How to get your car out of impound in Downtown & Financial District
If your car got towed in Downtown & Financial District, here is how to find it and get it back today.
What Massachusetts law says
In Greater Boston a towed car sits in one of three places, and which one changes everything. Inside Boston city limits it is at the City of Boston tow lot at 200 Frontage Road, with published city fees. In any separate city or town, from Cambridge to Quincy, it is at that town's own impound, capped by state rate ceilings. And a tow from a private lot or a police order follows a third set of rules statewide. Work out which one you are in first. The fastest way to find a car towed inside Boston is the city lookup at cityofboston.gov/towing/search, which covers the past 15 days; if you do not have the plate, the Boston Police tow line is 617-343-4629.
Downtown & Financial District sits outside Massachusetts, so a different state's impound and towing rules apply here instead of the Massachusetts law above. Call the line and the operator who takes the job can walk you through what's different for your vehicle.
How it works in Downtown & Financial District
- 1 Find out where it is
Inside Boston, search the plate at cityofboston.gov/towing/search, which covers the past 15 days, or call 617-635-3900; without the plate, use the Boston Police tow line at 617-343-4629. In a suburb, call the police department that ordered the tow.
- 2 Confirm which kind of tow it was
A City of Boston tow, a separate town's impound and a private-property tow follow different rules and go to different lots. Getting this wrong sends you to the wrong place.
- 3 Bring the right documents
To redeem a car from the City of Boston lot you need a valid driver's license, your license plate number, proof of active registration and proof of insurance. A town impound may ask for the same, so confirm before you go.
- 4 Know how they take payment
The City of Boston lot accepts cash, a money order, a cashier's check, or a debit or credit card with a 2.5% processing fee. A suburban impound sets its own payment rules, so ask first.
- 5 Watch the storage clock
At the City of Boston lot storage runs $3 an hour up to $15 a day. A town impound is capped by the state at up to $35 per 24 hours. Either way it accrues while you decide, so call early.
- 6 Move inside the 15-day window
The city's online lookup only covers the past 15 days, and a car left unclaimed can be treated as abandoned under state law. The sooner you act, the less it costs and the easier it is to find.
What this looks like around Downtown & Financial District
Inside Boston, around downtown, the Back Bay and the North End, look the plate up at cityofboston.gov/towing/search, which covers the past 15 days, or call 617-635-3900. The City of Boston lot at 200 Frontage Road is staffed Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 10:30 PM, with automated kiosks around the clock, and the fee is $90 to tow plus $3 an hour of storage up to $15 a day.
A Downtown tow inside the city goes to the City of Boston lot at 200 Frontage Road. Look it up at cityofboston.gov/towing/search, entering three characters of the plate, which covers the past 15 days, or call 617-635-3900, and 617-343-4629 if you do not know your plate. The city fee is $90 to tow and $3 per hour of storage up to $15 per day. To release it you need a valid driver's license, your license plate number, proof of active registration and proof of insurance, and the city takes cash, a money order, a cashier's check or a debit or credit card with a 2.5% fee on cards. The lot is staffed Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 10:30 PM, with automated kiosks around the clock. A street-cleaning tow is different: a private company holds the car at its own lot and charges $108 plus $35 per day, so confirm which kind of tow it was. A downtown car can also be moved for utility work or an event, so if it is not at the city lot, check the lookup and the posted signs where you parked.
Downtown and the Financial District pack the densest parking enforcement in the city into a few blocks. I-93 runs under it all through the O'Neill Tunnel, and that tunnel has no real shoulder, so a stall there sits in a live lane until an operator clears it. On the street the Financial District runs tight permit and metered zones, and a car towed by the city goes to the City of Boston tow lot at 200 Frontage Road. The tow fee there is $90, storage runs $3 an hour up to $15 a day, and you can check the plate at cityofboston.gov/towing/search. The lot is staffed Monday to Friday, 7am to 10:30pm, with kiosks the rest of the time. The operator we send handles the breakdown or the tow itself, and we point you to the right lot when the city has already taken the car.
Common Downtown & Financial District questions
How do I find out where my car was towed in Downtown & Financial District?
Inside Boston, search the plate at cityofboston.gov/towing/search, which covers the past 15 days, or call 617-635-3900; if you do not have the plate, the Boston Police tow line is 617-343-4629. If a suburb towed it, call that town's police department directly.
What will I owe to get my car out of impound in Downtown & Financial District?
If the City of Boston towed it, the published fees are $90 to tow plus $3 an hour of storage up to $15 a day. If a separate town towed it, the charge is capped by the state Department of Public Utilities in 220 CMR 272: up to $132 for a base tow within five miles and up to $35 per 24 hours of storage.
Can I pay by card in Downtown & Financial District?
At the City of Boston lot, yes: it takes cash, a money order, a cashier's check, or a debit or credit card with a 2.5% processing fee. A suburban impound sets its own payment rules, so ask before you drive over.
Can Quick Tow Boston release my car from impound in Downtown & Financial District?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. We connect drivers with private tow and roadside operators. We are not the city lot, the town or the police department holding your car, so we cannot waive fees or speed up a release. What we can do is help you work out who has it and line up an operator once it is released. Call (857) 858-5057.
Related help for Downtown & Financial District
Impound release process in the rest of the Boston Core area
Need your car towed once it's released in Downtown & Financial District?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.