Towing in Palmdale, CA

Where Palmdale is

Palmdale, incorporated in 1962, is the Los Angeles County city directly south of Lancaster. Palmdale City Hall, at 38300 Sierra Highway, is about 10–12 miles from Lancaster City Hall. With no traffic that is roughly 15–18 minutes down CA-14; commute hours take longer. Requests from Palmdale are covered as part of the wider Antelope Valley service area.

A landmark worth knowing: Air Force Plant 42 fills more than 5,800 acres north of Avenue P and south of Columbia Way, with Sierra Highway as its western edge (Air Force Test Center). Near it, give a cross street rather than “by the base.”

Between Lancaster and Palmdale on CA-14

Plenty of tows cross the city line: a car that dies on Rancho Vista Boulevard headed to a mechanic in Lancaster, or a Lancaster car going to a Palmdale dealer. Both are short trips. On the freeway, the exit you just passed tells the dispatcher which side of the line you are on:

Exit	Interchange	Caltrans city label
45	Avenue H	Lancaster
44	Avenue I (CHP Antelope Valley office, 2041 W. Avenue I)	Lancaster
43	Avenue J (the City of Lancaster calls it Avenue J / 20th Street West)	Lancaster
42	Avenue K	Lancaster
41	Avenue L	Lancaster
40	Avenue M	Lancaster
39	Avenue N	none
37	10th Street West (southbound)	Palmdale
35	SR-138 East / Palmdale Boulevard	Palmdale
33	Avenue S	Palmdale

Exit numbers and names come from the Caltrans SR-14 exit list, last updated in 2018. Ramp names at Avenue J may differ from that list, so read the sign you passed. Off the freeway, Sierra Highway runs north–south east of CA-14 and is the surface route most drivers use between the two cities.

Main roads in and around Palmdale

• CA-14 / SR-138 (the Antelope Valley Freeway, “the 14”). Caltrans labels three exits as Palmdale: exit 37 (signed 10th Street West southbound), exit 35 (SR-138 East / Palmdale Boulevard) and exit 33 (Avenue S). Exit 39, Avenue N, is just north; exit 30, Angeles Forest Highway / Pearblossom Highway, is just south.
• Where SR-138 splits off. SR-138 shares the freeway with CA-14 from Avenue D north of Lancaster down to exit 35. There it leaves and heads east on Palmdale Boulevard, later becoming Pearblossom Highway toward Littlerock.
• Sierra Highway. The north–south road that parallels the freeway. Palmdale City Hall (38300), the City’s Public Safety Office (38256) and the LASD Palmdale Station at Avenue Q are all on it.
• Rancho Vista Boulevard and 10th Street West. Rancho Vista is the former Avenue P. The Antelope Valley Mall is on the Palmdale side here, not in Lancaster.
• Elizabeth Lake Road, heading west toward Leona Valley.
• Avenue S. Just south of it on the freeway, the Lamont Odett Scenic Vista Point overlooks Lake Palmdale.

Common calls from Palmdale

• A stall on the 14 between Avenue N and Avenue S. Get onto the right shoulder, turn on your hazards and stay buckled in unless there is no safe place to wait. The Highway 14 breakdown guide covers the steps.
• Summer heat. NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Palmdale Airport show about 36 days a year at or above 100°F. That kind of heat is hard on batteries, cooling systems and tires.
• Cold mornings. The same station averages about 54 nights a year at or below freezing. Battery makers note that heat damage often shows up later, when cold makes the engine hard to start. See why desert heat kills car batteries.
• Parking-lot calls. A dead battery or keys locked in the car around the retail on Rancho Vista Boulevard and 10th Street West.
• East-side trips. Toward Littlerock, SR-138 continues as Pearblossom Highway, and a car pulled onto a dirt shoulder out there can get stuck.

Services available in Palmdale

• Emergency towing after a crash or a sudden failure on the 14 or Palmdale Boulevard.
• Local towing for the short run between Palmdale and Lancaster, or to a shop across town. This is the most common Palmdale request.
• Accident recovery for crash-damaged vehicles, and a flatbed tow for all-wheel-drive, electric or low cars.
• Roadside assistance when the car only needs help to get going: a jump start, a lockout, a spare tire or fuel.

Call and your request goes to a towing provider serving Palmdale. The provider confirms the price and an arrival estimate before dispatch.

Who to call besides a tow truck

• 911 if anyone is hurt, there is a fire, or a vehicle is stopped in a traffic lane.
• On CA-14 / SR-138: CHP has primary jurisdiction over freeway crashes, even inside Palmdale city limits (Vehicle Code 2400). CHP Antelope Valley Area, 2041 W. Avenue I, Lancaster: (661) 743-6060.
• On Palmdale city streets: the city contracts with the LA County Sheriff. LASD Palmdale Station, 750 E. Avenue Q at Sierra Highway: (661) 272-2400.
• Freeway help: dial 511 and say “Motorist Aid” to reach LA Metro’s Freeway Service Patrol during its hours (weekdays 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekends 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.). Metro’s 2015 map shows a beat on the 14 reaching the Palmdale area. It only moves you to a safe spot off the freeway, not to a shop.

If your car was towed in Palmdale, the City of Palmdale charges a $93 tow release fee. Pay it at the Public Safety Office, 38256 Sierra Highway (Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., City line 661-267-5234), or at the LASD Palmdale Station, which the City lists as a 24-hour location. The registered owner comes in person with one vehicle document (registration, title, or deposit-of-fees receipt plus moving permit) and one photo ID. Tow and storage charges are separate.

If CHP had it towed from the 14, the City of Lancaster’s towing page says CHP releases are handled at the CHP office on W. Avenue I in Lancaster, weekdays 8 to 5, with no CHP release fee. Full steps are in getting a towed car back.

Lancaster resources and nearby communities

• Lancaster is directly north on the 14. See towing in Lancaster, local towing for shop runs between the cities, and the Highway 14 breakdown guide.
• Quartz Hill is to the northwest, around 50th Street West and Avenue L.
• Leona Valley is west along Elizabeth Lake Road.
• Acton is south over the pass, off CA-14 exit 24.
• Littlerock is east and southeast on Pearblossom Highway.