Why there's no 30-day impound hold in Orlando
Florida doesn't run a fixed 30-day impound hold like some other states do. Here's what actually happens to a towed car in Orlando when the bill goes unpaid.
What Florida law says
Some states force a fixed 30-day hold on certain impounds. Florida isn't one of them. Instead, a towed car sits at a private, county-regulated storage facility for as long as the bill goes unpaid, with fees adding up every day. Orange County gives you 24 free hours before storage starts on a trespass tow, or 6 free hours on a police-ordered tow. After that, storage runs $32 a day for a standard car, billed in 24-hour blocks, not calendar days. An extra $50 administrative fee can apply after the first 48 hours, but only once the lien-notice process has started. The real deadline isn't 30 days, it's the lien sale under Florida Statute 713.78: an unclaimed car becomes eligible for sale 35 days after storage begins if it's more than 3 model years old, or 57 days if it's 3 model years old or newer. Quick Tow Orlando is a private tow company, not the storage yard. We can't waive fees or set a release date.
How it works in Orlando
- 1 Know there's no fixed 30-day rule
Florida doesn't force a 30-day hold the way some states do. Your car sits until you pay, dispute the tow, or it hits the lien-sale deadline.
- 2 Track the free-hour window
Orange County gives 24 free hours before storage starts on a trespass tow, or 6 free hours on a police-ordered tow. After that, the daily rate kicks in.
- 3 Watch the daily total
Storage runs $32 a day for a standard car, billed in 24-hour blocks. A $50 administrative fee can apply after the first 48 hours.
- 4 Know the real deadline
Under Florida Statute 713.78, an unclaimed car becomes eligible for a lien sale 35 days after storage begins if it's more than 3 model years old, or 57 days if it's newer.
- 5 Pay or dispute before that date
Paying the balance keeps the car out of the sale. If you think the tow was wrong, you can post a bond in circuit court instead of paying, or file with the Orange County Consumer Fraud Unit.
- 6 Retrieve your vehicle
Once you pay, the yard has to release the car within 30 minutes. Quick Tow Orlando can't waive fees, but we can help with transport once it's released.
What this looks like around Orlando
In {c}, a tow ordered downtown or off I-4 starts the same daily storage clock as anywhere else in the county. There's no shortcut to a fixed release date.
Orlando is our highest-volume call area, and the map runs from Church Street Station and the Orange Avenue nightlife strip downtown out through the SR-408 loop toward Lake Nona on the airport side of town. College Park, Mills 50, Lake Nona, MetroWest, Pine Hills, Conway, Azalea Park, Eatonville, and Winter Park each carry their own dedicated page. The most common Orlando call types are DUI and after-hours tows off Church Street and Orange Avenue, downtown parking-garage lockouts near Amway Center on event nights, and I-4 shoulder breakdowns through the stacked SR-408 interchange, one of the most rebuilt stretches of the whole corridor. We reach downtown, Lake Eola Park, the Amway Center, ORMC, and the SR-408/I-4 interchange in about 25 to 40 minutes for standard calls. Flatbed is our default through downtown's tight garages and for rental-car traffic filling the surrounding hotel lots, and afternoon thunderstorms from June through September mean we run the same don't-crank-a-flooded-engine protocol on every call near Lake Eola and the low-lying downtown streets.
Common Orlando questions
Does Florida really hold a car for 30 days after impound in Orlando?
No, that's a rule from some other states. Florida runs on a lien-sale timeline instead, under Florida Statute 713.78.
How long before my car can be sold in Orlando?
35 days after storage begins if the car is more than 3 model years old, or 57 days if it's 3 model years old or newer.
How much does storage cost while I wait in Orlando?
Orange County charges $32 a day for a standard car after the free-hour window, plus a possible $50 administrative fee after 48 hours. Confirm the total with the yard, since Osceola County doesn't publish the same schedule.
Can Quick Tow Orlando release my car early or stop a lien sale in Orlando?
No, we're a private tow company, not the storage yard. We can't waive fees or stop a lien sale, but we can help with transport once your car is released.
Related help for Orlando
Storage hold timeline in the rest of the Orlando Core area
Need your car towed once it's released in Orlando?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can tow it home the moment it clears.