Memphis, TN Parking Rules: Towing & Impound Rights (2026)

The maximum charges in Sec. 6-88-6 run by wrecker class. Class A covers passenger cars, pickups and small trailers at $225.00 towed and $275.00 wrecked, with extra winching a one-time $100.00. Class B straight trucks and vans are $370.00 towed and $475.00 wrecked, extra winching $300.00. Class C runs $430.00 and $535.00 for an unloaded tandem-axle, $465.00 and $575.00 loaded, $370.00 and $460.00 for a recreational vehicle 25 feet and under, and $505.00 and $610.00 for RVs over 25 feet and for large buses, with extra winching at $450.00. A licensed driver helper adds no more than $60.00 an hour on a Class B and $100.00 an hour on a Class C, running from arrival on scene to arrival at the final destination. Class A tows may not carry add-ons for dollies, trailers, lifts, slim jims or a licensed driver helper. A vehicle submerged in water or more than 200 feet off the pavement is billed at the Class B hourly rate, with a three-hour maximum for the recovery and the Memphis Police Department supervising officer deciding whether divers or specialty equipment are needed. The city council is directed to review these fees once every two years for parity with operator costs.

Storage and release are governed by Sec. 6-88-7. Ordinary vehicles accrue $30.00 for each 24-hour period or fraction after the first day, tractor trailers $60.00 for the rig plus $60.00 for the trailer. No storage fee may run past 21 days without the owner's or lienholder's consent, and no fee may be charged for a day the vehicle was not actually available for release unless a law enforcement hold is the reason. A $50.00 gate fee applies to a release during night hours, defined in Sec. 6-88-2 as 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., weekend hours from 6:00 p.m. Friday to 7:00 a.m. Monday, or a recognized federal or Tennessee holiday, but the gate fee cannot be added on a day that daily storage is also being charged. Under Sec. 6-88-8, an owner whose stolen car is recovered and impounded owes the tow fee but no storage if the car is reclaimed within five days of notification.

Sec. 6-88-11 sets the duties that make a car retrievable. If the owner was not available to name a destination, the operator has 48 hours to contact the owner and say the vehicle is in its custody, and any second tow to the owner's chosen place must happen within 36 hours. Vehicles must go to a licensed lot inside the city limits, never to a public street. A closed lot must post a sign at least 36 inches by 36 inches with four-inch lettering giving release instructions and a local number answered 24 hours a day and registered with the permits office; a company that lets that information go stale may not charge storage if the lapse blocked the return of the car. Someone with authority to take payment and release vehicles must be on duty seven days a week and available by 7:00 a.m. the morning after a tow, and personal items not held for evidence come back free of charge. Every non-consent tow must be reported to the division of police services before the vehicle is moved. Under Sec. 6-88-55 the operator must take cash and major credit cards, with a card surcharge capped at four percent. Private property tows additionally require a sign at every entrance no smaller than 18 inches by 12 inches with one-inch lettering that names the police report center number and each towing company under contract, plus notarized written authorization from the property owner on file with the permits office (Sec. 6-88-15). Tennessee recodified its towing statutes in 2025, so the T.C.A. cross-references printed in this chapter should be checked against current state law.