Impoundments
If a car or a device such as a cellphone is seen as a threat to public road safety, the City's traffic officers can take it away and keep it elsewhere (impound it). This page will help you to retrieve your car or cellphone if it has been impounded by a City traffic officer.
Car impoundment
According to our Parking By-law, we may impound a car if it has been abandoned or if it threatens public road safety.
Reasons may include the following, among others:
- It was abandoned on the side of the road or in a parking lot.
- It was parked contrary to road signs and markings.
- It has no licence number or any way of identifying the owner.
- It is a business vehicle and the driver did not have a permit.
- It was unroadworthy.
If your private or business vehicle has been impounded, you will need to pay a release fee.
Cellphone impoundment
It is generally illegal to use a cellphone while driving. You can only use your phone while driving if it is fixed to the vehicle or if you are using a headset or Bluetooth device. If you are caught using a phone while driving, an officer may confiscate and impound your phone if she or he thinks that it is in the interest of public safety. By law, you can demand a receipt; this will tell you where you can go to claim your phone.
Please note
Any cellphone being used by the driver at the time of the offence is presumed to belong to that driver.
When a cellphone is impounded, the device is handed in at the closest traffic office in a sealed evidence bag with a copy of the impoundment notice and placed in a safe.
Pay your impoundment fee
You will need to pay a fee to release your car or cellphone. Find out more about release criteria and impoundment fees by following the City Connect link below.
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