How to get your car out of impound in Chalmette
If your car got towed in Chalmette, here's how to get it back fast, including where it likely went and what you'll owe.
What Louisiana law says
New Orleans runs its own city pound instead of relying on a scattered network of private storage lots. The Department of Public Works Parking Division operates two facilities: the Claiborne Avenue Auto Pound at 400 N. Claiborne Ave, directly beneath the expressway at Claiborne and Conti St, and a payment-only lot at 10200 Almonaster Ave. Claiborne handles both payment and vehicle release and is open 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. The Almonaster lot only takes payments and runs 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, so if you drive out there expecting to pick up your car, you'll be turned around. Call (504) 658-8100 to confirm your car was towed, or (504) 658-8284 to check the fee balance tied to your plate. As of July 27, 2026, tow and storage fees run on a new schedule: a Light Duty tow starts at $228.75 for the first 90 minutes, then $76.25 per additional half-hour, and storage adds $19 a day, capped at $500 total. Any parking citations 90 or more days old have to be paid off too before the car's released. Quick Tow New Orleans is a private tow company, not the city pound. We can't waive fees the city sets, but we can help with transport once your car's released.
How it works in Chalmette
- 1 Find out where your car went
Call (504) 658-8100 to confirm your car was towed to the Claiborne Avenue Auto Pound. Outside Orleans Parish, call the local parish sheriff's office instead.
- 2 Go to the right lot
The Almonaster Ave lot only takes payments. Your car itself is released at the Claiborne Avenue Auto Pound, 400 N. Claiborne Ave.
- 3 Check the hours before you drive over
Claiborne's vehicle-release window runs 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The Cashiering Office at the same address, for tickets and boots only, runs 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, so confirm which one you need by phone first.
- 4 Confirm your balance
Call (504) 658-8284 to check the fee tied to your plate, and clear any parking citations 90 or more days old, since those have to be paid before release too.
- 5 Pay the pound directly
Quick Tow New Orleans doesn't set or collect the city's impound fees. You pay the pound, not us.
- 6 Retrieve your vehicle
Bring valid ID and be ready to pay the full balance. Most releases happen the same day once you're there during release hours.
What this looks like around Chalmette
{c} sits in St. Bernard Parish, outside the City of New Orleans pound system entirely. Call the number posted on the tow-away sign, or the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office, to confirm where your car landed.
A 25-foot storm surge came through the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal during Katrina and flooded much of Chalmette 14 to 15 feet deep, destroying most structures in St. Bernard Parish's seat and largest community. The refinery economy central to the local economy today means a real share of heavy-duty and commercial-vehicle towing calls, on top of residential volume. Chalmette sits in St. Bernard Parish, where a parish-specific towing and storage rate ordinance could not be confirmed in our research. The Louisiana Public Service Commission's statewide cap on nonconsensual towing still applies: $152.50 an hour for Light Duty, 1.5-hour minimum, $322 for Medium Duty, $414 for Heavy Duty, the tier that matters most given the refinery traffic. Ask the yard for an itemized bill and compare it against those state figures; a written LPSC complaint that later proves the charges excessive stops storage fees from accruing as of the filing date. St. Bernard Hwy/West Judge Perez Dr and Paris Rd (I-510) form the only real spine connecting the parish back to New Orleans East. Chalmette's population reached 21,562 in 2020, rebounding from a post-Katrina low of 16,751 in 2010, near the Chalmette Battlefield, site of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans.
Chalmette is the parish seat and largest community in St. Bernard Parish, rebuilt steadily since a 25-foot MRGO storm surge flooded most of it 14 to 15 feet deep during Katrina. The refineries that anchor the local economy mean a real share of our calls here are heavy-duty and commercial-vehicle work, not just passenger cars, and that industrial base has run on the same site for generations. St. Bernard Hwy and Judge Perez Dr are the only real spine connecting the parish back to New Orleans East and the rest of the metro, so any incident on that corridor, or on the I-510/Paris Rd link, backs up the whole parish at once, there's no alternate route to reroute around it. The Chalmette Battlefield draws its own visitor traffic on top of the daily refinery-shift and commuter volume. We reach the Battlefield, downtown Chalmette, and the St. Bernard Hwy/Paris Rd junction in about 25 to 35 minutes, running heavy-duty and flatbed equipment for the refinery-adjacent fleet work and wheel-lift for everyday passenger calls.
Common Chalmette questions
How do I find out where my car was towed in Chalmette?
Call the Claiborne Avenue Auto Pound at (504) 658-8100 to confirm the tow. Payment can also be handled at the Almonaster Ave lot, but your car is released at Claiborne.
What are the current impound fees in Chalmette?
As of July 27, 2026, a Light Duty tow starts at $228.75 for the first 90 minutes, plus $76.25 per additional half-hour, and storage runs $19 a day, capped at $500 total.
What hours can I pick up my car in Chalmette?
The Claiborne Avenue Auto Pound releases vehicles 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The Cashiering Office at the same address handles tickets and boots only, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.
Can Quick Tow New Orleans release my car from impound in Chalmette?
No, we're a private tow company, not the city pound. We can't waive fees, but we can help with transport once your car is released.
Related help for Chalmette
Need your car towed once it's released in Chalmette?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can tow it home the moment it clears.