How to get your car out of impound in Ridgewood
If your car got towed in Ridgewood, here is how to find it and get it back today.
What New York law says
New York City is one jurisdiction, so there is no city-versus-suburb split to untangle here. What you do have to sort out is who took the car, because that decides where it went and what the rules are. A vehicle towed off the street for a parking violation goes to an NYPD tow pound in the borough it was towed from: the Bronx pound at 2444 Exterior Street, the Brooklyn Navy Yard pound, or the Queens pound at College Point. A vehicle booted and towed by the NYC Sheriff for unpaid judgment tickets is a different process through the Department of Finance. A vehicle seized in connection with an arrest or investigation goes to an NYPD Property Clerk auto pound, not a tow pound. And a car taken from a private lot or a blocked driveway is a DCWP-regulated tow, not a city tow at all. Work out which of those you are in first, because they share almost nothing.
How it works in Ridgewood
- 1 Look it up before you drive anywhere
Use the NYCServ towed-vehicle lookup or call 311 before you set out. It tells you which pound has the vehicle and what the running total is, so you do not make a wasted trip to the wrong borough.
- 2 Work out who took it
An NYPD parking tow, an NYC Sheriff scofflaw boot-and-tow, a Property Clerk seizure tied to an arrest, and a DCWP-regulated private-lot tow are four different situations. Each goes to a different place with different release rules, so confirm which one applies before you do anything else.
- 3 Bring the right documents
You need a valid driver's license, a current registration and a current insurance card. If you are not the registered owner, bring a notarized authorization letter from the owner along with your license and the insurance card.
- 4 Know the release fees
The NYPD release fee is $185 for a regular tow and $370 for heavy duty at 8,000 pounds or more, plus $20 per night storage. Ask for the running total before you go so there are no surprises at the window.
- 5 Know how they take payment
The pound accepts cash, a certified check payable to NYPD, ATM debit from a checking account, a money order or traveler's checks, and Discover, Amex, MasterCard or Visa. A card has to be in the retriever's name.
- 6 Watch the 10-day clock
Reclaim the vehicle within 10 days of the tow. Storage keeps accruing at $20 a night the whole time, and leaving it past the window puts it on a path toward disposal, so there is no upside to waiting.
What this looks like around Ridgewood
A Queens parking tow usually goes to the College Point tow pound at 31-22 College Point Boulevard, Flushing 11354, phone 718-359-6200, open Monday to Friday 8am to 10pm and Saturday 8am to 3pm. The Van Wyck and Grand Central Parkway airport corridors feed a lot of these. Fees are $185 regular, $370 heavy, $20 per night, and you have 10 days to reclaim.
Common Ridgewood questions
How do I find out where my car was towed in Ridgewood?
Use the NYCServ towed-vehicle lookup or call 311. A parking tow goes to the NYPD pound in the borough it was towed from, which is the Bronx, Brooklyn Navy Yard or Queens College Point pound. If it was booted and towed for unpaid judgment tickets it is a Sheriff matter through the Department of Finance, and if it was seized in an arrest it is at a Property Clerk auto pound instead.
What will I owe to get my car out of impound in Ridgewood?
For a standard NYPD parking tow the release fee is $185 for a regular tow or $370 for heavy duty at 8,000 pounds or more, plus $20 per night storage. A private-lot tow is regulated separately by the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, so its charges are set under a different cap.
Can I pay with a check in Ridgewood?
At an NYPD pound you can pay with a certified check payable to NYPD, and also with cash, ATM debit, a money order, or Discover, Amex, MasterCard or Visa in the retriever's name. A Property Clerk auto pound is credit card only, so confirm which lot has your car before you drive over.
Can Quick Tow NYC release my car from impound in Ridgewood?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. We connect drivers with private tow and roadside operators. We are not the pound, the Sheriff or the police holding your car, so we cannot waive fees or speed up a release. What we can do is help you work out who has it and line up an operator once it is released. Call (929) 356-7857.
Related help for Ridgewood
Impound release process in the rest of the Queens area
Need your car towed once it's released in Ridgewood?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.