Car towed in Idaho? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Idaho.
We checked 7 Idaho towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- Idaho Transportation Department: towed vehicle notices and DMV portal (Idaho (statewide); Law-enforcement-directed and abandoned-vehicle tows reported to ITD; check status through the DMV portal (dmv.idaho.gov) or call ITD at 208-584-4343). Last checked .
- City of Boise: Towed and Impounded Vehicles (Boise; Missing vehicle: call Non-Emergency Dispatch (208) 377-6790; police-initiated tows: Vehicle Impounds (208) 570-6120). Last checked .
If it isn't listed, call the police non-emergency number for the city or county where you parked. Ask whether the car was towed, by whom and where it was taken. We never charge to help you find your car.
What to do right now
- Make sure it was towed, not stolen. Use an official lookup if there is one, or call the police non-emergency number for the place where you parked. Ask who towed it, where it is, and the lot's hours.
- Take photos now. The spot where you parked, every sign at the entrances (or the lack of one), curb paint and meters. When you get the car back, photograph all sides, the inside and the odometer before you leave the lot.
- Get the paperwork. Keep every notice, receipt and letter, and the envelope it came in. Ask for a copy of anything that shows who asked for the tow.
- Ask for an itemized bill before you pay. Compare each charge with the posted rates and, where we list one, your state's or city's maximum.
- Pay by credit card if you can. A card payment leaves a record, and card issuers have a process for disputing charges. Ask for a receipt either way.
- Write down what happened. Times, names, what people said, and any damage you notice.
- Note every deadline. Look for dates on every paper you get. Some deadlines to ask for a hearing or to stop a sale are only days long, and storage charges usually grow every day.
This is general information to help you keep track. It is not legal advice, and it does not decide whether a tow or a charge was lawful.
2. Know your deadline
Ask ITD for a tow procedure hearing (officer-initiated tows): 10 days, counted from date of the initial notice from ITD.
Official text: “In order to receive a tow procedure hearing, the owners or their agents must send a request for hearing in writing, to the department, within ten (10) calendar days of the date of the initial notice”
We haven't checked how Idaho counts weekends and holidays, so the calculator never moves the date later. Treat it as the last day and act sooner if you can.
Source: Idaho Code § 49-1809(2). Last checked .
File a declaration of opposition with ITD (dispute fees, claim, or disposal): 20 days, counted from date of ITD's first notification.
Official text: “The declaration of opposition must be received by the department within twenty (20) calendar days after the date of the first notification sent by the department”
We haven't checked how Idaho counts weekends and holidays, so the calculator never moves the date later. Treat it as the last day and act sooner if you can.
Source: Idaho Code § 49-1808(2). Last checked .
File a court action against the lienholder after a declaration of opposition: 10 days, counted from date the declaration was filed with ITD.
Official text: “The declaration of opposition shall give the declarant ten (10) calendar days after the date the declaration was filed with the department to file legal action against the possessory lienholder.”
We haven't checked how Idaho counts weekends and holidays, so the calculator never moves the date later. Treat it as the last day and act sooner if you can.
Source: Idaho Code § 49-1808(3). Last checked .
Ask the City of Boise for a Vehicle Tow Review (City tows for unpaid tickets or from parks): 30 days, counted from date of the tow.
Official text: “Requests must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the tow.”
We haven't checked how Idaho counts weekends and holidays, so the calculator never moves the date later. Treat it as the last day and act sooner if you can.
Source: City of Boise, Vehicle Tow Review. Last checked .
Free deadline calculator
Enter the date from your papers. The calculator only counts days; it doesn't say whether a deadline was met. The dates printed on your notices are the ones that count.
3. Get your money back
Common ways people ask for a refund:
- Ask the tow company in writing to refund any charge you think was wrong, and keep a copy.
- File a complaint with the agency that regulates tow companies, if there is one.
- If you paid by card, ask your card issuer how to dispute a charge.
- Ask for a hearing if your state has one (see the deadlines above), or file in small claims court.
- If you want advice about your own situation, talk to a lawyer or legal aid.
The Idaho rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Idaho
Hearings
For tows started by an officer (accident, arrest, extraordinary circumstances, or roadside abandoned vehicles), the owner can ask for a tow procedure hearing by writing to the Idaho Transportation Department within 10 calendar days of the initial notice; the hearing is held within 48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays). If no reasonable cause for the tow is shown, the agency pays the towing and storage costs. Does not apply to tows from posted private property.
Official text: “within ten (10) calendar days of the date of the initial notice”
Source: Idaho Code § 49-1809. Last checked .
An owner who disputes the fees, the claim, or the disposal of a car towed under chapter 18 may file a declaration of opposition with the Idaho Transportation Department within 20 calendar days after the first notice. The owner then has 10 calendar days to file a court action against the lienholder, and disposal of the car is paused while the case is pending.
Official text: “the disposition of the vehicle shall be paused pending the outcome of the court proceedings”
Source: Idaho Code § 49-1808. Last checked .
If the tow company wants to sell the car
Since January 1, 2026, the tow company must report the tow in ITD's towed vehicle portal within 1 business day, and ITD notifies the owners and lienholders (electronically if they signed up, otherwise by first class mail, with follow-up notices). After 30 days from the first notice, if the car is unclaimed and no opposition or hearing is pending, the tow company can get a title or junk certificate.
Official text: “Report the tow in the department's towed vehicle portal within one (1) business day of the tow”
Source: Idaho Code § 49-1807. Last checked .
Fees and caps
For law-enforcement tows, the tow company must give its rate sheet to ITD, which makes it public; any charge above the rate sheet is deemed excessive. Storage may not exceed 60 days, and if the tow was not reported to the portal within 1 business day, storage fees do not start until it is reported.
Official text: “The maximum storage limit shall not exceed sixty (60) days from the date of tow.”
Source: Idaho Code § 49-1814(2), (3). Last checked .
During an officer-directed tow (other than investigation or suspected-stolen tows), the tow company must release the car at the scene on request. If the car is not yet in tow, it may charge only customary mileage one way plus the usual operator fee; if it is already attached, the regular tow fee may be charged.
Official text: “shall upon request of the owner or his authorized agent release the vehicle at the scene”
Source: Idaho Code § 49-1810. Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
A private property owner may have an unauthorized vehicle towed or booted only if a sign in large print, in a clearly conspicuous location, says unauthorized vehicles will be removed or booted at the owner's expense and names the towing firm. A vehicle may not be towed or booted from private property solely for expired or improper registration.
Official text: “in a clearly conspicuous location, in large print, a sign or notice that unauthorized vehicles will be removed or booted”
Source: Idaho Code § 49-1806. Last checked .
Getting money back
A tow company loses the right to storage, impound, and other fees (all but the scheduled tow fee) if it takes the car somewhere other than directed, refuses release for any reason other than nonpayment of lawful fees, or makes repairs without signed or recorded consent. Owners may inspect the car and get personal property free during business hours.
Official text: “The towing company shall not be entitled to recover any storage fees, impound fees, unauthorized repair fees, or other fees, except the scheduled tow fee”
Source: Idaho Code §§ 49-1811(5), 49-1814(4). Last checked .
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