Summit County Vehicle Impound Guide

Miller's Towing, Summit County's primary municipal impound contractor, takes cash only, no exceptions. Credit cards, debit cards, and personal checks are all explicitly refused, a policy the company maintains specifically to avoid chargebacks from defendants disputing their tow. Calling ahead to (330) 773-7777 to calculate the exact total before arriving is the only way to avoid being turned away at the window, which just adds another day of storage charges.

Fees build fast: a $75 base tow fee, climbing higher for anything requiring winching, plus up to $22 a day in storage. The main lot at 208 West Waterloo Road runs 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closes completely on every holiday, with no after-hours or gate-fee option at all. A vehicle towed at 1 a.m. on the Friday before a Monday holiday accrues storage for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before anyone can physically retrieve it on Tuesday.

A second Miller's Towing location, at 3303 Massillon Road in Green, handles vehicles from stops in that part of the county; their online portal lets you search by license plate or VIN to confirm which lot actually has the car before driving to the wrong one.

Only the Owner Can Get It Back

Every impounded vehicle carries a hold for ownership, meaning the lot can only release it to the person whose name is on the title. If the arrested driver was just borrowing the car, a spouse's, a friend's, a parent's, that driver has no legal authority to retrieve it after release from jail. The actual registered owner has to show up in person with a photo ID and the title or registration.

When Cash Alone Won't Work

Some vehicles carry an Investigative or Evidence Hold, typically in cases involving a collision, fleeing and eluding, or contraband discovered during the arrest. The impound lot has no authority to override that hold no matter how much cash shows up at the window. Clearing it requires a formal release authorization from the arresting agency's detective division, often with defense counsel's help.

Worth knowing before any of this happens: Akron police are required to conduct a full inventory search of the vehicle's contents before it's hooked up for towing. That search exists to protect the department from liability, but it also routinely turns up unrelated items, like a firearm or drugs, that can lead to serious additional charges stacked on top of the OVI.

One exception can skip the impound lot entirely. If a sober, licensed passenger is on scene and the vehicle's owner authorizes them to take custody, an officer can release the car on the spot, even when the arrested driver's own license has already been suspended.

Challenging the Tow

Defendants who believe the tow itself was unlawful can file a Motion for Request at the Akron Municipal Court Clerk's Office, 7th floor, 172 S Broadway St, for a $25 fee, to get a hearing date.