Hampton County Vehicle Impound Guide
Impound Cost Calculator
Calculate how much it will cost to retrieve your vehicle from the impound lot in Hampton County, South Carolina.
*Estimated fees shown for Hampton County. Actual fees may vary.
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The First 48 Hours
After a DUI arrest in Hampton 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 Hampton 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 Hampton County. Verify your vehicle's location before traveling.
Lot Information Pending
Contact Hampton County local dispatch for specific towing lot assignments.
Frequently Asked Questions
There's no central impound lot in Hampton County. Vehicles from a DUI arrest scatter across a decentralized rotation of private tow yards inside the City of Hampton, and calling Hampton County Dispatch with the plate number or the arrestee's name is the only way to identify which one has a specific car.
Showing up with cash doesn't guarantee anything. Tow operators on the police rotation are legally prohibited from releasing a vehicle from a DUI arrest without a specialized Police Release Form, and families who skip that step routinely get turned away at the gate. Getting one means a trip to the Sheriff's Office or Hampton Police Division headquarters during business hours first, before ever heading to the tow lot itself.
If the registered owner is the person who got arrested, the family can't just show up and claim the car. Tow yards require strict proof of ownership, which means either waiting for the owner's release on bail or attempting the genuinely difficult task of getting a notarized release or a limited power of attorney from someone still in custody, close to impossible over a weekend arrest. Whoever ultimately drives the vehicle off the lot needs a valid license of their own.
City policy requires rotation wreckers to accept at least one major credit card alongside cash and certified checks, but some rural operators try to sidestep that by claiming their card machine is "temporarily down" to force a cash payment. Calling ahead to confirm the total and firmly insisting on card payment, as the city ordinance requires, heads that off before making the trip.
One rule worth knowing gives real leverage against delay: city policy explicitly mandates 24-hour release availability for any vehicle towed at police direction. A private operator claiming to be "closed for the weekend" or refusing releases after 5 p.m. is violating its own contract with the city. Calling Hampton Police Division dispatch to file a complaint can force the release and head off an unjust weekend's worth of storage charges.
Disputing a tow's legality goes through the civil division of Hampton County Magistrate Court, with a 30-day deadline to file and a $70 fee for the summons and complaint.
Need Help Beyond Impound?
If you're dealing with a recent arrest, here are immediate resources for release and legal help: