Loudon County Vehicle Impound Guide

If a licensed passenger is in the car when you are arrested, Loudon County deputies will usually let that person drive it away. If no one is, the car goes to whichever company is next on the sheriff's rotation list, and where it lands depends on where you were stopped and the time of day.

James Towing at 5555 Corporate Park Dr in Loudon runs a 24-hour dispatch line at (865) 458-3403, though the yard's release hours are shorter. Skelly's Towing and Recovery is the other main operator, and it has a catch: the business address most people find online, 5450 US-321 in Lenoir City, is not where the cars sit. The storage yard is a separate lot at 14300 Hickory Creek Rd, also in Lenoir City. Confirm which physical location has your vehicle before you send a ride, or you will pay for a taxi to the wrong place. Skelly's line is (865) 440-7815.

To find out which company was dispatched, call the Loudon County Sheriff's Office records division at (865) 986-4823 or (865) 986-1770. The arresting officer is supposed to note the wrecker service on the tow-in inventory form, and you may have gotten a copy with your citation.

Tennessee caps what these operators can charge. The release fee cannot exceed $100. During normal business hours, a yard cannot charge a gate, access, or release fee on any day it is also charging daily storage. Storage cannot run past 21 days without your consent or a lienholder's unless a law enforcement hold is on the car. Ask for an itemized bill and push back on anything outside those limits.

Two things slow retrieval down. First, if you are not the registered owner, the owner generally has to show up in person with ID, proof of insurance, and the registration. A notarized authorization letter with copies of the owner's ID is sometimes accepted, but only at the yard manager's discretion and only if arranged by phone first. Second, if there is a law enforcement hold, from a crash with injuries, a search warrant, or a forfeiture claim, the yard cannot release the car until the seizing agency issues a formal release document. Sort that out through the agency, filing where needed with the Loudon County General Sessions Court or the Department of Safety legal office, not with the tow yard.

Watch the clock. These yards process releases only until mid-afternoon, often 4:00 or 5:00 p.m., and the one clerk who handles paperwork frequently steps out from noon to 1:00 p.m. Bail posted at 4:30 usually means the car waits until the next morning, plus another day of storage. Call ahead, confirm the clerk is at the desk, and go early.