The letter received from Oregon Lien is because you are registered as the owner of the vehicle according to the state. If you did not notify DMV with the name and address of the person you sold the car to before the car was towed you can still be held responsible for the charges. Oregon State Law requires you to notify DMV with the name and address of the person you sold a vehicle to within 10 days of selling it.

If you have received a letter from Oregon Lien Service, this would indicate that we have possession of a vehicle that DMV has you listed as an owner of the vehicle. This letter serves as your notification that we have the car and intend to auction it if it is not picked up. If the vehicle is sold at auction and does not bring what is owed against it for towing and storage, the deficit balance is sent to a collections agency and the person listed in the letter will be pursued for that balance.

If the car is not picked up it will be sold at auction. If the auction sale does not bring in a balance equal to what is owed against the vehicle for towing and storage, the deficit balance is sent to a collection agency. Collections will then pursue the registered owner for the deficit balance and report it to the 3 major credit reporting bureaus.

Due to the high number of chargebacks and contested charges relating to the impound towing industry, our credit card merchant REQUIRES that the credit card and card holder be present with identification to sign the promissory note.

Impound Towing is a completely different type of towing service than if your vehicle is broken down alongside the road (“roadside assistance”). Roadside assistance is usually towed from point A to point B and payment is collected immediately. In the event of an impound, the car has to be logged into the corresponding police agency (some agencies charge towers a fee and that is passed along). The vehicle also has to be stored in a holding facility, whereas a roadside assistance tow does not. Only 70% of all impounded vehicles are redeemed, or “picked up” by the owner. Of those remaining 30% that are sent to auction, about 95% do not recoup the balance of what is owed against it for towing and storage, so the fees are somewhat higher than when there is 100% payment on roadside tows.

If you are the registered owner of the vehicle with proper documentation and state-issued photo ID, you may pick up personal belongings in the vehicle up until the 15th day it is in our facility. After the 15th day all personal possessions become part of the lien process and to retrieve items after that point the tow bill must be paid.

Items that can be removed without being registered owner:
• Prescription medication (with matching ID)
• Prescription eyeglasses

Items that cannot be removed no matter what, under any circumstances:
• Stereo equipment (stereo decks, amplifiers, speakers, crossovers, etc)
• CB radios
• Anything wired into the vehicle

Our drivers don’t get into the vehicles unless a police officer or city agent requires us to, usually only to recover a VIN (vehicle identification number). This is only done at our secured storage facility.

All our tow trucks are specially designed for the impound business. Our trucks pick your vehicle up by the tires. 90% of the time we use dollies to take all four wheels off the ground. It’s just like when you drive down the street.

For pictures and more information about how a vehicle is towed CLICK HERE.

There is no grace period for parking violations. If your vehicle was in violation of the parking rules of a facility, your vehicle was subject to immediate impounding. That’s like saying, “Officer, I was only speeding for five miles.”

In order to pick up a vehicle you must have one of the following:

* A release from Police Records issued in the claimant’s name (this is only required if your vehicle was impounded by the city)
* Title or vehicle registration printed in the claimant’s name
* Stamped, yellow DMV transfer receipt showing you are in the process of transferring the vehicle in your name
* Dealership bill of sale, less than 60 days old with all registration fees paid to the dealer
* A notarized statement from the legally registered owner authorizing release of the vehicle to the claimant
* A Hold Harmless Agreement signed by the legally registered owner who is a prisoner at the jail and witnessed by a Corrections Officer (in the event of incarceration)
* A notarized Affidavit of Repossession claiming title for a vehicle lien holder
* UNFORTUNATELY A SET OF KEYS THAT FITS A CAR IS NOT PROOF OF OWNERSHIP OF THAT VEHICLE

Find out more about what to do next. CLICK HERE

Unfortunately we can’t give out that answer. This protects the property owner from harassment. A majority of the time no one has called us, we have located the vehicle in violation during random patrolling.

Our management staff work out in the field, not out of an office. The quickest and easiest way is to use the “contact us” tab and fill out an online complaint form. When you are submit the complaint, we receive an email with your concerns. We will get back to you as soon as we have an opportunity to review all facets of your complaint. Please be patient.

our management staff work out in the field, not out of an office. The quickest and easiest way is to Click Here and fill out an online complaint form. When you are finished with the complaint, we receive an email with your concerns. We will get back to you as soon as we have an opportunity to review all facets of your complaint. Please be patient.
You can also view more about how we do the tows to best protect your vehicle HERE.