Why there's no 30-day impound hold in International Drive
Florida doesn't run a fixed 30-day impound hold like some other states do. Here's what actually happens to a towed car in International Drive when the bill goes unpaid.
What Florida law says
Some states force a fixed 30-day hold on certain impounds. Florida isn't one of them. Instead, a towed car sits at a private, county-regulated storage facility for as long as the bill goes unpaid, with fees adding up every day. Orange County gives you 24 free hours before storage starts on a trespass tow, or 6 free hours on a police-ordered tow. After that, storage runs $32 a day for a standard car, billed in 24-hour blocks, not calendar days. An extra $50 administrative fee can apply after the first 48 hours, but only once the lien-notice process has started. The real deadline isn't 30 days, it's the lien sale under Florida Statute 713.78: an unclaimed car becomes eligible for sale 35 days after storage begins if it's more than 3 model years old, or 57 days if it's 3 model years old or newer. Quick Tow Orlando is a private tow company, not the storage yard. We can't waive fees or set a release date.
How it works in International Drive
- 1 Know there's no fixed 30-day rule
Florida doesn't force a 30-day hold the way some states do. Your car sits until you pay, dispute the tow, or it hits the lien-sale deadline.
- 2 Track the free-hour window
Orange County gives 24 free hours before storage starts on a trespass tow, or 6 free hours on a police-ordered tow. After that, the daily rate kicks in.
- 3 Watch the daily total
Storage runs $32 a day for a standard car, billed in 24-hour blocks. A $50 administrative fee can apply after the first 48 hours.
- 4 Know the real deadline
Under Florida Statute 713.78, an unclaimed car becomes eligible for a lien sale 35 days after storage begins if it's more than 3 model years old, or 57 days if it's newer.
- 5 Pay or dispute before that date
Paying the balance keeps the car out of the sale. If you think the tow was wrong, you can post a bond in circuit court instead of paying, or file with the Orange County Consumer Fraud Unit.
- 6 Retrieve your vehicle
Once you pay, the yard has to release the car within 30 minutes. Quick Tow Orlando can't waive fees, but we can help with transport once it's released.
What this looks like around International Drive
A trespass tow near {c}, from a hotel or resort lot, often gets a free grace period before storage starts under Orange County's rules. If you're in Celebration, which sits in Osceola County, confirm the local grace period with the yard directly.
International Drive is an 11-mile tourist corridor of hotels, convention space, and attractions, not a neighborhood, so almost every call here is a visitor or a hospitality worker rather than a resident. Rental-car breakdowns and lockouts from tourists unfamiliar with their vehicles are routine, and Florida heat bakes dead batteries into cars parked all day in resort and convention lots. Universal Orlando's parking structure holds 19,000-plus cars, and the Orange County Convention Center pulls its own steady stream of rideshare and shuttle traffic through the same corridor. We cover ICON Park, the OCCC, SeaWorld, and the I-4 exits at Sand Lake Rd and Universal Blvd, reaching most calls in about 20 to 30 minutes. Flatbed is common for the rental-fleet traffic, and Spanish-language dispatch matters here given the corridor's heavily Puerto Rican and Caribbean hospitality workforce, plus the Latin American tourist volume passing through.
Common International Drive questions
Does Florida really hold a car for 30 days after impound in International Drive?
No, that's a rule from some other states. Florida runs on a lien-sale timeline instead, under Florida Statute 713.78.
How long before my car can be sold in International Drive?
35 days after storage begins if the car is more than 3 model years old, or 57 days if it's 3 model years old or newer.
How much does storage cost while I wait in International Drive?
Orange County charges $32 a day for a standard car after the free-hour window, plus a possible $50 administrative fee after 48 hours. Confirm the total with the yard, since Osceola County doesn't publish the same schedule.
Can Quick Tow Orlando release my car early or stop a lien sale in International Drive?
No, we're a private tow company, not the storage yard. We can't waive fees or stop a lien sale, but we can help with transport once your car is released.
Related help for International Drive
Storage hold timeline in the rest of the Tourist Corridor area
Need your car towed once it's released in International Drive?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can tow it home the moment it clears.