If UTEP towed or booted your car, you settle that with UTEP Parking and Transportation Services, not a tow company. If your car broke down, died, or you’re locked out on campus, that’s a tow call, and Quick Tow El Paso answers 24/7 at (915) 615-2224. Those are two different problems with two different phone numbers, and mixing them up costs students hours during a week they don’t have to spare. Here’s how to tell which one you have and what to do next.
Were you towed by UTEP, or did your car break down?
Start here, because the answer changes who you call. If you came back to an empty parking spot, or found a boot clamped on a wheel, UTEP’s own enforcement moved your car and the university controls the release. If the car is still sitting where you left it but won’t start, won’t unlock, or has a flat, that’s a roadside problem and a tow truck fixes it.
UTEP Parking and Transportation Services runs out of 3737 N. Mesa Ave and handles every citation, boot, and enforcement tow on campus. A private tow company can’t take a UTEP boot off or pull a car out of the university’s enforcement process. So the first question isn’t “who tows cheapest,” it’s “who has my car.”
How does UTEP parking enforcement boot and tow cars?
UTEP boots a vehicle once it carries three or more unpaid citations. A booted car only gets released Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and only after every citation, boot fee, and late fee is paid in full. Leave the boot on for 36 hours or more and the university can tow the car to a storage lot at your expense, with towing and storage fees added to the balance.
You have 18 days from the citation date to pay or appeal before extra fees stack up. Prying off or damaging a boot yourself is destruction of state property and can bring felony charges, so don’t touch it. Pay the balance, get the release, and the boot comes off the right way.
What happens when you get towed at UTEP in El Paso?
When you get towed at UTEP in El Paso, the car goes to a contracted storage lot, not to a spot you can just walk to. Follow the signs posted at the garage or lot where you parked, then call the release desk at Parking and Transportation Services to find out where the car went and what you owe. Bring the payment and your ID; the university holds the car until the balance clears.
This is a separate track from the El Paso city impound lot, which handles police and non-consent tows off public streets. If your car was hooked from a street near campus rather than a UTEP lot, that’s the city process instead. Our guide on getting a car out of impound in El Paso walks through that side.
Car died or locked out in a UTEP parking garage? Who to call
This is the one a tow truck actually solves. El Paso summer heat is hard on batteries, and a car that baked all day in the Schuster, Glory Road, or Sun Bowl garage often won’t turn over by the time class lets out. A dead battery usually needs a jump start, not a tow, and an operator can reach the exact deck you’re parked on.
Locked your keys inside? A car lockout call gets you back in without breaking a window. Flat tire, a no-start, or a car that has to move now? That’s roadside assistance or emergency towing, and Quick Tow El Paso dispatches both around the clock. Our post on a dead battery and jump start in El Paso covers what to check before you call.
Can a tow truck get into a UTEP parking garage?
Usually, but ceiling height is the catch. Campus garages post clearance limits, and a tall flatbed deck won’t always clear a low garage roof. When the roof is too low, the smart move is a wheel-lift or flatbed rig that fits the structure, or rolling the car to open ground and loading it there.
Tell the dispatcher which garage and which level you’re on, so the right truck rolls out the first time. A flatbed tow keeps a low or all-wheel-drive car off the pavement once the operator is clear of the deck. The wrong truck for the space just means a second trip, and nobody wants that during finals.
What does a tow near UTEP cost?
The same flat rate as any other El Paso tow. Quick Tow El Paso quotes it on the phone before a truck rolls, based on distance, with no surcharge for nights, weekends, or a campus pickup during exam week. UTEP’s own citation, boot, and storage fees are a separate bill set by the university, and those get paid through Parking and Transportation Services, not through us.
Rim/University, Kern Place, and the rest of West El Paso are core coverage areas, so a truck is rarely far from campus. For the full pricing picture, see how much a tow costs in El Paso.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I call if my car broke down at UTEP?
Call (915) 615-2224. Quick Tow El Paso runs 24/7 and covers the UTEP area, from the Schuster and Glory Road garages out to the surrounding Mesa Street blocks. A jump start, lockout, tire change, or tow gets dispatched to your garage level. Booted or enforcement-towed cars, though, are a UTEP matter, not a tow-company one.
My car was booted at UTEP. Can a tow company take the boot off?
No. Only UTEP Parking and Transportation Services releases a boot, and only after every citation and fee is paid. Boot releases run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Removing the boot yourself is destruction of state property and can bring felony charges, so wait for the university to clear it.
Where does UTEP tow cars that get impounded on campus?
Enforcement tows go to a contracted storage lot, and the release desk at Parking and Transportation Services tells you where it went and what you owe. That’s separate from the El Paso city impound lot, which handles tows off public streets. Check the signs where you parked to know which process you’re in.
How much does UTEP charge to get a car back?
UTEP sets the citation, boot, and storage fees, and they’re posted through Parking and Transportation Services, not through a tow company. A private tow near campus is a different bill. Quick Tow El Paso quotes a flat rate by distance on the phone, with no night or weekend surcharge.
Can you jump-start or unlock my car in a campus garage?
Yes. A dead battery or a lockout in a UTEP garage is a standard roadside call, and a truck comes to your level 24/7. Give the dispatcher the garage name and the floor you’re on, so the operator finds you fast instead of circling the ramps.