Contest a Tow With a Written Hearing

Share this:

You are responsible for storage fees
Storage fees accrue daily and you are responsible for the payment of all towing and storage fees.  You should get your vehicle out of Impound immediately to stop the accrual of storage fees even if you believe the vehicle was towed in error.  If you do not pay the towing and storage fees and remove the vehicle from Impound, storage fees will continue to accrue.  If you choose not to remove your vehicle from Impound during the hearing process, you are responsible for all towing and storage fees if you do not prevail at your hearing.  If you cannot afford to pay the fees to get your vehicle out of Impound, you should immediately schedule a hearing by calling 415.646.2020.  If you prevail at your hearing, a refund will be mailed to you 4-6 weeks from the date of your hearing.


30 days to request a hearing
You must request a tow hearing within 30 calendar days of the tow date or you are not eligible for a hearing. If your vehicle is worth $500 or less and you have not retrieved it from storage, you must request a hearing within 10 calendar days of the date of the tow.


SFPD Tow Hearings
You cannot schedule a hearing on this portal for vehicles towed by the order of SFPD.  For a hearing for a vehicle towed by SFPD, go to the address below during the times listed on the SFPD website.  Visit the San Francisco Police Department towed vehicle page for more information and options.

To find out if your vehicle was towed by SFPD or SFMTA, call 415.865.8200. 

SFPD Traffic Company
Hall of Justice
850 Bryant Street, Room 154
San Francisco, CA 94102

Low-income or Experiencing Homelessness?

Visit the Low Income Tow page for information on how to receive certain limited waivers on tow fees and storage.
 

First Tow?

Visit the First Tow page for information on how to receive a reduction in the administrative fee.  All other fees still apply.
 

Standard of Review

An SFMTA Hearing Officer will make a determination as to whether there were reasonable grounds for the tow.  A decision will also be made on any parking citation issued in conjunction with the tow.  You do not need to pay the citation prior to the hearing.

Financial hardships or personal circumstances will not exempt the owner from paying the appropriate tow and storage fees as a result of contesting a vehicle tow. Visit the First Tow page for information about eligibility for low-income waivers or first tow reductions.

Photographs: The parking control officer may have taken a photo of the violation. To view any associated photos, go to the online citation protest portal and enter the citation number: Online Citation Protest Portal

(It is not necessary to protest the citation online as the hearing officer will also make a decision on the citation). A photo is NOT required by law to prove a violation occurred.

Driveway Tows:  A driveway begins where the curb begins to slope downward. If any portion of a vehicle, including the bumper, extends into the sloped area, it is considered to be blocking and the tow would be considered valid.

Click here to learn How to Park Legally in San Francisco

 

Enter in Your Information Below


Page 1

Contact Information
















Page 2

Vehicle Information






Please provide the license plate number of your vehicle.


Please enter the State abbreviation in CAPS of the State the license plate was issued.


If the vehicle was towed without license plates, you must enter the Vehicle Identification Number to submit the protest.

Page 3

Information for Written/Online Hearing


For written/online hearings, the Hearing
Officer will make a decision based on a review of your written protest and any
documents/pictures you have submitted.  The decision will be made within
approximately 2-3 weeks. 






*You
still need to complete the rest of this form by scheduling a hearing date and
time for the Hearing Officer to review a written/online protest. You will NOT need to be present or available
on the date and time scheduled for a review of a written protest.



Page 4

Tow Information


The Tow Date must be within the past 30 days to submit a written protest online.


Select 'OTHER' if you don't know the reason for the tow.

    

Supporting Documentation


*Each file uploaded must be less than 20 MB.
 
To add another image or file, you will need to click the “Add another image or file” link above.

*NOTE: After clicking the Submit button you will have an opportunity to review your online protest (and print if desired). Once you click Confirm you will not be able to retract your submission or print out the online protest. 

Contact Information