Find the car before you call a wrecker
- Check the curb for a towing sign, a bagged meter, or a parade notice you missed. Photograph it.
- Use the City’s official towing information at https://nola.gov/towing/ and the contacts listed there. Start with 400 N. Claiborne Avenue if it was a City tow.
- Have plate, VIN if you have it, and your ID ready. Ask whether the car is actually at the DPW pound or with another vendor.
- Pay the City or vendor fees they publish. Get a release. Do not assume we can “talk to the lot.”
- Call (504) 414-8034 when you have the release and want a $75-plus-mileage ride home, or a $65 jump if it cranks.
What we can and cannot do
We can meet you at the pound, verify the car is released, and load it without scraping a bumper on a lot post. We cannot retrieve a car you have not paid for. We cannot negotiate City storage. We cannot pretend a private-lot tow was our dispatch. Those boundaries keep you from paying twice.
Uptown parade weekends and Mid-City event nights send a lot of cars to storage. If you parked on St. Charles or Canal for a route, read our Uptown and Mid-City pages for how we work those streets after you get the car back. If the original problem was a crash, keep the pound receipt with your claim file.
After-release towing rates
| Service | Starting rate |
|---|---|
| Tow from pound to home or shop | From $75 + $4/mile |
| Flatbed from pound | From $95 + $4/mile |
| Jump start after release | From $65 |
City storage fees are separate and set by the City. Our rates verified September 2026.
Documents people forget
Bring a photo ID that matches the registration, any lien-holder paperwork the City asks for, and a way to pay their fees. If someone else owns the car, they may need to be present. We will wait nearby once you tell us you are in line. Licensed, insured, family-owned — we are the ride after the paperwork, not a substitute for it.
For ordinary breakdowns that never involved the City, skip this page and call dispatch for a normal tow. For crash scenes you still control, use accident recovery so the car never goes to a surprise lot.
“We get the call that starts with “I think y’all towed my car.” Usually we did not. The City or another vendor did. We will still help you find the official next step and then haul it once you have the keys back.”
Dispatch Manager, 24/7 Rapid Towing
Last updated: September 9, 2026
Tow Home from the Pound