Tow

A tow is the physical removal of a vehicle to a city-operated impound lot (tow pound) by NYC marshals, the Sheriff's Office, or NYPD. Towing can be triggered by excessive unpaid judgment debt (typically $2,500+), failure to address a boot within the allowed timeframe, or certain high-priority violations like blocking fire hydrants, fire lanes, or bus lanes.

Once a vehicle is towed, the costs compound quickly. The owner must pay the full outstanding judgment balance, the $136 removal/release fee, $20/day in storage fees, and potentially a towing fee of $185+. For a commercial vehicle with $3,000 in judgments that sits in the pound for a week, the total recovery cost can exceed $3,500 — and that doesn't include the lost revenue from the vehicle being out of service.

For fleet operators, towing is the most severe routine enforcement action. A towed vehicle is completely inaccessible until all debts are cleared, paperwork is processed, and the vehicle is physically retrieved from the tow pound — a process that can take 1–3 business days even after payment. Clear Plates flags tow-risk vehicles well before they reach this stage so you can intervene with timely payments.