Texas $20 |
Utah $40 |
Vermont $20 |
Virginia $25 |
Washington $48 |
West Virginia $25 |
The Takeaway
Your finance company can get your car out of impound, even before you let them know of the incident. It is because they are well aware of every vehicle they have issued and may as well be the first entity the impoundment authorities would contact.
So, yes, you only have to walk to them and find out the appropriate method towards emancipation, which may involve paying a fee to your finance company or briefing them over the cause that led to the impoundment.
Also, if it is not you retrieving the car and someone else on your behalf, we’d suggest opting for a legal word from your lawyer or consultancy. You will have a better understanding of the scenario though you may have to pay extra money to both your lawyer and for the impound lot.
We are confident that this guide has resolved your concerns, and our take on restoring a car step by step would prove to be as handy, give it a read.
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