Driver licensing

Vehicle impoundment

To help keep our roads safe, police have the authority to take a vehicle off the road and impound it in a storage lot.

Reasons your vehicle can be impounded

  • impaired driving

  • driving while unlicensed or improperly licensed

  • driving while suspended or prohibited

  • excessive speeding (more than 40km​ per hour over the posted speed limit)

  • street racing or performing a stunt

  • improperly seated on a motorcycle

Getting your vehicle back

How you get your vehicle back depends on the length of its impoundment.

Three-day and seven-day impoundments

For three-day and seven-day impoundments you may go directly to the impoundment lot. You also need to pay towing and storage fees to the impoundment lot.

Longer than seven days

For impoundments longer than seven days, you'll need to book an appointment to visit an ICBC driver licensing office. You'll need to bring your required ID and Notice of Impoundment. You can then collect your vehicle. You need to also pay towing and storage fees at the impoundment lot.

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If our offices are closed when your impoundment ends

For impoundments more than seven days that end on a holiday or weekend when our driver licensing offices are closed, you can complete your Request for Vehicle Release form on the last business day before the closure. You can either book an appointment to visit or walk into an ICBC driver licensing office.

Appealing a vehicle impoundment

ICBC administers the filing of appeals on behalf of RoadSafetyBC for vehicle impoundments that are 30 days or longer.  

To file an appeal for impoundments that are 30 days or longer, book an appointment to visit an ICBC driver licensing office within 14 days of receiving the Notice of Impoundment. You’ll need to bring the Notice to your appointment.

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No appeals for impaired driving

You cannot appeal a three-day or a seven-day impoundment for impaired driving.

If you can't collect your vehicle

You can authorize someone else to pick it up at the impoundment lot on your behalf. First, book an appointment to visit an ICBC driver licensing office to pick up an Owner’s Authorization form. The person collecting your vehicle must follow the steps above and bring the completed Owner’s Authorization form to the driver licensing office.