If your car is gone in Philadelphia, check findmytowedcar.org or call 888-591-3636 first. Do that before you report it stolen. The car may have been booted, towed to a PPA lot, or relocated for street work. For a snow-emergency tow, call (215) 686-SNOW. Suburbs use their own lots. A private-lot tow follows 73 P.S. §1971 et seq.
Start with the PPA lookup
Inside the city, the Philadelphia Parking Authority runs most parking tows in Center City, University City, and commercial corridors. Police handle parking elsewhere. A missing car has often been booted, towed, or moved, rather than stolen. Do not start with a generic city information line. The lookup is findmytowedcar.org, with advanced search at findmytowedcar.org/advancesearch, or 888-591-3636.
Search by plate or VIN. If PPA has the car, the tool should name the lot. Confirm that lot before you drive across town. PPA uses more lots than the three named below. This page only lists lots with confirmed publishable phones.
PPA lots you can call
These three lots have confirmed phones. Call the lot for hours. This page does not publish lot hours, because those hours were not confirmed for print.
- Lot 1, 2501 Weccacoe Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148. (215) 683-9550.
- Lot 6, 4701 Bath Street, Philadelphia, PA 19137. (215) 683-9510.
- Lot 10, 6 E. Oregon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148. (215) 683-9601.
Bring photo ID and proof of ownership. Ask the lot what else it needs before you go. For PPA’s published fees, see how much a tow costs in Philadelphia.
If the car was relocated, not stolen
Relocation towing moves legally parked cars when a space becomes a temporary no-parking zone. That happens for events, utility work, construction, film shoots, weather, and block parties. Temporary signs are supposed to go up 24 to 48 hours ahead. People still come back to an empty curb and think the car was stolen.
Check findmytowedcar.org or 888-591-3636 before you file a stolen-vehicle report. Center City and the sports-complex blocks see this often.
If it was a snow-emergency tow
Philadelphia designates 110 miles of snow-emergency routes, marked with red signs. On a declared snow emergency, parking is banned on those routes. Violators are ticketed and towed. Locate a snow-emergency tow at (215) 686-SNOW or philapark.org/tow.
If a suburb towed it
Upper Darby, Norristown, Bensalem, West Chester, and the rest of Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester counties are not the PPA. Each municipality runs its own lot and sets its own fee. Call that township’s police non-emergency line. Ask where towed vehicles go and what you need to bring. A Center City neighbor quoting Lot 1 is not quoting your township.
Pennsylvania Title 75 §3352 covers police removal. The municipality may set rates. If it has set no rate, storage is capped at $25 per day. Title 75 §7305 gives 30 days to reclaim after mailed notice in the abandoned-vehicle process. That is not a DUI hold, and it is not the clock on a PPA parking tow.
If it was towed from a private lot
A car pulled from an apartment complex, a mall, or a posted space is a private-property tow. Statewide, 73 P.S. §1971 et seq. requires posted fees and hours, itemized written charges, and release during posted hours. A tower may not haul more than 16 miles without owner or law-enforcement authorization. Look at the sign for the company name and phone. Call that number. Ask where the car is, and ask for an itemized total before you pay. If you manage a property, see private-property towing.
If it was a crash or an arrest tow
A parking tow inside the city is usually PPA. A crash or arrest tow often runs through the city’s rotational program, contracted to AutoReturn, now Autura. That is not a PPA parking lot. If police are on scene, ask the officer for the company name and the lot. Then call that lot. After release, if you still need a ride to a shop, the line at (610) 557-1544 lines up an operator for the onward move, or use the contact page. Storage on a PPA parking tow accrues by the day, so pick the car up as soon as you can pay.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my car was towed or stolen in Philadelphia? Check findmytowedcar.org or call 888-591-3636 first. The car may have been booted, towed, or relocated. If PPA does not have it, ask the suburb or the private lot, then report it to police.
Which PPA lots can I call? Lot 1 at 2501 Weccacoe Ave, (215) 683-9550. Lot 6 at 4701 Bath Street, (215) 683-9510. Lot 10 at 6 E. Oregon Avenue, (215) 683-9601. Confirm the assigned lot on findmytowedcar.org. Call the lot for hours.
What if a suburb or a private lot towed it? Call that township for a municipal impound. For a private-lot tow, call the number on the sign. Private-property tows in Pennsylvania follow 73 P.S. §1971 et seq.
What do I bring to get the car out? Bring photo ID and proof of ownership. Ask the lot for the rest of the list before you go. This page does not publish a payment-method list, because that list was not confirmed.
When to call us
Call once the lot has released the car and you need it moved. We don’t run a PPA lot and we can’t look up a plate for you. The line takes calls 24/7. Calls are recorded after a notice. Call the line at (610) 557-1544, or write through /contact/.