Richmond’s towed vehicle locator is the fastest way to find out who towed your car and where it went. It is the city’s own live towing list, it covers city-directed tows, and it stays online for 14 days. Check it before you call anyone and before you report the car stolen.
Start with the city’s own tool. Richmond publishes a live towed-vehicle listing at apps.richmondgov.com/applications/towviewing, showing make, model, color, partial VIN, partial plate, the time it was towed, and the lot address, kept online for 14 days after the tow. If your car isn’t on that list and you think it should be, call Richmond Emergency Communications’ non-emergency line at (804) 646-5100, or email 911rva@rva.gov. The city recommends checking the listing before you file a stolen-vehicle report.
If Richmond police had your car towed
Richmond doesn’t run its own municipal impound yard. Since 1992, the city’s exclusive towing contractor has been Seibert’s Towing (Manchester Marketing, dba Seibert’s Towing), which operates a 19-acre secured tow lot at 642 W. Southside Plaza Dr., Richmond, VA 23224. You can reach them directly at (804) 233-5757, and owners can check tow status by VIN or plate at seibertstowing.com. The current contract was awarded through City Council Ordinance No. 2016-176, adopted June 13, 2016, following a 2015 request for proposals.
What actually triggers a Richmond city tow, per the towing contract: city-owned vehicles; vehicles in designated tow-away zones, including handicap and fire zones; parking violations during “Peak Towing” hours, 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.; abandoned vehicles; vehicles involved in accidents; vehicles with three or more unpaid parking tickets; stolen vehicles; vehicles held 30 days for a DUI or an equipment violation; and vehicles officially held as evidence. Most routine tows are for street cleaning and special events, and towing activity runs heaviest in the Fan because of its limited parking.
The 30-day DUI hold, framed exactly
One category on that list matters more than the others if it applies to you. Under the city’s towing contract, a vehicle towed for a DUI arrest or certain equipment violations can be held for 30 days at Seibert’s lot before the owner can reclaim it. That’s a distinct hold rule, separate from the release process for an ordinary parking or accident tow. If you think your tow falls into this category, call Seibert’s directly at (804) 233-5757 or Richmond’s non-emergency line at (804) 646-5100 to confirm the hold status and what it will take to release the vehicle once the 30 days are up.
The boot program
If your car has an orange wheel boot on it instead of being gone, that’s Richmond’s Parking Enterprise scofflaw program, separate from towing entirely. The city boots vehicles with at least three unpaid parking tickets, identified by license-plate-recognition cameras or parking enforcement officers. The boot processing fee is $60, on top of all outstanding tickets and fines, and the boot comes off within 45 minutes of full payment. Pay in person at City Hall, Room 102 (cash, credit, debit, or money order, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), by phone through Metropolis at (804) 649-3025 (8 a.m. to 9 p.m., card only, $3 convenience fee), or online.
If a private lot or apartment complex towed you
Everything above covers a police-directed or city-triggered tow. A different set of rules applies if a landlord, HOA, or private property owner had your car towed off a lot without your consent, sometimes called a trespass tow.
Virginia law (Va. Code § 46.2-1231) requires clear signage at every entrance disclosing the towing policy, including the non-emergency phone number of local law enforcement. The tow operator has to immediately notify police when removing your vehicle, and the towing business must prominently display a full list of its fees at its office and at the recovery site, without collecting more than that posted amount. Businesses also can’t refuse to release your car once you tender payment by cash, insurance check, certified check, money order, or credit card. Refusing suspends any further storage charges from that point.
One thing to ask about before your car is fully loaded: if you get there before the vehicle leaves the property, the operator can release it for a reduced charge, usually called a drop fee. Virginia sets that at $25, or whatever limit the county, city or town sets by ordinance (Va. Code § 46.2-1231). Richmond’s 2025 ordinance caps that drop fee at $40.
For the complete rundown on your rights, signage requirements, and the state’s fee cap, see our private property towing guide. If you think the tow itself was wrong, our dispute guide covers your options. And for what it actually costs to get a truck out to you versus what a trespass tow is capped at, see how much a tow costs in Richmond.
The lien clock, if your car sits unclaimed
Once a tow operator has your car in storage, Virginia’s keeper-lien law (Va. Code § 46.2-644.01) starts a clock. The tow company, acting as the “keeper,” holds a lien for towing, storage, recovery, and care until it’s paid, and it has to notify the DMV within 7 business days of taking possession to check for any existing lien on the vehicle. Once the DMV notifies you or a lienholder, you have 10 business days from that notice to reclaim the car before the keeper can enforce the lien or relinquish the vehicle. Storage charges on a lien-titled vehicle can’t exceed $500. See our impound lien sale guide and our 30-day impound hold guide for the full timeline.
