Franklin County Vehicle Impound Guide

The Columbus Police Impound Lot at 2700 Impound Lot Road only releases vehicles Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's closed Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, which collides directly with when most OVI arrests happen.

Picture a Friday night arrest around 11:30 p.m. The car gets towed immediately. The driver might be out of jail by Saturday afternoon, but the lot is already closed for the weekend and stays that way through Sunday. The earliest possible pickup is Monday at 8 a.m., which guarantees a minimum of three days of storage fees no matter how ready the owner is to retrieve the car.

What It Costs

Towing is priced by the vehicle's weight: standard passenger vehicles under 7,000 pounds run $125 to $155, vehicles between 7,001 and 10,050 pounds run $155, and anything from 10,051 to 14,999 pounds runs $200. Storage adds $30 a day, and that clock runs on actual time on the lot, not business days, so a weekend arrest accrues fees through the closure. On top of that, Franklin County and the city can add an administrative fee of $30 to $125.

One detail surprises a lot of people: the lot can see every unpaid parking citation tied to the vehicle, including red light camera tickets and meter violations, and none of it gets released until those are paid off too, not just the tow and storage.

If the Owner's License Is Suspended

A suspended license, common immediately after an OVI arrest, doesn't block the vehicle's release, but it does block the owner from driving it away. The lot requires two people: the owner, present with title or registration and payment, and a second person with a valid license to actually drive the car off the property.

If the Owner Is Still in Jail

Someone held over a weekend has to authorize a third party to retrieve the car, and that requires the City of Columbus's "Authorization of Release" form, naming the designated agent and identifying the vehicle by make, model, and VIN or plate. The form has to be notarized, which is a real obstacle from inside Jackson Pike since notary access isn't on-demand. The most reliable path is often having defense counsel arrange the signature and notarization during a legal visit, rather than waiting for the owner's own release.

If a Different Agency Made the Arrest

Not every tow goes to the Columbus lot. Grandview Heights uses private towing companies, which means a two-stop process: first to the Grandview Heights Police Department at 1525 Goodale Blvd for a release form, then to the private tow yard. Vehicles impounded on Ohio State University's campus go through CampusParc's own lot at Kenny Road and Woody Hayes Drive, and that release fee has to be paid by credit card; personal checks aren't accepted. Smaller municipalities like Bexley sometimes contract private tow firms that offer after-hours release for an extra "gate fee," an option the Columbus municipal lot doesn't have at all. It's worth asking directly whether that's available.