Towed and impounded vehicles

In the Northern Territory (NT), a vehicle can be removed if it’s found abandoned on a road or road reserve.

This can be done by a police officer or competent authority under the Traffic Regulations 1999.

A competent authority is a person or organisation that is authorised to remove a vehicle under the Traffic Act 1987.

If you notice an abandoned vehicle, you can report it.

Find your vehicle

If your vehicle is not where you left it, it might have been towed.

The authority responsible for towing it depends on where the vehicle was left.

Government roads

Find a list of advertised vehicles below that:

• have been removed from road reserves managed by the NT Government
• haven’t been traced back to the owner.

Each vehicle has an advertisement period of 14 days.

You must contact your local Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics (DIPL) office within this period, if you:

• are the owner
• have any information about a vehicle's owner.

After the advertisement period, the vehicle will be disposed of.

Advertised vehicles

Council roads

If you can't find your vehicle in the list above, it may have been left on a council road or road reserve.

Check the below council websites:

• Alice Springs Town Council website
• Darwin:
  • City of Darwin website
  • City of Palmerston website
  • Litchfield Council website
• Katherine Town Council website
• Tennant Creek - contact the Barkly Regional Council by:
  • calling 08 8962 0000
  • emailing reception@barkly.nt.gov.au.

Claiming your vehicle

Before you can claim your vehicle, you must pay the release fee.

This fee includes towing costs, which are based on the:

• location of the vehicle
• associated costs that the department has incurred.

The owner of the vehicle can get more information about the fee at the time of enquiry.

Damage during towing

Care is always taken when removing vehicles.

However, an officer is not liable for any damage they cause when entering or moving the vehicle.

Contact

For more information or to claim your vehicle, call your local DIPL office:

• Alice Springs - 8951 5514
• Darwin - 8999 4699
• Katherine - 8973 8665
• Tennant Creek - 8962 4515.