Henrico and Chesterfield work differently
If your car disappeared somewhere in Henrico County, Henrico doesn’t publish a “find my towed vehicle” tool the way Richmond does. Call the Henrico Police non-emergency line at (804) 501-5000, available 24 hours, or the general county contact center at (804) 501-4000. Henrico also runs a Tag N Tow Program for abandoned or inoperable vehicles left on public rights-of-way: Community Maintenance or Police post a warning tag, reinspect after 48 hours, and arrange a tow if the vehicle hasn’t moved, with a civil penalty of up to $500 for a violation. The Community Revitalization hotline, (804) 501-4757, runs 24/7.
Chesterfield County doesn’t run a single centralized impound lot. Instead, the police department maintains a list of approved towing companies, and county-directed tows go through whichever company is on rotation. Chesterfield doesn’t publish an online towed-vehicle lookup either. Call the non-emergency line at (804) 748-1251, or email CCPD@chesterfield.gov, with your plate number, VIN, or case number ready.
The Richmond impound lot, and who towed my car
A search for “who towed my car” usually ends at a lot address, not a city yard. Richmond doesn’t operate its own municipal impound. For police-directed tows the city’s exclusive contractor is Seibert’s Towing, and its secured lot sits at 642 W. Southside Plaza Dr., Richmond, VA 23224. Call Seibert’s at (804) 233-5757, or search seibertstowing.com by VIN or plate.
Work the towed vehicle locator first, then the phone. Match the make, model, color, partial VIN and partial plate shown in the result, because similar cars are common and the partial plate is what separates them. Note the displayed tow time and lot address before you call anyone. If the car isn’t on the list, that absence doesn’t confirm theft on its own.
The Richmond impound lot process then depends on why the car was removed. Confirm the tow status before you plan a pickup, and ask the lot what applies to that specific vehicle. A 30-day hold isn’t a general rule for every tow. Richmond’s contract limits that hold to DUI and certain equipment violations, and parking, accident and private-property tows follow different release paths.
Private-property tows follow their own reporting path. Virginia law requires the operator to notify State Police or local law enforcement immediately after removal. If an apartment, HOA or retail lot ordered the tow and the city listing doesn’t resolve it, call the non-emergency line and ask whether a removal was reported and which operator has the car. That keeps the towed vehicle list, the police report and the recovery location in the right order.
If this turns into a longer breakdown
If tracking down your car turns into needing a tow from wherever it ends up, or you need help getting a replacement vehicle moved, call (804) 701-6752 and the operator taking the job confirms the price before the truck rolls.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out if Richmond towed my car?
Check the city’s towed-vehicle listing at apps.richmondgov.com/applications/towviewing first. It shows make, model, color, partial VIN and plate, and the lot address for 14 days after a tow. If it’s not listed, call (804) 646-5100.
What is the 30-day DUI hold?
Under Richmond’s towing contract, a vehicle towed for a DUI arrest or certain equipment violations can be held at Seibert’s lot for 30 days before you can reclaim it. Call Seibert’s at (804) 233-5757 to confirm your specific hold status.
What does it cost to remove a Richmond boot?
$60, on top of any outstanding tickets and fines. The boot comes off within 45 minutes of full payment, paid at City Hall Room 102, by phone through Metropolis at (804) 649-3025, or online.
What if a private lot towed me, not the police?
That falls under Virginia’s private-property towing law, not the city’s contract. See our private property towing guide for signage requirements, the state fee cap, and your rights.
Does Henrico or Chesterfield have their own towed-vehicle lookup?
Neither county publishes an online lookup. Call Henrico Police non-emergency at (804) 501-5000, or Chesterfield Police non-emergency at (804) 748-1251, with your plate or VIN ready.
What happens if I never pick up my car?
Virginia’s keeper-lien law gives the tow company a lien for towing and storage costs. It must notify the DMV within 7 business days, and you get 10 business days from that DMV notice to reclaim the car before the lien can be enforced. See our impound lien sale guide for the full process.
Where is the Richmond impound lot for police-directed tows?
Richmond doesn’t operate a city-owned impound yard. Police-directed vehicles go to Seibert’s Towing at 642 W. Southside Plaza Dr., Richmond, VA 23224. Call (804) 233-5757 or check seibertstowing.com by VIN or plate.
Who towed my car if it isn’t on Richmond’s list?
Call Richmond Emergency Communications at (804) 646-5100. Private-property tow operators must notify State Police or local law enforcement immediately after removing a vehicle. Ask whether a tow was reported and which operator has the car.