Charleston County Vehicle Impound Guide
Impound Cost Calculator
Calculate how much it will cost to retrieve your vehicle from the impound lot in Charleston County, South Carolina.
*Estimated fees shown for Charleston County. Actual fees may vary.
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The First 48 Hours
After a DUI arrest in Charleston 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 Charleston 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 Charleston County. Verify your vehicle's location before traveling.
Lot Information Pending
Contact Charleston County local dispatch for specific towing lot assignments.
Frequently Asked Questions
A suspended license doesn't just cost driving privileges after a Charleston County DUI — it can strand the car, too. Impound lots are legally required to verify a valid license before releasing a vehicle, so if the license was confiscated for refusing the breath test or blowing 0.15% or higher, the registered owner can't retrieve the car alone even with cash in hand. It takes two licensed people: one to drive the owner to the lot, and a second to present their own license and physically drive the vehicle away.
Which lot holds the car depends on who made the arrest. Jennings Towing Company is the official franchise tow operator for the City of Charleston Police Department, based on Meeting Street Extension. Arrests by the Sheriff's Office or the Highway Patrol on unincorporated roads or the interstates instead go through a state-regulated wrecker rotation list, capped by the state at a $272 flat tow fee and $47 a day storage for a standard wrecker — different numbers than the roughly $150 to $200 tow fee and $20 to $30 daily rate that apply under city ordinance for a Jennings tow. Two separate digital tools can pin down which one has the car: the county's Tow Car Locator portal and a companion ArcGIS mapping tool that lets a search by license plate or VIN bypass the often-congested police non-emergency line entirely, useful for anyone released on a Sunday morning scrambling to find their vehicle.
A DUI arrest also triggers a mandatory investigative hold before any release is possible at all — 12 hours for a first offense, 24 for a second, 48 for a third or later. Some tow operators use that hold to run up storage fees, and a handful have been known to demand cash only despite the requirement to accept major credit cards. The county's "Towing Bill of Rights" caps nonconsensual tow charges at 150% of the city's franchise fee and legally requires card acceptance for release — worth invoking directly if a lot pushes back.
Anyone who believes a tow was unlawful, or that the fees charged exceeded state or municipal limits, can request a formal hearing at the Charleston County Magistrates Court's Civil/Small Claims Division on Bridge View Drive. Filing the Summons and Complaint, including service of process, costs $80.
Need Help Beyond Impound?
If you're dealing with a recent arrest, here are immediate resources for release and legal help: