Towed to the Doty Avenue pound: reclaim it or let it go?

A city tow is expensive on any car. On a car that’s already near the end, it can cost more than the car is worth. If yours was towed in Chicago and landed at the pounds at 103rd and Doty Avenue, here are the numbers to work with before you decide.

Which pound, and where

The city’s auto pound locations page lists several pounds at 103rd and Doty Avenue, each listed as open every hour of every day of the year:

• Auto Pound 2, used for abandoned vehicles. Cars towed for the Winter Overnight Parking Ban go to Pound 2 at 10301 S. Doty Ave. or to Pound 6.
• Auto Pound 3S, also for abandoned vehicles.
• Auto Pound 1S, run by the Chicago Police Department for vehicles held as evidence. For that one, the city says to call CPD at 312-745-6270.

To find out where your car is, dial 311, or search the city’s towed and relocated vehicle tool. A car may also have been “relocated” to another street rather than towed to a pound, so check before you assume the worst.

What it costs

From the Finance Department’s towed vehicle page (read October 2026):

Charge	Vehicles under 8,000 lb	8,000 lb and over
Towing	$250	$350
Storage	$50 per day	$100 per day
Storage maximum	$1,500	$1,500

Tickets and other fines are on top of that. If the car was towed for the winter ban, the city’s winter page lists a $60 ticket for that violation. The clock runs every day the car sits.

What you need to reclaim it

According to the city’s common towing questions:

• Valid photo ID. If the car is being driven out, the driver needs a current driver’s license.
• Proof of ownership: a valid title, a current registration card, or a bill of sale no more than 30 days old. A lessee needs the lease; someone acting for the owner needs an original notarized letter.
• Current registration, including current plates and a Chicago vehicle sticker if one is required.
• Full payment of charges and fines.

The 21-day clock

The Finance Department says the pound keeps a vehicle for 21 days before it becomes eligible for auction or destruction, and the registered owner is notified by mail. You can ask Streets and Sanitation for a 15-day extension at 312-746-4954, weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The city’s abandoned vehicle page adds that unclaimed abandoned cars are sold for scrap.

One line on that page matters more than any other: signing over or surrendering the vehicle to the city does not waive or reduce any debt you owe the city. Walking away doesn’t make the bill go away.

The math: reclaim, then sell?

For a car you plan to junk anyway, compare two numbers:

1. Cost to get it out: tow, storage so far, any tickets, and the cost of getting it home or to a buyer.
2. What the car is worth to a buyer: get an offer before you go to the pound.

If the offer is clearly higher than the release cost, reclaiming and selling can come out ahead. If it isn’t, it’s a hard call, and remember the debt stays either way. We can give you a firm offer by phone so you aren’t guessing. We can’t pull a car out of a city pound ourselves; you have to release it. Once it’s released to you, the pickup is free, and payment is cash, Zelle or Cash App. If the car was in a crash before the tow, see wrecked and totaled cars.

Keeping it from happening again

A dead car usually meets a city tow through a rule it can’t follow: the winter overnight ban, the 2-inch snow ban, or the abandoned-vehicle rule for cars that haven’t moved in more than seven days. Our snow rules article and inoperable vehicle rules cover both. The pounds are close to the Chicago neighborhoods we serve, Hegewisch and the East Side.