Abandoned vehicle removal in Downtown

Inside Springfield city limits, an officer who finds a vehicle illegally parked or left unattended on a public street for more than 48 hours can start the abandoned-vehicle process. The officer gets an event number, places an Abandoned Vehicle Sticker on the windshield, and marks a tire and the roadway to check for movement. If the car hasn't moved when the officer comes back after 48 hours, it gets towed. One real exception: an operable, validly licensed and inspected vehicle parked in view of its own owner's residence isn't considered abandoned, even after 48 hours. Since Ordinance 6913 took effect, Springfield police can also tow a vehicle for missing, invalid, or expired license plates or registration tabs, expired more than 30 days, or no plates displayed at all. The city ran a 30-day education period with citations only before actually enforcing the plate and registration tow rule starting March 26, 2025, so this is a real, active basis for a tow now, not a proposal. Outside Springfield city limits, the same kind of removal runs through RSMo 304.155 instead: a vehicle can be removed from an interstate in an urbanized area after 10 hours unattended, or immediately if it's a hazard; outside urbanized areas, the window is 24 hours, or 4 hours if hazardous. State highways carry similar thresholds. The towing company holds a lien on the vehicle for reasonable towing and storage charges until it's paid or an arrangement is reached, and the owner can reclaim it on proof of ownership plus payment. If a car in Springfield city limits gets tagged, it lands at Henry's Towing under the city contract; call SPD at (417) 864-1810 to check on it. Quick Tow Springfield also handles junk car removal for owners who'd rather skip the process entirely on a car that isn't worth reclaiming.