Identify the legal basis for the lien
Begin with the reason the vehicle is being held. A shop that performed labor or services may claim a lien under section 713.58, with a motor vehicle sale governed by section 713.585. A qualifying towing-storage operator follows section 713.78. An ordinary landowner does not acquire either business's sale authority simply by finding an unwanted car on the property.
The FLHSMV repair-shop and towing-company lien page explains the approved third-party notice service requirement and identifies authorized vendors. Use that current list rather than assuming that a personally mailed letter or a generic internet notice template meets the processing requirements.
A vehicle loan lien, a shop's possessory lien, and a towing-related registration stop are different records. Establish which one is involved before requesting a release or promising a buyer clear ownership.
Repair liens: the sale is not immediate
Section 713.585 specifies the notice, records checks, publication, hearing rights, and court filings for enforcing a repair lien by sale. Notice must identify the vehicle, the parties, and the basis and amount of the claim. The owner, repair customer, and other recorded interests must be handled as required by the statute.
As checked October 20, 2026, the statute does not permit a sale earlier than 60 days after completion of the repair work. It also requires publication in the appropriate county newspaper at least 15 days before the scheduled sale and the specified filing with the circuit court clerk. Meeting one date does not excuse missing another requirement.
Keep the repair authorization, estimate, final invoice, storage calculation, title searches, vendor mailing records, notices, publication evidence, and court filings together. A sale packet should establish a chronological chain from the authorized work through the completed statutory process, not merely show that the invoice remains unpaid.
Towing liens: use the current 2026 timeline
The current towing and storage lien statute distinguishes newer and older models. A newer model is three model years old or less, counting the vehicle's model year as year one. Older models are more than three model years old under that method.
As checked October 20, 2026, the statute provides a 35-day storage period before sale for an older model and a 57-day period for a newer model, together with separate notice requirements. The initial notice is due within five business days after storage, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and federal legal holidays. The lien notice must precede the sale by at least 30 days for an older model or 52 days for a newer model.
Public sale notice must also appear at least 20 days before the sale on the publicly available website maintained by an approved third-party service. Where the sale date was not included in the initial notice, additional sale-notice requirements apply. Older templates referring to a 50-day newer-model period or different publication rules should not be used without checking the current statute and procedure.
Locating owners, lenders, and insurers
The towing statute requires a good-faith records and vehicle search. Depending on the record, that includes FLHSMV information, interstate title information, available tags and paperwork, and the report or ticket identifying the tow. A search showing no current Florida registration is not proof that no other state or lender has an interest.
The FLHSMV title and lien overview explains recorded ownership and security interests. Use the authorized notice process for protected owner information rather than treating a public VIN lookup as a complete lien search. Preserve unsuccessful search results as well as successful ones when the statute requires proof of diligent inquiry.
Returned or unclaimed mail does not automatically cancel the rest of the process. The applicable law determines the next action and what evidence must be retained. Do not replace a missing owner's signature with a false bill of sale.
Owners: separate release of the vehicle from the dispute
An owner receiving a lien or sale notice should record the sale date, physical storage location, claimed charges, and contact information immediately. Obtain an itemized invoice and preserve the repair authorization, tow paperwork, photographs, and correspondence. Paying a disputed bill, posting security, demanding a hearing, and filing a complaint are different actions with different effects.
For a qualifying repair-shop dispute, section 559.917 allows a cash or surety bond with the clerk to obtain release. The bond calculation uses the invoice and accrued storage less payments already made. The statute does not require initiating a lawsuit simply to post the bond and directs the clerk to issue the release certificate. It also gives the lienor a specified period to pursue the bond.
Section 713.78 provides a separate bond-and-release procedure for towing disputes. Its current rule includes a 45-day period after the clerk's certificate for the party posting security to initiate the specified judicial proceedings. Recovering the car through a bond therefore does not mean the fee dispute has already been decided.
Private-property towing is not a title-transfer shortcut
Section 715.07 governs removal of unauthorized vehicles from private property and contains conditions involving authorization, notices, towing practices, and local regulation. A property owner's right to arrange lawful removal is not the same as a right to sell the vehicle as its owner.
For abandoned or lost property handled by law enforcement, section 705.103 provides a separate governmental process. Report the circumstances to the appropriate agency instead of assuming that a car becomes yours after a particular number of days. A tenant's vehicle, a vehicle subject to a storage agreement, and evidence held by police may each require a different route.
What a lien-sale buyer should receive
Before bidding, ask which statute authorizes the sale and whether the sale delivers documents for a motor vehicle title or a certificate of destruction. Ask to inspect the title application packet, not just a purchase receipt. Check the VIN on the vehicle against every document and identify any salvage or other brand.
The FLHSMV procedure manual separates TL-25 repair-lien transfers, TL-26 towing-lien transfers, TL-27 warehouse liens, TL-28 self-storage liens, and TL-29 law-enforcement abandoned-property transfers. A packet prepared for one transaction should not be substituted for another.
The official forms directory supplies the motor vehicle title application and applicable destruction forms. The authority for a title following a qualifying operation-of-law transfer appears in section 319.28. A receipt from an informal sale does not prove that all required notices and rights were honored.
Title approval, condition, and total cost
A lien sale does not establish mechanical condition or remove every vehicle-history issue. Florida's salvage and destruction provisions matter when the vehicle is damaged or being sold for dismantling. A certificate of destruction is not an ordinary road-use title that a buyer can simply renew into a registration.
Budget separately for the purchase, taxes, title, any required inspection, registration, plate, and transportation. The FLHSMV fees page lists state transaction categories; it is not a statewide price list for every tow, storage day, vendor service, or auction charge. Obtain the seller's complete written charge schedule before bidding.
Retain the complete sale packet after issuance. It can be important if a prior owner challenges the process, the vehicle's identity is questioned, or a later buyer needs the history of the transfer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I title a vehicle because it has been abandoned on my property?
Possession and elapsed time alone do not establish ownership. Use the lawful private-property removal or abandoned-property process appropriate to the circumstances rather than signing as the vehicle's owner.
Do repair shops and towing companies use the same sale procedure?
No. Repair-lien sales follow section 713.585, while qualifying towing and storage sales follow section 713.78. Notice dates, publication, hearing procedures, and supporting documents differ.
Is the newer-model towing sale period still 50 days?
The 2026 statute checked for this guide specifies 57 days for newer models, along with separate mailing and publication requirements. Do not rely on an older sample notice's timetable.
Must an owner pay a disputed repair invoice to recover the car?
Section 559.917 provides a qualifying bond-and-release route through the clerk. Posting the required security can obtain release without first resolving who ultimately owes the disputed amount.
Does winning a lien-sale auction guarantee a usable Florida title?
No. Verify the legal sale route, supporting packet, VIN, and vehicle status before bidding. A sale for destruction or an incomplete statutory process is not equivalent to an ordinary titled vehicle purchase.
Does obtaining release through a towing bond end the dispute?
No. The current towing statute includes further judicial deadlines after release. Preserve the clerk's certificate and follow the applicable process for deciding entitlement to the security.