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Vehicle impoundment

If you had an offence and your vehicle was impounded by a police officer while you were on the road, you would have been given a Notice of Impoundment. You would also get a notice in the mail.

The following outlines reasons for impoundment and how long a vehicle will be impounded.

A vehicle is impounded (towed and locked up), even if it doesn’t belong to the driver, for . . . If the driver. . .
30 days or longer does not have a valid driver’s licence and has previously been convicted of driving without a licence
60 days or longer is prohibited from driving or the driver’s licence has been suspended
60 days or longer had a vehicle previously impounded within the last two years
48 hours operated the vehicle in a street race

NOTE: The impoundment period is extended an extra 30 days if there was a previous impoundment for prohibited or unlicensed driving in the last two years. It increases to 30 days from 48 hours if there was a previous impoundment for street racing in the last two years.

Applying for review

You may request a review of a vehicle impoundment from the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles if it was due to prohibited or unlicensed driving. Applications for review must be made within 30 days of the date of the Notice of Impoundment.

Note: There is no review of a 48-hour impoundment for street racing.

To apply for a review:

  1. Get copies of the form at any driver licensing office. The review grounds are set out in the application form.
  2. Apply in person or have a lawyer act on your behalf.
  3. Complete the application for review or request for early release form. All transactions require proof of identity and proof of motor vehicle ownership, or owner’s consent.
  4. If the Notice of Impoundment is available, include it.

What to do next

When your vehicle has been impounded:

  1. Collect any possessions you need from the vehicle right away.
  2. Contact the impoundment lot directly for further information on opening times and directions.
  3. Find the date your vehicle will be released on your Notice of Impoundment.
  4. Read the steps to getting your vehicle back.
  5. Apply for reduced car insurance for the period that your car is off the road.

Your Autoplan broker has all the details on how this works.

Avoiding another impoundment

Different offences mean your vehicle will be impounded for differing lengths of time. Your vehicle will be impounded again if you, or someone driving your vehicle, are caught:

More information on vehicle impoundment » external link