--- title: "Texas: How much is impound fee per day in texas — TowingDad" canonical: https://towingdad.shop/questions/impound-and-release/how-much-is-impound-fee-per-day-in-texas/ lang: en --- # How much is impound fee per day in texas? By [Nora Whitfield, J.D.](/authors/nora-whitfield/) — Consumer law attorney Last reviewed: 2026-08-17 R3 An impound bill is the tow charge plus storage for every day the vehicle sits plus a release or administrative fee. In Texas the binding figure is set by the state or the city — check the Texas page before you pay. - Per calendar dayHow storage is usually billed - Tow + storage + releaseThe three components - Non-consensual onlyWhat a state may cap ## Short version - The bill has three parts: tow, per-day storage, and a release or admin fee. - Storage almost always increments on the calendar day, not the hour. - A state may cap non-consensual tow and storage rates; a consensual tow is generally uncapped. - We do not publish a national average because no authoritative one exists. **Towing and impound rules are set by state and often by city.**This page reflects Texas as of 2026-08-17. Verify with the Texas agency named on that page before acting. Cost range: $20–$100, typical $45 $20$45$100 Illustrates the daily storage range seen in published municipal schedules. Not a national rate — use your lot's own schedule. ## Why the per-day convention matters so much Because storage normally increments on the calendar day, the hour a vehicle arrives changes what you owe. A car logged at 11 p.m. can carry two days by 1 a.m., before anyone has had a chance to collect it. This is why the same-day trip is almost always the cheapest available decision, and why "I will deal with it Monday" is the single most expensive sentence in this situation. ## What applies in Texas The specific rule for Texas lives in that state's own schedule and statutes, not in a national summary, and it moves with each legislative session. Our [Texas towing laws](/towing-laws/texas/) page records which agency regulates, whether a non-consensual rate cap exists, the notice deadlines and the complaint route — and states plainly which items we have not yet been able to document against a primary source. The [Texas impound](/impound/texas/) page covers vehicle release. ## What your state is actually allowed to cap That last carve-out is the hinge. States and cities **may** cap what you are charged for a police-ordered tow or a tow off private property, because you did not choose it. They generally **may not** cap prices for a consensual tow you called for yourself. So a published cap, where one exists, will usually apply to the police-ordered or private-property tow that put your car in the lot — not to a tow you arranged yourself. ## Why we will not give you a national average There is no federal or industry rate table for towing and storage, so any single national figure is one aggregator's summary of another's quotes. We publish the structure, because that is verifiable, and we point you at the state and city schedules where a sourced number can actually appear with an effective date attached. ## How to read a published fee schedule A municipal schedule usually separates the tow by vehicle class, the storage by day and sometimes by vehicle size, and then lists ancillary charges — dolly use, winching, after-hours gate, administrative or lien-processing fees. The ancillary lines are where an invoice most often exceeds what a reader expected, because they are itemised separately from the headline rate. Ask which schedule the lot bills under and request a copy; an operator working under a published cap can produce it, and one that cannot is telling you something. ## What keeps growing and what does not The tow charge is fixed the moment the vehicle is hooked. The storage charge is the only line that grows, and it grows on a schedule you cannot negotiate. That is why the arithmetic of waiting is so unforgiving: every day of deliberation adds the full daily rate while the disputed portion of the bill stays exactly the same size. Recovering the vehicle first and disputing afterwards is almost always cheaper than being right slowly. ## When the bill passes what the car is worth For an older vehicle the accruing storage can overtake the market value within a couple of weeks, at which point abandoning it feels rational. It usually is not: in most states the lien process can still pursue the registered owner for the shortfall after a sale, and the sale itself does not automatically clear your name from the title or the associated liability. Before walking away, find out what your state requires to transfer or surrender title, because silence is not the same as release. ## Common mistakes - **Budgeting from a national average you read somewhere** — schedules are local and change annually; the number will be wrong. - **Leaving the vehicle over a weekend to save a trip** — per-calendar-day storage makes that the most expensive option available. General information, not legal advice. Towing and impound law varies by state and city and changes frequently. Consult the agency listed or a licensed attorney before acting. Sources (2)- U.S. PIRG Education Fund — [Predatory Towing — consumer protections by state](https://pirg.org/resources/predatory-towing/) (accessed 2026-08-17) T2 - Cornell Legal Information Institute — [49 U.S.C. § 14501 — Federal authority over intrastate transportation](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/14501) (accessed 2026-08-17) T1 ## Related questions - [What to do if your car gets towed?](/questions/impound-and-release/what-to-do-if-your-car-gets-towed/) - [How do i find my towed car?](/questions/impound-and-release/how-do-i-find-my-towed-car/) - [How much do tow yards charge per day?](/questions/impound-and-release/how-much-do-tow-yards-charge-per-day/) - [Can your car get towed for expired tags?](/questions/impound-and-release/can-your-car-get-towed-for-expired-tags/) - [Can aaa tow my car anywhere?](/questions/impound-and-release/can-aaa-tow-my-car-anywhere/) - [Can your car get towed for expired tags in california?](/questions/impound-and-release/can-your-car-get-towed-for-expired-tags-in-california/) - [Impound](/impound/) - [Calculators](/calculators/) - [Glossary](/glossary/) - [Your rights](/rights/) ## Also asked as - How to get impound fees waived in texas?