The rule
Daily storage caps: $22.85 for a vehicle 25 feet or less; $39.99 for a vehicle over 25 feet (biennial adjustment effective January 1, 2024).
Impoundment fee up to $22.85; services and dates must be itemized on the bill.
Notification fee: $50, charged once to cover all notices, and only if notice was actually given. It is collected when the vehicle is claimed or sold.
Texas plate with no first notice: the yard may charge only 5 days of storage. Out-of-state plate with no registration-record request within 5 days: only 5 days. A timely out-of-state request avoids that cap while you wait for the record, but the day-14 notice deadline still applies.
Once a late notice is mailed, daily storage may be charged again 24 hours later (§85.703(e)). Days already lost are not recovered.
Municipalities and counties may set lower fees. Check your local ordinance.
Worked dates
Texas plate, 18 ft sedan, no first notice, now on lot day 45: 5 billable days, 40 days at $22.85 = $914.00 not billable. Mail the notice today and storage can be charged again starting 24 hours after the postmark.
The common mistake
Applying the 5-day cap to every out-of-state car. If the record request went out within 5 days, the cap does not apply on that basis.
What an inspector asks for
- Posted and billed rates
- Itemized invoices
- Notice dates that justify every billed storage day