Grand County Vehicle Impound Guide

Getting a car back from a DUI arrest in Grand County takes two separate payments to two separate places, and skipping the order costs a trip. The Sheriff's Office won't release a vehicle from its Property and Evidence impound in Hot Sulphur Springs until the owner first pays the private tow company that hauled it and brings proof of that payment. Only after that receipt is in hand does the Sheriff's Office accept a second, separate payment for its own daily storage fee.

Which tow company hauled the car depends on where the arrest happened. Dad's Towing and Recovery covers Granby, Winter Park, Fraser, and Idaho Springs (970-231-0654). Hilly's Hooker Service covers the greater Winter Park and Fraser area (970-726-5841). Alpine Towing, dispatched through the county's communications center, covers the Kremmling area. Anyone unsure which carrier has their vehicle should call Grand County Dispatch or the arresting agency directly rather than guess.

The Sheriff's Office accepts cash or a money order only for its storage fee, at $20 a day for vehicles under 6,000 pounds and $30 a day for anything heavier. Credit cards, debit cards, and personal checks are all explicitly rejected. Showing up without the right payment means getting turned away and hunting for an ATM in a rural stretch of the county, which can push retrieval to the next business day.

Walk-ins aren't accepted at all. Vehicle release requires an appointment, scheduled by calling 970-725-3343 and asking for Deputy Gish. The office runs Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and is closed Fridays, weekends, and holidays. An arrest on a Thursday night means the car sits untouched until Monday morning at the earliest, with storage fees compounding the entire time.

The registered owner has to show up in person with a valid ID, current registration, and proof of insurance. If the vehicle is being held as part of a larger investigation, such as a felony DUI involving injury, the Sheriff's Office won't release it without written authorization from the District Attorney's Office, regardless of whether storage fees and tow costs are paid in full.

Colorado's Public Utilities Commission caps what a rotational tow company can charge: $102.28 an hour for the hook fee and $106.06 for an after-hours release. It's worth checking a private tow invoice against those numbers. State regulation also entitles vehicle owners to retrieve specific protected items, prescription medication, medical devices, child car seats, ID, wallets, and phones, free of charge and without paying the tow bill first, if they need something out of the car urgently.

Since August 2025, the Sheriff's Office has run under a zero-tolerance traffic enforcement policy that leans toward custodial arrest and mandatory towing for serious driving violations. That shift has made it less likely an officer will let a sober passenger simply drive the vehicle home from the scene instead of having it towed.