Lincoln Impound Lot: How to Find a Towed Car in Lincoln, NE

If your car vanished from a Lincoln street, call the city's Emergency Communications Center at 402-441-6000. That's the number the City of Lincoln gives for towed car questions. Every Lincoln Police tow goes to the city impound lot. If you were parked in a private lot, read the sign at the entrance. Nebraska requires it to say who to call about a towed car.

Was my car towed or stolen?

You walk back to the spot and it's empty. Stop and look around before you do anything else. Where you parked tells you a lot.

• A city street or alley. Lincoln Police or the city likely ordered the tow. Call 402-441-6000.
• A store, apartment or office lot. The lot owner likely had it towed. Find the sign at the entrance.
• The shoulder of I-80 or I-180. A car left on the interstate too long can be towed. Call 402-441-6000 and give the direction and the nearest exit.

Have your plate number ready when you call. Your VIN helps too. It's on your registration and your insurance card. If nobody has a record of a tow, report the car stolen. If you feel unsafe where you're standing, call 911.

Where does Lincoln Police take towed cars?

Lincoln Police policy is plain about this. All cars towed by the department go to the city impound lot. The city contracts with one towing service for police tows. Police policy sends public questions about a towed car to that contract service.

Cars held as evidence may go into an inside storage building instead. Either way, the first call is the same. The Emergency Communications Center can tell you whether your car was towed and what to do next.

We left the lot's address and hours out of this guide on purpose. We couldn't find them on an official city page. Ask for them when you call, and ask what you'll need to bring.

What happens to the stuff inside my car?

When police order a tow, the officer inventories the car first. That covers the seats, the glove box, the console and the trunk. Valuable items get listed. High value items get tagged and moved to the department's Property and Evidence Unit. Your keys stay with the car.

Why would Lincoln Police tow my car?

Police policy lists these reasons for a parking or violation tow:

• Getting in the way of normal use of the street
• Blocking a driveway or a fire hydrant
• Parking in a restricted zone, such as a rush hour no parking stretch
• Parking in one spot for over 24 hours
• Using a handicapped stall without a permit
• Breaking a snow emergency order
• Parking on the interstate
• Leaving a car abandoned on public property

The 24 hour rule has steps. Parking staff mark the street around your wheels and leave a warning. After 24 hours, you can get a ticket. After 48 hours, the car can be towed. If you see chalk by your tires, move the car.

A car can also be towed after two earlier tickets for bad registration. And a car with no plates left on public property for over six hours counts as abandoned under Nebraska law.

When police impound instead of just towing

Some tows are holds. Police policy allows an impound when the car is evidence, when no one can show proof of ownership, or when the car shows up on the unpaid parking ticket list. For the ticket list, bring a receipt showing the fines are paid. A scheduled court date also works.

Two holds last longer. If a driver is caught driving on a revoked license, the car is held for 10 days. Racing, reckless driving or fleeing police gets a car declared a disorderly vehicle. The first time in 12 months, you can get it back once you pay the tow and storage. A second time within 12 months means a 10 day hold. The owner pays in both cases, even if someone else was driving.

Can my car get towed during a Lincoln snow emergency?

Yes, and this is the big one each winter. When the city calls a snow emergency, parking may be banned on both sides of snow routes, arterial streets, and school and bus routes. Cars left there face fines, towing and storage costs.

Snow removal districts have their own ban. Parking is off limits on both sides there, metered stalls included. Crews usually haul the snow out between midnight and 8 a.m. The districts are:

• Downtown
• University Place and Havelock
• Bethany and College View
• 11th and G, 17th and Washington, and 25th and Sumner

Which side of my street is banned?

Residential bans follow the calendar year. In even years, you can't park on the even-numbered side. In odd years, the odd side is banned. So for a ban this fall or December, move to the odd-numbered side. Once January 2027 starts, the rule flips to the even side.

Lincoln normally gets about 26 inches of snow a year, and some winters bring far more. Check for a ban every time it snows hard.

What if a private lot towed my car?

Lincoln Police treat private lot towing as a civil matter. The lot owner is in charge of it, not the police. Nebraska DMV rules still protect you:

1. A restricted lot must post signs you can see. They must list the rules, the hours and who to call about a towed car.
2. The tower must report your plate number to local police by the day after the tow. It must report again every 30 days while it has your car.
3. The tower can't start the lien process to sell your car until at least 90 days have passed. It must also mail the owner a certified letter dated within 15 days of the tow.

So if the sign is gone, call 402-441-6000 anyway. The tow should be on record with police.

How long before an unclaimed car is sold?

Don't let it sit. Under Nebraska law, the agency holding an abandoned car must notify the owner within 15 business days. If no one claims it, the car can be sold or auctioned five days after that notice is mailed. To claim it, you pay the removal and storage costs.

Evidence holds work a little differently. Once police no longer need the car, they send the owner a certified letter within 15 days. After 30 days, they can dispose of it. You don't pay storage on that kind of hold unless you or the driver was charged with a related crime. If charged but not convicted, you get the storage fees back. Only the Property and Evidence Unit can waive tow and storage fees on a Lincoln Police tow, so ask them if you think the charge is wrong.

Can I pick my own tow truck after a crash?

Yes. Lincoln Police policy says a driver with a disabled car may choose their own tow company. You can also ask for the city's contract service. Officers will help you set it up. That choice matters, because it decides where your car ends up.

If you aren't hurt and the scene is clear, a partner can tow you to your own repair shop. If anyone is hurt, or your car sits in a live lane on I-80, call 911 first. Sentinel is not an emergency service.

My car is released but won't start. Now what?

Sentinel doesn't do impounds, and we can't get a car out of any lot. Only the city or the tower can release it. Once it's yours again, though, a car that sat for days in the cold often won't start.

• Battery dead but nothing else wrong? Ask for a jump start.
• Won't run, has crash damage or isn't safe? Get a tow to a repair shop.
• Tire went flat while it sat? A partner can do a flat tire change and put on your spare.

Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network. A vetted local partner tow company does the job. We lock your price by text before anyone heads out, and we check on you by text until help arrives. That's the Stay-With-You Promise. You can track your truck on a map while you wait. For Lincoln's roads, weather and move-over law, see our Lincoln towing page. Towed in Omaha instead? Read our Omaha impound guide.

Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.

Lincoln Towed Car Questions

Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: LPD General Order 1840: Towing, LPD General Order 1850: Parking Enforcement, City of Lincoln parking bans, Lincoln Police, Nebraska DMV: private property tows, Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-1901, 60-1903, 60-1903.01.