Car towed in Montana? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Montana.
We checked 7 Montana towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- Billings Police: was my car towed? ((406) 657-8200) (Billings; Billings Police impound logs; by phone). 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
Reclaim an abandoned vehicle held by sheriff or city police before it can be sold: 30 days, counted from date of the certified-mail or published notice.
Official text: “within 30 days after notification by certified mail or prescribed publication, the sheriff of the county or the city police of the city in which the vehicle is being stored may sell it at public auction”
We haven't checked how Montana 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: MCA § 61-12-404(1)(a). Last checked .
Reclaim a vehicle taken because the driver was arrested, before it can be treated as abandoned and sold: 60 days, counted from date of the certified-mail or published notice.
Official text: “has 60 days after notification by certified mail or prescribed publication to reclaim the vehicle”
We haven't checked how Montana 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: MCA § 61-12-404(1)(b). Last checked .
Pay removal and storage costs before the tow operator can ask for the title (police rotation tows of wrecked or disabled vehicles): 30 days, counted from postmark date of the tow operator's certified letter.
Official text: “If the removal and storage costs have not been paid within 30 days after the date that the notice provided for in subsection (1) was postmarked”
We haven't checked how Montana 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: MCA § 61-8-913(3). 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 Montana rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Montana
If the tow company wants to sell the car
If an abandoned vehicle is not reclaimed within 30 days after notice by certified mail or publication, the sheriff or city police may sell it at public auction. If it was taken because the driver was arrested, the owner has 60 days.
Official text: “has 60 days after notification by certified mail or prescribed publication to reclaim the vehicle”
Source: MCA § 61-12-404. Last checked .
When a qualified tow operator removes a wrecked or disabled vehicle from a public roadway at police request, it must send the owner and lienholder a certified letter within 15 days. If removal and storage costs are not paid within 30 days after the letter's postmark, the operator may ask the state to reissue the title to it.
Official text: “If the removal and storage costs have not been paid within 30 days after the date that the notice provided for in subsection (1) was postmarked”
Source: MCA § 61-8-913. Last checked .
A tow company has a special lien on a vehicle it tows or stores, and for towing or storage the lien is for the reasonable cost. When the lien extends to items inside the car, some are excluded, including prescriptions, IDs, cash and cards, child safety items, and wallets or purses.
Official text: “If the service is towing or storage, the lien is for the reasonable cost of the towing or storage.”
Source: MCA § 71-3-1201(2). Last checked .
Fees and caps
An owner may reclaim an abandoned vehicle held by the sheriff or city police any time before it is sold, by showing proof of ownership and paying removal, storage and custody costs. The owner may not be required to pay more than 90 days of storage.
Official text: “The person reclaiming the vehicle may not be required to pay storage charges for a period longer than 90 days.”
Source: MCA § 61-12-403. Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
Police, sheriffs and the highway patrol may take custody of a vehicle abandoned 48 hours on a public highway or 5 days on a city street, public property or private property. A private landowner whose property is open to the public may remove an abandoned vehicle after calling law enforcement at the start of the 5-day period.
Official text: “by calling one of the law enforcement agencies listed in subsection (1) at the start of the 5-day period may remove the abandoned vehicle”
Source: MCA § 61-12-401. Last checked .
Who regulates tow companies
Montana has a tow truck complaint resolution committee that reviews and resolves written complaints about tow truck issues, including towing charges.
Official text: “to review and resolve complaints about tow truck issues, including towing charges, that are submitted in writing to a committee member”
Source: MCA § 61-8-912. Last checked .
The Montana Department of Justice Office of Consumer Protection takes complaints against towing companies at (406) 444-4500 or by form, and investigates them. A complaint should include the tow company's name and address and a detailed explanation of the problem.
Official text: “The complaint should include the name and address of the tow truck company, with a detailed explanation of what the problem is”
Source: Montana DOJ, Office of Consumer Protection. Last checked .
Page last reviewed .