Start with one phone call: (417) 864-1810, Springfield Police Department Headquarters, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Before you drive anywhere, that call confirms your car isn’t being held as part of an investigation. Springfield doesn’t run a tow rotation for police-ordered tows. Every one of them goes to a single city contractor, Henry’s Towing Service, so once you know it’s clear, the rest of the process is short and specific.

Confirm there’s no hold, then get your release form in person

SPD can only tell you over the phone whether your car is clear. The release form itself has to be picked up in person, during lobby hours, at one of two locations:

  • SPD Headquarters - 321 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield, MO 65802. Lobby hours Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • South District Station - 2620 W. Battlefield Road, Springfield, MO 65807. Lobby hours Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Bring a government-issued photo ID plus proof of ownership. That can be the title, a bill of sale, a Missouri title application, a notarized power of attorney, proof of a lien, repossession paperwork, or a certificate of origin. Any one of those works, but you need at least one alongside your ID or the lobby can’t release the form to you.

Pay Henry’s Towing directly, not SPD

Once you have the release form, the payment happens at the tow lot, not at either police station. Henry’s Towing Service holds the city’s tow contract and operates out of 2806 S Farm Road 115 in Brookline. Bring the release form, your ID, and payment, and the vehicle plus anything inside it comes back to you together. Personal property inside the car stays with the vehicle and can’t be released on its own, so there’s no separate trip for anything you left in the back seat or the glovebox.

Under the current city contract, the posted rates are straightforward: $90 to tow a small vehicle plus $30 a day in storage, and $175 to tow a large single-unit vehicle plus $50 a day in storage (a tractor-trailer combo runs $225). These are the city contract’s rates for police-ordered tows under its current term, not a price we set, so bring enough to cover however many days your car has been sitting. If your situation involves winching, drive-shaft removal, or other add-on work, Henry’s posted schedule covers those separately.

For the full walkthrough on getting a car out of impound here, including what changes if your car needs extra recovery work, see our impound guide for Springfield.

Why the 30-day number actually matters

Missouri doesn’t run a punitive 30-day impound hold the way some states do. There’s no rule that says your car has to sit for 30 days before you can get it. But 30 days is still the number to watch, because it’s a deadline working against you, not a waiting period working for you.

Here’s the sequence under Missouri law (RSMo 304.156): the Department of Revenue searches vehicle records within 5 working days of the tow, then notifies the towing company within 15 working days. The towing company then has to notify you and any lienholder by certified mail within 10 business days of that. Once you’re notified, you have 10 days to file a court petition if you want to contest the tow. If nobody redeems the car and nobody challenges it in court within 30 days total, the towing company can apply for title to your vehicle, free of any prior liens. That’s the real reason to move fast: the clock isn’t holding your car for you, it’s counting down toward someone else owning it.

Why cars get towed in Springfield in the first place

A handful of situations account for most police-ordered tows in the city:

The 48-hour rule. If a vehicle sits on a public street or right-of-way without moving, an officer places an abandoned-vehicle sticker on the windshield, marks the tire, and returns after 48 hours. If it still hasn’t moved, it gets towed. One exception worth knowing: a vehicle that’s operable, validly registered, and inspected, parked in view of the owner’s own residence, isn’t treated as abandoned even past 48 hours.

Plate and registration tows. Since Ordinance 6913, which the city started enforcing on March 26, 2025, officers can tow a vehicle with missing, invalid, or expired plates or registration tabs. This is newer than most people expect, so if your car got towed and you know your tags had lapsed, this is likely why.

Private-lot tows. A property owner or manager can have a vehicle towed off private property without a police order under specific conditions set by Missouri law (RSMo 304.157): 10 hours after notifying police on owner-occupied residential property of four units or fewer, 96 hours after notifying police on any other private property, or with no wait at all if the lot has compliant signage posted at every entrance. A property that tows outside those rules is exposed to real consequences: it’s a class C misdemeanor, and the vehicle owner can pursue four times the towing and storage charges in damages under RSMo 304.158. One thing SPD won’t do is tow from an apartment complex or rental property just because the landlord asked, unless there’s a genuine safety hazard. Landlords get pointed to the private-tow process instead.

If your car was towed from a lot rather than a public street, our private property towing guide for Springfield breaks down what to check before you assume it was legal.

If it happened outside Springfield city limits

Greene County doesn’t publish its own tow-rotation list or a dedicated impound lot, so a tow ordered by the Sheriff’s Office or the Missouri State Highway Patrol outside city limits runs on the state framework instead of the city’s Henry’s Towing contract. The same core protections still apply: notice requirements, a lien for reasonable charges, and the same 304.156 title-transfer clock. Start with whichever agency’s name is on the report, since that’s who can point you to where the vehicle actually is.

Once you have your car back

If the lot releases your car and it won’t start, needs a jump, or just isn’t safe to drive off the lot, we can take it home or to a shop. Call (858) 925-5546 and we’ll quote a flat rate before we roll.

Frequently asked questions

Who do I call first if my car is missing in Springfield?

Call SPD Headquarters at (417) 864-1810, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. That call confirms there’s no investigative hold before you go anywhere. It doesn’t get you the release form itself, just the confirmation that you’re clear to come pick one up.

Where do I actually get the release form?

In person, during lobby hours, at SPD Headquarters (321 E. Chestnut Expressway, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or the South District Station (2620 W. Battlefield Road, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Bring a photo ID and proof of ownership.

How much does it cost to get my car back?

Under the current city contract, small vehicles run $90 to tow plus $30 a day in storage, and large single-unit vehicles run $175 plus $50 a day. Pay Henry’s Towing directly at their Brookline lot, not either police station, and bring enough to cover every day the car has been sitting.

What happens if I don’t pick up my car in time?

Missouri law gives you 10 days to contest the tow in court after you’re formally notified, and the towing company can apply for title to your vehicle after 30 days total with no redemption or challenge. There’s no punitive holding period here, but there is a real deadline working against you.

Why was my car towed if I wasn’t parked illegally?

Check whether your plates or registration had lapsed. Since March 2025, Springfield police can tow for expired or missing plates and tabs under Ordinance 6913, which surprises a lot of owners who assumed a parking violation was the only trigger.

Only under specific conditions: the property needs compliant signage, or the manager needs to have notified police and waited the required 10 or 96 hours depending on the property type. SPD won’t tow from a rental property just because a landlord asked, so if none of those conditions were met, it’s worth reviewing our private property towing guide.