Driver with a phone and notepad talking with a police officer beside two cars after a minor city collision, an unmarked white tow truck waiting at the curb
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Columbus Police Tow After a Crash: Your Options

When you can pick the tow company, when the officer decides, where police-ordered tows go, and how to get your car and belongings back.

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When police work a crash in Columbus, many drivers assume the officer picks the tow truck and that the car has to go wherever that truck takes it. Sometimes that is true, and often it is not. This guide sets out, from the official sources themselves, when a driver who is at the scene may arrange a private tow company, when the officer decides instead, where police-ordered tows go, what the City publishes as its fees, and how to get the car and your belongings back. It is general information, not legal advice, and the officer at your scene has the final word on how it is handled. We respond to crash scenes 24/7; when the officer allows you to choose, you can request us at (740) 812-9489. For the rest of the crash process, see our accident towing in Columbus guide.

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When you can choose your own tow company

The rule Columbus officers follow is written in Columbus Division of Police Directive 6.01, "Impounding and Towing," revised December 30, 2023 and published on columbus.gov. For traffic crashes, it tells officers that when the owner or operator is present at the scene, they should allow him or her to make arrangements with a private towing company, or have police communications send a wrecker on the owner's behalf.

The same section lists three conditions for letting a private company the owner called tow the car from a crash: the owner or operator authorized that company, there is no legal requirement or need to impound the vehicle, and the company can respond without unnecessary delay and without a safety concern. It also tells officers to advise the owner or operator that he or she is responsible for all towing and storage fees and for deciding where the car is towed.

In practice, that means the earlier you speak up, the better. If your car cannot be driven, tell the officer as soon as it is safe that you would like to call your own tow company, then call and give the officer the ETA the dispatcher quotes. A company already on the way is easier to approve than one you have not reached yet.

When the officer decides who tows

Directive 6.01 also covers the cases where waiting for your choice is not an option. If the owner or operator is incapacitated, officers request the wrecker and impound the vehicle, marked for safekeeping when no charge is involved. The directive says that, unless the owner has arranged to move it in a timely manner, a disabled or abandoned vehicle creating a traffic hazard, or a vehicle on the freeway disabled from a traffic crash, is to be impounded as soon as practical.

Columbus City Code Chapter 2107, "Impounding of Vehicles," lists the reasons a law enforcement officer may remove a vehicle from a street or public way. They include a vehicle whose driver has been arrested, one whose driver was removed because of illness or injury, one that in the officer's opinion creates a risk of physical harm to people or property, one involved in a crash whose driver failed to stop, and one abandoned after a crash. Section 2107.04 adds that an officer investigating a crash, a disabled vehicle or a spill may order a vehicle removed from the scene when it is a hazard to traffic flow or safety, with the removal and cleanup expense assessed to the owner.

State law points the same way on every Ohio road. Ohio Revised Code 4513.66 lets a public safety official, including a police officer, a Highway Patrol trooper or a fire chief, remove or order the removal of an unoccupied vehicle, cargo or debris that is blocking a highway or endangering public safety after a crash, with the approval of the agency investigating it. For commercial vehicles, the statute requires that the owner or operator be given the opportunity to arrange the removal. Under ORC 4511.195, an officer must seize a vehicle in certain repeat drunk-driving arrests, and it is towed to a place the law enforcement agency specifies.

On freeways the Ohio State Highway Patrol works the crash, and the same state laws apply to troopers. We did not find a published Patrol towing policy on an official state site, so ask the trooper directly whether you may call your own company.

Where police-ordered tows go

Directive 6.01 says vehicles impounded by Columbus police go to the Police Impound Lot at 2700 Impound Lot Road on the south side, and that only the wreckers the Division uses for impounds may tow them there. A crash car with no legal reason to impound it is a different case: when the owner has not called a company, the directive's stated preference is a tow to the private lot of the Division's wrecker service, not the City lot. If an officer calls the wrecker for you, ask which of the two your car is going to, and write down the tow company's name and phone number.

The City's Find My Vehicle search on columbus.gov looks up impounded vehicles, and the impound lot's phone number published by the City is (614) 645-4620.

The fees the City publishes

Columbus City Code Section 2107.06 sets the underlying charges: a $125 impound service charge for vehicles up to 7,000 pounds with no extra charge for a dolly or rollback, higher charges for heavier vehicles, storage of $18 for each 24 hours or fraction of a day for vehicles under 10,050 pounds, and a $30 administrative processing fee. It also says storage for a car held for safekeeping after the driver's illness or injury starts on the fourth day, and Section 2107.07 provides for a refund of the fees when the owner is found not guilty or the charge is dismissed. Ask the lot for an itemized total before you pay.

Ohio's PUCO fee caps in Ohio Administrative Code 4901:2-24-03 apply to tows from private property under ORC 4513.60 and 4513.601. They do not set the fees for police-ordered tows, which in Columbus come from the City's code and fee schedule. If the car went to a private towing company's lot instead of the City lot, that company's own rates apply, so ask it for its rates and an itemized bill.

On November 6, 2026, the City's Impounded Vehicles page listed these charges for a car released from the Police Impound Lot, plus any outstanding parking tickets and other towing fees:

  • $125 towing fee, with more possible for a vehicle over 7,000 pounds
  • $30 administrative fee, charged only once certified notification has gone out
  • $18 storage fee, also charged only once certified notification has gone out

Getting your car and your belongings back

The City's Impounded Vehicles page asks for proper identification, proof of ownership and payment of the fees. The ID must be a physical card that is current or expired no more than 30 days. Ownership means the current registration or the title; the page says a vehicle released on a title alone must be towed out, and that a signed-over Ohio title is not accepted. The counter takes cash, major credit and debit cards and money orders payable to the Columbus City Treasurer, but not personal checks.

