If you searched for “the Spartanburg County impound lot,” here’s the short version: there isn’t one. Spartanburg County doesn’t run a single, central storage yard the way some cities do. Instead, county ordinance requires every licensed wrecker company to keep its own storage lot, and your car ends up at whichever one towed it.
Why Isn’t There One County Impound Lot?
Spartanburg County’s towing ordinance puts the storage requirement on individual wrecker companies, not the county itself. Under Ordinance No. O-17-36, which added Article III to Chapter 82 of the county code, “each wrecker business which stores towed vehicles shall have a storage lot in close proximity to its principal place of business and located within the boundaries of Spartanburg County” (§82-31(d)).
That’s the whole reason a search for “the impound lot” doesn’t turn up an address, because the county deliberately structured it as a network of private storage lots, not one facility. Which lot has your car depends entirely on which wrecker company towed it.
So How Do I Find Out Which Lot Has My Car?
Call law enforcement first, not a random towing company. The same ordinance requires any wrecker service that tows a vehicle without the owner’s consent to phone the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office within one hour of the tow and report where the vehicle can be claimed (§82-33(d)(3)). That call creates the record you need.
Once you know which company towed your car, that company’s storage lot is required to post signs with an on-call number for releasing vehicles, visible to anyone approaching the lot or the business (§82-33(f)-(g)). Most storage lots aren’t staffed around the clock, so that posted number is how you actually reach someone after hours.
What Does It Cost to Get My Car Back?
Less than you might expect if you’re fast, and it’s capped either way. If you catch the tow truck before your car is hooked up, the operator can charge you no more than $75 to release it on the spot (§82-33(g)). If it’s already hooked up when you show up, the cap rises to $100 to have it disconnected and handed back (§82-33(h)).
Once your car actually enters a storage lot, you get a grace period: storage fees don’t start until 12 hours after the vehicle arrives, and after that they accrue per day, not per hour (§82-34(c)). Every fee gets itemized, too. The ordinance requires the storage lot to give you a receipt that breaks down exactly what you’re being charged for (§82-34(f)), not a flat number with no explanation.
Does This Apply to Tows From Private Property Too?
Yes, and the signage rules layer on top of what South Carolina law already requires. A property owner still has to post a clearly visible “violators will be towed” sign before a commercial lot can have your car removed, per SC Code §16-11-760, which we cover in more detail in our guide on how to find your towed car in Woodruff, SC. The county ordinance adds its own layer on top: no vehicle can be towed from private property without authorization from the owner, the county, or law enforcement, unless the property owner has posted and maintained that signage (§82-33(a)).
We Handle the Other Side of This Legally
If you’re a property owner or manager dealing with vehicles left on your lot, our junk car & private property towing service follows this ordinance to the letter: signage checked, notification filed, no shortcuts. And if your car got towed and you need it moved again once you have it back, whether that’s to a shop or home, our 24-hour emergency towing crew covers Spartanburg County day or night.
Call us at (864) 756-8255 or get a quote if you need a hand on either end of this.
Frequently asked questions
Is there one central Spartanburg County impound lot?
No. County ordinance O-17-36 requires each licensed wrecker company to maintain its own storage lot within the county, so your vehicle is held wherever the towing company that removed it stores its vehicles, not at a single county facility.
How fast does the Sheriff’s Office find out my car was towed?
Wrecker services must report a nonconsensual tow to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office by phone within one hour, including where the vehicle can be claimed, so a record typically exists within an hour of the tow.
What’s the maximum I can be charged to get my car back on the spot?
If you arrive before the vehicle is hooked up, the cap is $75. If it’s already connected to the tow truck, the cap rises to $100 to have it released. Both figures come directly from the county ordinance.
When do storage fees actually start?
Storage fees don’t begin until 12 hours after your vehicle enters the storage lot. After that 12-hour window, fees accrue on a per-day basis, so getting there within that first half-day can save you a charge entirely.
