Union County Vehicle Impound Guide

Union County has no single impound lot. The county falls under SCHP Troop 4's wrecker rotation, cycling through roughly ten different towing companies on its Post B list about twice a month, so which one holds a specific vehicle depends entirely on where and when the arrest happened. Calling the Union County Sheriff's Office non-emergency dispatch line or SCHP Troop 4 headquarters directly, with the plate number or VIN and the time and location of the arrest, is the only real way to find out.

Retrieval hours run into the reality that many of these rotation companies are small, independent auto shops or salvage yards, not dedicated commercial towing operations. State rules require normal business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, but a lunch closure or a single understaffed office can leave nobody available to process a release even during those posted hours. Calling first thing in the morning to lock in a specific appointment time, then showing up by mid-afternoon, beats arriving unannounced late in the day and finding the office empty.

Only the registered owner can retrieve the vehicle, and that person has to physically show up with a valid title or registration. If the owner can't be there, a notarized letter authorizing someone else to take possession is required. One protection worth knowing: state law guarantees the registered owner at least one chance to remove unattached personal belongings from the vehicle regardless of whether the towing fees have been paid yet.

If a vehicle sits unclaimed, the tow company has to apply to the DMV to identify the owner and any lienholders, then mail formal notice by registered or certified mail within five days of getting that information. Thirty days after that notice goes out, an unclaimed vehicle is legally abandoned and can be sold at public auction through the Magistrate Court.

There's real leverage buried in that five-day notification rule. If the towing company misses that window, state law strictly bars it from charging any storage fees for the period beyond the five-day mark until the notice actually gets mailed. Anyone paying to retrieve a vehicle that sat for a while should check the invoice against the mailing date on that notice before paying anything extra.