Western Australia Police will impound vehicles roadside in every instance when:

• You drive a vehicle without a valid driver’s licence for certain unauthorised driving offences; or 
   
• You drive recklessly, commonly referred to as a hoon type offence (e.g., speeding 45km/h over the limit).
   

How long will the vehicle be impounded?

	1st offence	2nd or subsequent offence
Driver's Licence Convictions	28 days	28 days
Reckless Driving Charges	28 days	3 months

NOTE: Court proceedings may be initiated for a further impound or confiscation order for subsequent offences

How do I collect a vehicle from the impound yard?

1. Attend a local police station (ID and proof of ownership required) to obtain a completed “Application for release form”.
    
2. Only the owner may authorise another person to collect the vehicle, by completing and signing the bottom section of the “Application for release form” before the vehicle will be released to another person.
    
3. Contact the storage provider to arrange for the collection of the vehicle.
    
4. The person collecting the vehicle will be required to produce to the storage provider the “Application for release form” and proof of ID.
    
5. Pay the costs in full, the vehicle will then be released.

NOTE: Approval for the release of the vehicle does not give an authority to drive. If you do not hold a current valid driver's licence, you must not drive and should make alternative arrangements.

What costs are to be paid?

The driver of the vehicle is responsible for ALL impounding costs including:

1. Towing the vehicle to the storage yard;
2. Storage fees for the vehicle during the impound period;
3. Additional storage calculated daily until collection;
4. Any administrative fees and charges.

The costs associated with an impound will vary depending on where the vehicle was impounded. In the Metropolitan area the typical cost for a 28 day impoundment is about $900.

Who pays the costs of impounding?

• The person collecting the vehicle must pay all costs associated with the impounded vehicle.
   
• If the owner is not the driver, the owner can pay to collect the vehicle and later may consider to recover the costs from the driver through  civil proceedings.

When is payment required?

All impoundment costs must be paid BEFORE the vehicle will be released
from the storage provider, unless a payment plan has been approved.

Early release of an impounded vehicle

In certain circumstances where it is proven that “exceptional hardship” will be suffered if a vehicle is not released early (before the expiration of the impoundment period) then consideration will be made for the early release of the vehicle.

NOTE: Cases where a person is merely inconvenienced by the loss of a vehicle will NOT be accepted as a “hardship” case. “Application for Early Release” forms are available from any police station.

What happens if I do not collect the vehicle at the end of the impound period?

• Upon conviction of an impounding offence, proceedings will commence to dispose of the vehicle.
   
• The convicted offender is liable for all costs associated with the vehicle's impound and disposal.
   
• If the sale of a vehicle does not cover these costs, the driver will be sent an invoice for the outstanding amount and debt collection processes commenced.
   
• At the end of the impound period (28 days or 3 months) the vehicle may be returned to the owner’s last recorded address at additional towing costs. To avoid these additional costs it is your responsibility to collect the vehicle as soon as possible after the impound period has expired.

More information

For further information, please download the Road Vehicle Impoundment Information (PDF, 395kb) document.

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