New Yorkers Don't Know Their Cars Can Be Towed then Sold Quietly After 10 Days—Is This Legal?

Many New Yorkers don't know that NYC can tow their cars and sell them after 10 days.

Unlike other cities and states in the U.S.-where towed cars can't be sold 35 or more days after towing-New York City can quietly sell towed vehicles after 10 business days.

New Yorkers Don't Know NYC Can Tow Their Cars, Sell Them Quietly After 10 Days—Is This Legal?

(Photo : Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)
An NYPD tow truck drives through the snow covered streets during a massive winter storm on January 4, 2018 in New York City. As a major winter storm moves up the Northeast corridor, New York City is under a winter storm warning and forecasts are calling for six to eight inches of snow.

This is because of the city's civil forfeiture system, which many citizens are not aware of. To make matters worse, this system allows NYC officials to quickly and easily sell towed cars no matter what prompted the tow.

If you are living in New York City, here's what you need to know about NYC's 10-day rule for towed cars.

New Yorkers Don't Know Towed Cars Can Be Sold After 10 Days

According to The Drive's latest report, the NYC Department of Finance states that the police can tow and impound vehicles for any parking violation owners did within the city.

But, cars will most likely be towed if they are blocking traffic, parked in front of a fire hydrant, or if owners have at least $350 of unpaid parking tickets.

If ever a car is towed, the 10-day rule will quickly apply. Based on experts' estimations, retrieving a towed car in New York City could cost New Yorkers thousands of dollars.

This is because the tow fee ranges between $185 to $370. Aside from this, New Yorkers also need to settle the storage fee, which costs $20 per day.

If their cars were immobilized during towing, they also need to pay the $185 boot fee. Another fee they need to settle is the $250 charge, which applies when the vehicle is towed because of an expired registration or inspection sticker.

Because of this, many critics shared their disappointment about NYC's 10-day rule in selling towed cars. This is because the short window provided by the city is not suitable for the current situation of society, especially since inflation is not getting any better.

Just imagine needing to pay thousands of dollars within 10 days.

How to Deal With Towing

(Photo : John Moore/Getty Images)
Recovery agent or 'repo man' Todd O'Connor raises a car for towing while repossessing vehicles in the early hours of October 12, 2012 in Oneida, New York. O'Connor, who works for Advanced Recovery of New York, works with fellow agents day and night locating and towing vehicles legally repossessed by banks and loan agencies.

Jim Burke Nissan provided the things that car owners need to do if their vehicles are suddenly towed by the city. These include the following:

Check if the car was really towed or stolen. If you are sure that you haven't done any parking violations or you're not behind on your car loan payments, then call 911 immediately.
If you are sure that it was towed, then you need to find where your car is impounded. You can ask the nearest business establishment to find out what happened.
Before you challenge the towing company, research your rights. Once you know all your rights, try calling the towing company.