Knox County Vehicle Impound Guide

The Mount Vernon Police Department runs its impound lot at 500 N. Elm Street on a schedule that has nothing to do with when arrests actually happen. Vehicles are only released Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — no holidays, no weekends. An arrest at 5 p.m. on a Friday means the car is effectively locked up until 8 a.m. Monday, guaranteeing a minimum of three days of storage fees (roughly $150 to $300 total with the tow) before anyone can even start the release process, regardless of how fast bail gets posted.

Essential items left inside the car — medication, keys, a phone — aren't necessarily out of reach during that window. The MVPD can send an officer to meet someone at the lot outside business hours for property retrieval, but it's entirely discretionary; on a busy patrol night, no one gets dispatched, and the items wait until the next business day like everything else.

Which Statute Applies Changes the Clock

A vehicle removed from a public roadway falls under Ohio Revised Code 4513.61: law enforcement has five business days to search ownership records and mail notice, and the car can be declared a public nuisance if unclaimed within ten days — a real risk for anyone held in custody or inpatient treatment longer than that. A vehicle towed off private property (a bar parking lot, for instance) falls under a different statute, 4513.60, which requires the vehicle to have sat at least four hours without permission before removal — and if the owner shows up before the tow truck actually leaves, the vehicle has to be released for a reduced "drop fee" instead of the full tow charge.

Fee Rules and Payment

Towing companies working non-consensual tows are bound by Public Utilities Commission of Ohio "reasonable cost" standards — if a company fails to give a written estimate, the fee is capped at 25% of the standard PUCO rate. By law, they're required to accept both cash and major credit cards, though some operators informally push for cash anyway, and every payment has to come with a receipt showing the full charge and what was actually collected — worth keeping for any later dispute in municipal court.