Custer County Vehicle Impound Guide

A DUI tow in Custer County gets classified as "law enforcement ordered," a category that carries a higher rate schedule than a standard breakdown call, and the fees start accruing the moment the truck arrives. Custer County has no municipal impound lot; vehicles go through a rotation list of private carriers regulated by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, with Baltzly Towing LLC of Westcliffe handling most law enforcement tows for the Sheriff's Office. Keeping the vehicle in Westcliffe rather than hauling it to Salida or Cañon City, as happened in past years, saves defendants a substantial mileage bill.

The 2026 PUC-maximum rates: a base hook fee up to $245.32, though law enforcement tows can instead bill an hourly rate for truck and driver of up to $279.78. Mileage runs $3.80 per laden mile plus a fuel surcharge that adjusts monthly (set at $0.25 per mile for February 2026), for a combined $4.05 per mile. A short tow from Wetmore to Westcliffe, roughly 15 miles, adds about $60.75 in mileage alone. Storage accrues at up to $47.12 per 24-hour period, a notification fee of $75 to $150 covers the certified mail sent to the registered owner, and retrieving the vehicle after 5 PM or on a Saturday adds another $103.70.

The weekend trap is real and worth planning around: get arrested Friday night and can't reach the lot until Monday, and three full days of storage, $141.36, will have accrued automatically before anyone even asks for it.

Getting the car back takes three separate stops, usually all within Westcliffe. First, the Sheriff's Office at 702 Rosita Ave issues the Tow Release form; the registered owner needs a valid photo ID and proof of ownership, and if that owner's license was seized during the arrest, a second person with a valid license has to come along to actually drive the vehicle off the lot. Second, the towing company generally wants cash or certified funds rather than a personal check, which often means a bank stop between the Sheriff's Office and the tow lot. Third, the payment and pickup happen at the lot itself.

One statewide protection doesn't apply here. Colorado's HB22-1314 lets vehicle owners recover a private residential tow with only a 15 percent initial payment, but that law covers residential property tows, not law enforcement impounds tied to a criminal charge. A DUI-related impound in Custer County has no partial-payment option — the full balance is due before the vehicle is released, and letting it sit risks the vehicle being declared abandoned and sold.