Yuma County Vehicle Impound Guide
Impound Cost Calculator
Calculate how much it will cost to retrieve your vehicle from the impound lot in Yuma County, Arizona.
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The First 48 Hours
After a DUI arrest in Yuma County, your vehicle is likely towed to an impound lot. Storage fees accumulate daily, making time your biggest enemy.
Retrieval Timeline
- 1
Vehicle Towed
Usually within 30 minutes of your arrest.
- 2
Lot Notification
Fees and admin processing start immediately upon arrival.
- 3
Daily Accrual
Fees start at $47.12/day in Yuma County.
- 4
Final Notice
After 30 days, the lot may begin the auction process.
Required Documents
- Valid Photo ID (License or State ID)
- Vehicle Registration or Title
- Current Proof of Insurance
- Full Payment (Cash/Credit)
- Release Authorization (if not owner)
Owner Not Present?
If the registered owner is in custody, you will need a notarized power of attorney or specific written authorization and a copy of their ID to retrieve the vehicle.
Lot Details & Map
Current storage facility information for Yuma County. Verify your vehicle's location before traveling.
Lot Information Pending
Contact Yuma County local dispatch for specific towing lot assignments.
The Impound “Poverty Trap”
Many people can't afford to get their car out immediately, but waiting only makes it worse.
Here's the vicious cycle:
Can't afford the first 3 days of storage + admin fees
Wait a week to save money → fees double
Can't get to work without car → lose income
Wait 2 weeks → fees triple or quadruple
After 30 days → Car may be auctioned by the lot
What You Can Do
- • Borrow money from family/friends (pay them back later, cheaper than daily fees)
- • Use a credit card (even with interest, cheaper than impound fees)
- • Sell non-essential items quickly
- • Ask your employer for an advance
- • Check if your auto insurance covers towing/storage (some policies do)
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I pick up my car after a DUI impound in Yuma County?
Only between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Yuma County Sheriff's Office Records Department, 160 S. 3rd Avenue, Suite B. There's no after-hours or weekend option.
How much does it cost to get an impounded car back in Yuma County?
A $150 administrative hearing fee, paid in cash, money order, or cashier's check only, plus $25 a day in storage at the private tow yard holding the vehicle.
Can someone else pick up my impounded car for me?
Only the registered owner or their spouse can claim it, and they need a valid driver's license. If the owner's license is suspended, a separately licensed driver can operate the car off the lot, but the owner still has to appear in person to sign the paperwork.
What happens if I don't pick up my car after getting the release paperwork?
The towing company can legally file for an abandoned title and take ownership if the vehicle isn't physically claimed within 10 days of the release date.
A car impounded after a DUI arrest in Yuma County can only be processed for release during a three-hour window: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Miss it, and the vehicle sits at the tow yard racking up storage charges until the next window opens.
Where the process runs
Arizona's mandatory impound law, A.R.S. § 28-3511, holds a vehicle for 20 days when the driver was arrested for extreme DUI or was driving on a suspended or revoked license. The paperwork side and the physical storage side are handled by two different places. Release processing runs through the Yuma County Sheriff's Office Records Department, 160 S. 3rd Avenue, Suite B, phone (928) 329-2254. The Sheriff's Office and the Yuma Police Department don't store the vehicles themselves; instead they rotate impounds among a handful of contracted tow companies scattered around the county, including Affordable Towing & Road Service on S Avenue 3 E, A & A Towing and Recovery (covering the Yuma-to-Dateland corridor), and Miller's Heavy-Duty Towing on S Gila Street. To find out which lot has a specific vehicle, call the Records Department or the Yuma Police Department's evidence and impound line with the case number.
The three-hour window
The Records Department only handles post-storage hearings and release paperwork from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Someone released from jail in the morning has to wait until the afternoon to get moving on the paperwork, and a Friday night arrest means the car is inaccessible until Monday afternoon at the earliest, guaranteeing at least three days of storage at $25 a day, or $75, before anyone can even start.
The $150 administrative hearing fee has to be paid in exact cash, a money order, or a cashier's check. Credit cards, debit cards, and personal checks are all rejected. Bring exact denominations; the office doesn't make change.
Who can claim the car
Arizona law limits release to the registered owner or the owner's spouse, and that person has to present a valid driver's license. If the owner's license was suspended in the same arrest, a separate, fully licensed driver can come along to physically drive the car off the lot, but the owner still has to be present in person to sign the paperwork and provide registration and insurance. If a spouse who wasn't driving during the offense is claiming the vehicle instead, they have to sign an "Agreement of Operation" promising not to let the suspended owner drive it.
To request a tow hearing, file within the 20-day impoundment window at the Records Department, 160 S. 3rd Avenue, Suite B. Hearings run on a walk-in, first come, first served basis during the same 1 to 4 p.m. window, and the fee is $150.
A hard deadline on top of the impound period
If release paperwork is secured from the Sheriff's Office but the vehicle itself isn't physically picked up from the tow yard within 10 days of that release date, the towing company is legally entitled to file for an abandoned title and take ownership of the car. Once the paperwork clears at the Records Department, the next stop needs to be the tow yard, not home.
Need Help Beyond Impound?
If you're dealing with a recent arrest, here are immediate resources for release and legal help: