{"id":381127,"date":"2026-07-21T16:40:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T16:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/381127\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T16:40:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T16:40:32","slug":"how-to-get-an-abandoned-car-back-in-north-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/381127\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get an abandoned car back in North Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

A disabled vehicle can quickly become an abandoned one, especially on busy North Texas highways. Between possible repair bills, towing costs and storage fees, some drivers can\u2019t afford<\/a> to immediately move their vehicle. In Dallas, this occurs often, but what happens when they disappear?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The process varies depending on where the vehicle was left, but state and local laws dictate the outcome. Understanding how long a car can be abandoned, where it\u2019s taken and how long the driver has for retrieval can help North Texans avoid losing their vehicles altogether.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You leave your car. Now what?<\/p>\n

If a person must leave their car<\/a>, they should pull over to the side of the road and remove all valuables. Local law enforcement or a roadside assistance service can be called for help or to report a disabled vehicle. A bright orange sticker will be placed on the car\u2019s window as a notice for the owner to either retrieve the vehicle in a designated time frame or risk towing. A number is also listed on the sticker for extra assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Abandoned\u2019 does not always mean \u2018towed\u2019,\u201d said Michael Rey, media relations manager for the North Texas Toll Authority. \u201cThere are times [when] drivers return to their vehicle within the 24-hour period.\u201d<\/p>\n

A car is not considered abandoned unless it has been left unattended for more than 48 hours, according to Chapter 683 of the Texas Transportation Code. However, controlled-access sectors, such as highways and toll roads, require owners to reclaim their vehicle within 24 hours.<\/p>\n

Rey said if the vehicle presents a safety hazard, it can be removed immediately.<\/p>\n

Depending on where the car was abandoned affects which law enforcement and transportation agencies are responsible. In non-controlled areas, such as city streets and county roads, car owners have 48 hours before their vehicle will be towed by a licensed towing company. These towing companies are partnered with the law enforcement or transportation agencies handling the case.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For example, if a car is towed by the Dallas Police Department, owners can retrieve their vehicle from the Dallas City Auto Pound at 1955 Vilbig Rd.\u00a0 If the owner is unsure where the car was towed to, they can call roadside assistance or the local law enforcement non-emergency line to check impound logs.<\/p>\n

A towing company takes the car to a vehicle storage facility, which is required to contact the owner at least twice to inform them of the location of their car. A vehicle storage facility may consider a car abandoned if it has not been claimed 30 days after the second notice and the vehicle may be put up for auction, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After locating their vehicle\u2019s towing lot location, the car owner should gather necessary materials. Local law enforcement and transportation authorities urge vehicle owners to bring proof of ownership such as insurance, registration or car title. Owners must bring their driver’s license and pay all fees before leaving the impound lot or vehicle storage facility.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A disabled vehicle can quickly become an abandoned one, especially on busy North Texas highways. Between possible repair…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":381128,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[13870,10448,102,104,103,100447,430,17921,88572,87998],"class_list":["post-381127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-auto","tag-autos","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-news-transportation","tag-north-texas","tag-service","tag-tp-transportation","tag-tp-dallas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}