Lee County Vehicle Impound Guide
Impound Cost Calculator
Calculate how much it will cost to retrieve your vehicle from Clinton Harris Towing & Recovery in Lee County, North Carolina.
*Estimated fees shown for Lee County. Actual fees may vary.
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The First 48 Hours
After a DWI arrest in Lee 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 state averages in Lee 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 Lee County. Verify your vehicle's location before traveling.
Clinton Harris Towing & Recovery
Accepted Payments
Frequently Asked Questions
Sanford PD dispatches whichever rotation company is up next when a DWI arrest happens inside city limits — Paradise Towing & Recovery, Mike's Towing and Recovery, and Landmark Towing are the three primary contractors. Paradise sits at 1115 S Horner Blvd, phone (919) 774-0999, running 24/7 for towing itself though release during business hours follows the standard Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM window.
Sanford's city code sets specific fees: $250 base for a standard non-accident tow under 10,000 lbs GVWR, $300 if the vehicle was in an accident, scaling higher for commercial vehicles. The after-hours trap is real and predictable: towing between 7:00 PM and 8:00 AM, or any weekend or holiday, adds a flat $25 surcharge — and since most DWI arrests happen at exactly those hours, budget for it automatically. A winching or recovery fee of $100 applies if your car needed mechanical extraction from a ditch or barrier.
Only the actual registered owner can retrieve the vehicle with ID and proof of ownership — if you were driving a friend's or family member's car, they have to show up in person, full stop.
If you're caught driving on a license already revoked for a prior impaired-driving offense, or driving completely unlicensed and uninsured, the vehicle doesn't stay local — it gets formally seized and transferred within days to the state's eastern-division contractor, Martin Edwards & Associates in Linden, NC (910-897-6382). Getting a seized vehicle back requires pretrial motions from defense counsel, not a simple paid invoice.
A genuine logistical convenience here: Paradise Towing on S Horner Blvd, the courthouse at 1400 S Horner Blvd, and the detention center at 1401 S Horner Blvd all sit within a three-block radius, meaning a family member handling the chaos of an overnight arrest doesn't need separate transportation for each stop.
Need Help Beyond Impound?
If you're dealing with a recent arrest, here are immediate resources for release and legal help: