Why there's no fixed 30-day impound hold in New Orleans
Louisiana doesn't run a fixed 30-day impound hold. Here's the real clock that runs on a towed car in New Orleans instead.
What Louisiana law says
Some networks claim every impounded car sits for a fixed 30 days no matter what. Louisiana doesn't run that way. Instead, state law sets a notification clock: under La. R.S. 32:1720, the storage facility holding your car has to mail you, and any lienholder, formal notice within 10 business days of getting your information from the state, or 5 business days if it arrives electronically, sent by mail with a certificate of mailing. That notice has to spell out the facility's details, the towing authority, your storage date and charges, plus your right to request an administrative hearing and the deadline for requesting one. If the car has a lien on it, once that notice goes out, the lienholder can get the car released by paying the full balance and signing a hold-harmless agreement under R.S. 32:1720.1. Meanwhile the storage bill keeps running: at the City of New Orleans' own Claiborne and Almonaster lots, that's $19 a day, capped at $500 total, so the bill has a real ceiling. There's no single published date when a towed car in New Orleans gets sold off automatically; the real deadlines are the notice window and the hearing-request window, and missing those is what actually costs you the car. Quick Tow New Orleans is a private tow company, not the storage yard or a state agency. We can't set a release date or waive fees.
How it works in New Orleans
- 1 Know there's no fixed 30-day rule
Louisiana doesn't force a universal 30-day hold. What actually runs is a notification and fee clock set by state law.
- 2 Watch the notification clock
The storage facility has to mail you, and any lienholder, formal notice within 10 business days of getting your information, or 5 business days if it's sent electronically, with a certificate of mailing.
- 3 Read what the notice tells you
It has to spell out the facility, the towing authority, the charges, and your right to request an administrative hearing, plus the deadline to request one.
- 4 Track the storage bill
At the City of New Orleans' own pound, storage runs $19 a day, but it's capped at $500 total, a real ceiling most places don't set.
- 5 Know the lienholder path
Once that notice is mailed, a lienholder can get the vehicle released by paying what's owed in full and signing a hold-harmless agreement.
- 6 Act inside the hearing window
You, or a lienholder, can request an administrative hearing to contest the tow. Missing that window is the real risk, not some fixed 30-day date.
What this looks like around New Orleans
A tow in {c} runs on the same statewide notification clock as anywhere else, but the fee ceiling is a real local detail: storage at the city's own Claiborne Avenue pound tops out at $500 total, no matter how long the car sits.
New Orleans is our hub city and the busiest call area on the whole map, running from the French Quarter and the CBD out through Mid-City, Broadmoor, Carrollton, and Uptown to the Bywater and Marigny arts district along St. Claude Ave. Each of those neighborhoods carries its own dedicated page. Two call types define this market like nowhere else on the Gulf Coast: flood-stranded cars and Mardi Gras parade-route tows. Below-sea-level ground and an aging Sewerage and Water Board pump system mean a hard summer thunderstorm puts standing water in the street fast, at spots like the Carrollton Ave underpass and along Claiborne Ave, and that happens on an ordinary July afternoon, not just during a named storm. If your engine stalled in rising water, don't crank it again, a hydrolocked engine is a different job than a jump start, and our dispatcher asks the right questions before a truck rolls. Carnival season brings its own towing economy: parade routes post hard no-parking zones and the city moves cars fast, towed vehicles land at the retrieval lot on North Claiborne Ave, and we help drivers get there instead of guessing. Most calls reach downtown, the Superdome, City Park, and the French Quarter in about 20 to 35 minutes, and we run flatbed by default through the tight Quarter streets and for any car that's taken on water, with wheel-lift covering the ordinary breakdown everywhere else.
Common New Orleans questions
Does Louisiana really hold a car for 30 days after impound in New Orleans?
No, that's not how Louisiana's law works. There's no universal 30-day rule. State law instead sets a notification deadline, 10 business days or 5 if electronic, and gives you a window to request a hearing.
How long does the storage yard have to notify me in New Orleans?
Under La. R.S. 32:1720, the facility has to mail you notice within 10 business days of getting your information, or 5 business days if it's sent electronically, with a certificate of mailing.
How much does storage cost while I sort it out in New Orleans?
At the City of New Orleans' own pound, storage runs $19 a day, capped at $500 total. Confirm the exact number with the yard if your car's at a private lot instead.
Can Quick Tow New Orleans release my car early or waive fees in New Orleans?
No, we're a private tow company, not the storage yard or a state agency. We can't waive fees or set a release date, but we can help with transport once your car is released.
Related help for New Orleans
Storage hold timeline in the rest of the Orleans Core area
Need your car towed once it's released in New Orleans?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can tow it home the moment it clears.