Abandoned vehicle removal in Orlando
A car sitting too long on a street or lot in Orlando can get flagged for removal. Here's how the process works and what your options are.
What Florida law says
Florida doesn't set one statewide rule for when a parked car counts as abandoned. Local police, sheriff's deputies, and code enforcement make that call based on how long it's sat, its condition, and where it's parked. Once a car gets removed without the owner there to consent, what Orange County's ordinance calls a nonconsensual tow, it goes to a private, county-regulated storage facility. The same rules apply as any other tow: the operator has to notify the Sheriff's Office within 30 minutes of arriving with the vehicle, phone lines have to be staffed 24/7, and release happens within 30 minutes of payment. Quick Tow Orlando also offers junk car removal for owners who'd rather skip the whole process on a car that isn't worth reclaiming.
How it works in Orlando
- 1 Get a sense of whether it qualifies
Florida doesn't set one fixed number of days. A long-parked car with expired tags, flat tires, or visible neglect is the kind of thing local police or code enforcement will look at.
- 2 Report it
Call your city police department's non-emergency line, or the Sheriff's Office for an unincorporated area. In Orange County, that's (407) 836-4357.
- 3 Find out where your car went, if it's yours
That same non-emergency line can tell you which agency ordered the tow and which storage facility has it.
- 4 Gather your paperwork for release
You'll need a valid driver's license, current registration, and proof of insurance. Expired registration alone can't be used to block your release.
- 5 Pay the yard directly
You pay the tow and storage fees to the storage facility, not to Quick Tow Orlando. We can't waive fees the county or the yard sets.
- 6 Consider junk car removal instead
If the car isn't worth reclaiming, junk car removal skips the whole process. Ask Quick Tow Orlando about pickup for an unwanted vehicle.
What this looks like around Orlando
Abandoned vehicles in {c} usually turn up on dense residential streets or apartment lots. Report one to your local police non-emergency line to get it looked at.
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
How do I report an abandoned vehicle in Orlando?
Call your city police non-emergency line, or the Sheriff's Office for unincorporated areas. In Orange County, that's (407) 836-4357.
How long can a car sit before it's considered abandoned in Orlando?
Florida doesn't set one statewide number. It's a judgment call by local police or code enforcement based on the car's condition and how long it's been parked.
What happens to an abandoned vehicle in Orlando?
Once it's removed, it goes to a private, county-regulated storage facility, and the same release rules apply as any other tow.
Does Quick Tow Orlando buy or remove junk cars in Orlando?
Yes, we offer junk car removal for owners who want to skip the storage-yard process. Contact us about pickup for an old or unwanted vehicle.
Related help for Orlando
Abandoned vehicles 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.