What to do if your vehicle is towed from a clearway
First, if you think your vehicle has been towed from a clearway:
- Search for your vehicle registration on the Nationwide Towing website or call 134 869.
Then, before collecting your vehicle:
- Confirm with Nationwide on 134 869 when you will attend the impound.
- Make sure you bring:
- correct fees to release the vehicle
- any documents requested by Nationwide
- your driver's licence
- keys.
Address: Nationwide Towing impound yard, 34 Cromwell Street, CollingwoodOpens in new tab.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 6.30am to 9pm, Saturday: 8am to 1pm, Sunday: closed, Public holidays: closed.
Vehicles towed from clearways and not collected from the impound within 14 days are moved to the Sunshine West auction yard.
Abandoned vehicles are towed directly to the auction yard.
Before collecting your vehicle:
- Call Nationwide on 134 869 to make an appointment.
- Make sure you bring:
- correct fees to release the vehicle
- proof of ownership
- proof of registration
- your driver's licence
- keys
- (if you are not the registered owner) authorisation letter from owner
- (if the vehicle is unregistered) Unregistered Vehicle Permit from VicRoadsOpens in new tab.
Vehicle release fees and fines
If you have been towed, you’ll need to pay a release fee to collect your vehicle.
If you were towed from a clearway, we’ll also post a $198 parking fine to the vehicle’s owner.
As at 1 July 2024, the fees to release your vehicle are:
- Release from the impound yard within 48 hours of it being towed: $490.
- Release if it was moved to the auction yard as unclaimed after 14 days: $956. ($490 initial fee, plus $156 second tow fee, plus $310 administration fee).
- Release if it was considered abandoned and towed to the auction yard: $645 ($335 initial fee, plus $310 administration fee).
After 48 hours, additional fees apply to vehicles stored at the auction yard: $23.78 per day.
Requests for refund
We will only consider refunding the vehicle release fee in exceptional circumstances.
These are verifiable and unforeseen circumstances outside of your control that would reasonably prevent you from making sure your vehicle was legally parked, such as a medical emergency or a vehicle breakdown.
You will need to provide documents that support these circumstances, and we do not accept statutory declarations.
Request a vehicle release fee refund
This will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Please have any supporting documents ready before you start.
Clearway Tow Away Zones
City of Melbourne has more than 20 Clearway Tow Away Zones that protect the operation of our busiest roads at their busiest times.
Clearways have parking signs that show a white letter ‘C’ on a red background.
Always check the signs when you park. Parking is often permitted on either side of Clearway times.
Example signs are shown below for: Clearway 4.30pm-6.30pm Mon-Fri, Tow Away Clearway, and Tow Away Clearway 3.30pm-6.30pm Mon-Fri.
The Victorian Government Department of Transport started the Clearways management programOpens in new tab in 2020 to keep traffic moving safely and smoothly on Melbourne’s busiest roads.
The program made all existing clearways within 20 kilometres of the CBD into tow-away zones and called for increased enforcement.
As part of the program, all drivers parked illegally in Clearways are fined and must pay a release fee to collect their towed vehicle. These fines and fees apply to all Clearways managed by metropolitan councils (or by VicRoads) under the program.
View a map of clearways in the City of MelbourneOpens in new tab (Department of Transport).
Clearway Tow Away Zones and areas where we may remove vehicles causing an obstruction are listed below:
- Albert Street, between Nicholson and Hoddle streets *
- Alexandra Avenue, between City Road and Boathouse Drive
- Cemetery Road, between College Crescent and Lygon Street *
- Cemetery Road East, between Lygon Street and Swanston Street
- City Road, between Clarendon Street and Kings Way *
- City Road, between Power Street and St Kilda Road
- Dynon Road, between the Maribyrnong River and Dryburgh Street
- Flemington Road, between Peel Street and Racecourse Road
- Footscray Road, between Maribyrnong River and Western Link Road
- Hoddle Street, between Bridge Road and Victoria Parade
- King Street, between Dudley and Flinders streets
- Lonsdale Street, between William and Spring streets *
- Lorimer Street, between Riggers Place and South Wharf Drive
- Peel Street, between Nicholson and Lygon streets
- Princes Street, between Lygon and Nicholson streets *
- Punt Road, between High Street and Bridge Road
- Queen Street, between Lonsdale and Flinders streets *
- Smithfield Road, between Racecourse Road and Maribyrnong River
- Spencer Street, between Flinders and La Trobe streets
- Toorak Road, between Walsh Street and Punt Road
- Victoria Street, between Elizabeth and Spring streets.
* Vehicles may be towed from these locations under the power to move obstructing vehicles (in clause 4, Schedule 11 of the Local Government Act 1989).
The powers to remove vehicles causing obstruction (in clauses 5(1)(b), 5(2), 5(4) and 5(5) in Schedule 4 of the Road Management Act 2004), may be exercised only in relation to vehicles parked or left standing during the times of clearways on all other lengths of roads above.
Other reasons why vehicles are towed
Apart from being parked in a clearway, we can tow and impound vehicles if they are obstructing access, are unregistered or considered abandoned.
Vehicles obstructing access
A vehicle is causing obstruction if it is blocking access by other vehicles. For example, if it is parked on a driveway or laneway.
Parking officers will issue a fine and take several steps to find the driver and ask them to move the vehicle. We may tow the vehicle if we can’t find the driver and access to your property is blocked .
Unregistered vehicles
It is illegal for unregistered vehicles to be left on the road and they may be towed and impounded.
We will write to the last known owner of the vehicle when it is impounded, and again before we dispose of it at auction.
Abandoned vehicles
If a vehicle is parked on the road and has not moved for two months, it may be considered abandoned and may be towed and impounded, even if the vehicle is registered. Read more about how we deal with abandoned vehicles.
You can also report a suspected abandoned vehicleOpens in new tab.
Complaints about towing
If you have a complaint about the towing process, damage to your vehicle, staff conduct or any other issue, you can complain directly to Nationwide TowingOpens in new tab.
If you have a complaint about the Clearways Management Program, you can complain to VicRoadsOpens in new tab.
