Flatbed tow truck loading a sedan at a fenced Columbus impound lot
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Columbus Impound Lot: Address, Hours, Fees and Getting Your Car Home

What the City asks for at 2700 Impound Lot Road, how to confirm your car is there, and how we haul it away once it is released to you.

Call (740) 812-9489

The Columbus impound lot is where the City stores vehicles it has towed for parking violations, police holds and similar reasons, and getting yours back means dealing directly with the City. This page collects the practical details in one place: who operates the lot, where it is, when the release window is open, which documents and payment types the counter accepts, and the fees the City publishes. We are a private towing company, so we cannot release anything from the lot, and we are not connected to the City. What we can do is meet you there once the City has signed your car out and bring it to your driveway or a repair shop, which helps when the vehicle will not start, has a flat, or should not be driven.

Call (740) 812-9489 · Request a tow now (SOS) · Get an online quote

Who runs the lot, where it is, and when it is open

The lot is operated by the City of Columbus Division of Parking Services, and the City uses a third-party contract towing management service on site. It sits at 2700 Impound Lot Road, Columbus, OH 43207, on the south side of the city near Groves Road and Alum Creek Drive. The City lists (614) 645-4620 for the impound lot office and (614) 645-6400 for the Parking Violations Bureau.

Vehicle retrieval, per the City's impound lot page, runs Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The broader Parking Services office lists weekday hours of 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., so aim for the earlier cutoff if you are picking up a car. Parking Services closes on City holidays such as Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The City also posts special weekend windows on Ohio State home football dates: Saturday 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. after a noon kickoff, or Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. after a later start.

Documents, payment and the fees the City publishes

Bring a physical photo ID; the City will not accept a photocopy, and the card must be current or expired no more than 30 days. Accepted types include a driver's license, a government-issued photo ID, a BMV temporary paper license, a student photo ID or an employee photo ID. You also need proof of ownership: the current registration or the title. The counter takes cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and money orders, but not personal checks unless they come from an approved agency.

Fees below are exactly as shown on the City's Impounded Vehicles page when we read it on September 28, 2026. Call (614) 645-6400 to confirm your total before you go, because unpaid tickets are added to the bill.

  • Towing fee: $125, with extra charges for vehicles over 7,000 pounds
  • Administrative fee: $30, only if certified notification has been sent
  • Storage fee: $18, only if certified notification has been sent
  • Any outstanding parking tickets and other associated towing charges

Finding out whether your car is there, and who can pick it up

Start with the City's Find My Vehicle search on columbus.gov, which checks the impound records by vehicle details. If the search comes up empty, phone the Parking Violations Bureau. A car that vanished from a store lot, apartment complex or other private property may not be with the City at all: under Ohio's private tow statute (ORC 4513.601) the property must post signs, and those signs name the towing company holding the car. Our step-by-step guide to locating a towed car walks through both paths.

Sending a friend or relative instead? The City wants the title or current registration in the owner's name, plus either a current insurance card in the same name as the person picking up (for parking-infraction impounds only) or a notarized Authorization of Release form. Businesses, rental cars, lienholders, out-of-state owners and estates each have their own requirements on the City page, so read yours before the drive.

What we can and cannot do at the impound lot

We cannot pay your fees, sign for your vehicle or talk the City into a release, and nobody at our company can get a car out early. Once the City has cleared the vehicle to you, though, we can load it and take it anywhere you choose. That helps when the battery died in storage, a tire is flat, or the car is not safe to drive.

Before leaving the lot, check the car over carefully; the City says damage or theft claims must be made at the contractor's office at the building entrance before you exit. Then call dispatch at (740) 812-9489 and tell us you are standing at 2700 Impound Lot Road with the release in hand. Our yard is at 1620 Harrisburg Pike, and most metro calls are reached in 20 to 40 minutes, though that is an estimate rather than a promise.

An impound-release tow is priced from the rate card: $4 a mile en-route, a $125 hook-up and $7 per loaded mile. If the car only needs power, a jump start with battery test is $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard, and we can drop it at one of our independent repair partners.

  • Ask for a flatbed for AWD, EVs or low cars; EVs always ride with all four wheels off the ground

Columbus Impound Lot: common questions

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Columbus impound lot and what are its hours?

The City of Columbus impound lot is at 2700 Impound Lot Road, Columbus, OH 43207, on the south side near Groves Road and Alum Creek Drive. The City lists vehicle retrieval as Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extra weekend windows after Ohio State home football games. It closes on City holidays.

How much does it cost to get a car out of the city impound?

On September 28, 2026, the City's Impounded Vehicles page listed a $125 towing fee, more for vehicles over 7,000 pounds, plus a $30 administrative fee and an $18 storage fee that apply only when certified notification has been sent. Unpaid parking tickets and other towing charges get added on top. Call the Parking Violations Bureau at (614) 645-6400 for your exact balance.

What do I need to bring to the impound lot?

Bring a physical photo ID that is current or expired no more than 30 days, and your current registration or the title. Photocopies of ID are refused. Pay with cash, a major credit or debit card, or a money order; personal checks are not accepted except from approved agencies. If someone else is going for you, they need the owner's paperwork plus insurance or a notarized release form.

Can Columbus Roadside Towing get my car out of impound for me?

No. Only the City releases vehicles from its lot, and it deals with the owner or an authorized designee. We have no role in that decision. After the City clears the car, call (740) 812-9489 and we can tow it from the lot to your home or a shop, which is handy when it will not start, has a flat or should not be driven.

My car is not in the City system. Where else could it be?

If it was parked on private property such as a retail lot or apartment complex, the property owner may have had a private company remove it. Ohio law requires posted signs at those lots, and the sign names the towing company and how to reach it. Call that company directly. If the search still turns up nothing, contact police, since the car may have been stolen.

What does a tow from the impound lot to my house cost?

We charge from our published rate card: $4 a mile en-route, $125 to hook up, and $7 for each loaded mile to your destination. After-hours, weekend, highway and large-vehicle surcharges apply only when they fit the job, and the lot's weekday release hours mean most pickups avoid the weekend charge. Our online quote tool shows the total before you book.

Related help

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent towing company and is not affiliated with the City of Columbus, its Division of Parking Services, the Columbus Division of Police, or the City's contract towing operator.

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc (dba Columbus Roadside Towing).
Corporate office (private, no walk-ins): 3879 Regatta Ct, Lewis Center, OH 43035
Tow yard & impound lot: 1620 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus, OH 43223
(740) 812-9489 · chris@columbusroadsidetowing.com

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