Personal property can be collected at the lot on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the City, and after-hours retrieval of essentials such as medication, car seats, identification, keys and documents is handled case by case through the call box at the gate. Ohio Revised Code 4513.61 likewise lets an owner retrieve personal items from a police-stored vehicle without taking the vehicle and without paying a fee, except items needed for a criminal investigation.

Some cars cannot be released at the counter. For a vehicle seized in an OVI case, the City says only the judge assigned to the case can release it. If you see damage or something missing, the City says the claim must be made before you leave the impound lot, at the office near the entrance.

Do not wait. Under ORC 4513.61, police send the owner and any lienholder certified notice that the vehicle will be declared a nuisance and disposed of if it is not claimed within ten days, and on the City's fee page the administrative and storage charges apply once certified notification has gone out.

What the driver and the insurer should ask for

A few questions at the scene and at the lot prevent most surprises. None of them are confrontational; they are the questions the sources above say you are entitled to have answered.

  • At the scene: "May I call my own tow company?" If yes, call right away and give the officer the ETA.
  • If the officer calls the wrecker: the name and phone number of the tow company, whether the car is being impounded or towed on your behalf, and where it is going.
  • The crash report number, so your insurer can order the report from the Ohio Department of Public Safety or the City.
  • At any lot: an itemized bill, and the fee schedule it is based on. For a City impound, that is the City's published fee list; for a private company, its own rates.
  • For the insurer: the City's page says an insurance company's tow truck needs a notarized Authorization of Release form to collect a car, so have that paperwork ready before sending a truck. Moving the car promptly keeps daily storage from adding up while the claim is reviewed.

How to request a specific tow company

When the officer agrees you may choose, call the company yourself rather than asking the officer to call it for you, because police dispatch sends its own wrecker when it makes the call. Tell our dispatcher you are at a crash with police on scene, give the road, direction and nearest exit or cross street, and say whether the car rolls, whether it is electric or all-wheel drive, and where you want it to go. Then pass the ETA to the officer.

The officer can still change course if the scene becomes unsafe or the car has to be impounded, and that decision is theirs to make.

Once you are free to choose, our accident and collision towing takes the car to our lot to await your insurer or straight to your body shop, and we bill the insurer. If a car ends up at the City lot and will not start once it is released to you, an impound-release tow brings it home or to a shop; the Columbus impound lot guide lists the lot's hours and documents.

Sources (opened November 6, 2026)

Rules and fees change, so check the City's current pages before you go. This page is general information, not legal advice.

  • Columbus Division of Police Directive 6.01, Impounding and Towing, revised December 30, 2023 (columbus.gov, police directives)
  • Columbus City Code Chapter 2107, Impounding of Vehicles, Sections 2107.01, 2107.04, 2107.06 and 2107.07 (library.municode.com)
  • City of Columbus, Impounded Vehicles and Find My Vehicle pages (columbus.gov, Mobility and Parking Services)
  • Ohio Revised Code 4513.61, 4513.66 and 4511.195 (codes.ohio.gov)
  • Ohio Administrative Code 4901:2-24-03, towing and storage fees, effective January 1, 2026 (codes.ohio.gov)

Police Tow After a Crash: common questions

Frequently asked questions

Can I refuse a Columbus police tow and call my own company?

You can ask, and Columbus police directives tell officers to let an owner or operator at the scene arrange a private tow company when there is no legal need to impound the car and the company can come without unnecessary delay or a safety concern. If the car must be impounded, the driver is incapacitated, or the car is a hazard that cannot wait, the officer calls the wrecker.

Where does my car go after a Columbus police tow?

An impounded car goes to the Police Impound Lot at 2700 Impound Lot Road. A crash car with no reason to impound it, towed when the owner did not call a company, may go to the private lot of the wrecker police dispatch sent. Ask the officer which applies and write down the tow company's name and number.

How much does the Columbus impound lot charge after a crash?

On November 6, 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 $18 storage that apply only if certified notification has been sent, along with any unpaid parking tickets. Columbus City Code 2107.06 sets those charges. Ask for an itemized total.

Do Ohio's PUCO towing fee limits apply to police tows?

No. The caps in Ohio Administrative Code 4901:2-24-03 are tied to private-property tows under Ohio Revised Code 4513.60 and 4513.601. In Columbus, police impound fees come from the City code, and a private company's lot charges its own rates.

Can I get my belongings out of an impounded car without paying?

Ohio Revised Code 4513.61 lets an owner retrieve personal items from a police-stored vehicle without paying a fee and without taking the vehicle, except items needed for a criminal investigation. The City lists weekday hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for property pickup at the lot, with essentials after hours handled case by case.

What do I need to get my car out of the Columbus impound lot?

A physical photo ID that is current or expired no more than 30 days, the current registration or the title, and payment by cash, card or money order. The City says a car released on a title alone must be towed out, and a car seized in an OVI case can only be released by the judge assigned to the case.

Is Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc the Columbus police tow company?

No. We are an independent towing company and are not affiliated with the City of Columbus or the Division of Police. We respond to crash scenes 24/7, and when the officer allows you to choose the tow company, you can request us at (740) 812-9489.

Does the Highway Patrol let me choose my tow company on the freeway?

Ask the trooper. Ohio law lets a trooper or other public safety official remove a vehicle that is blocking a highway or endangering safety after a crash, and we did not find a published Patrol towing policy on an official state site to quote. If the trooper agrees, call your company right away and give the trooper its ETA.

Related help

Nearby and related

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent towing company and is not affiliated with the City of Columbus, the Columbus Division of Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, or any towing company those agencies call.

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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