Car towed in North Dakota? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in North Dakota.
We checked 6 North Dakota towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- Fargo Police: Towing & Impound (Fargo Moorhead Towing, 701-850-7347) (Fargo; Fargo Police impounds; city lot at 715 17th St. N.; by phone, 24/7). Last checked .
- Bismarck Police: vehicle impounds (701-223-1212) (Bismarck; Bismarck Police impounds; fees paid at the Police Department; 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 car held by a government agency (pay towing and storage): 30 days, counted from date of the notice.
Official text: “upon payment of all towing and storage charges resulting from taking the vehicle into custody within thirty days after the date of the notice required by section 23.1-15-05”
We haven't checked how North Dakota 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: N.D.C.C. § 23.1-15-06(1). Last checked .
Reclaim an abandoned car held by a commercial towing company (pay towing and storage): 30 days, counted from date you receive the notice.
Official text: “The owner, secured parties, or a lienholder of an abandoned motor vehicle, within thirty days after receipt of the notice required by section 23.1”
We haven't checked how North Dakota 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: N.D.C.C. § 23.1-15-06(2). 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 North Dakota rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in North Dakota
Hearings
In Fargo, an owner can contest a police impound with the Fargo Police Special Services Unit (701-298-6987). The assigned sergeant can waive or reduce towing and storage costs if the car was unfairly impounded. Fargo Police impounds only.
Official text: “has the authority to waive or reduce towing costs and storage if the vehicle was determined to be unfairly impounded”
Source: City of Fargo, Towing & Impound. Last checked .
If the tow company wants to sell the car
The agency or towing company holding an abandoned car must send notice by certified mail to the registered owner and lienholders within 10 days. The notice must say where the car is held, explain the right to reclaim it, and give the end date of the 30-day period to reclaim it.
Official text: “The notice must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the registered owner”
Source: N.D.C.C. § 23.1-15-05(1), (2). Last checked .
Fees and caps
When a commercial towing company holds an abandoned car, storage charges may not exceed $50 per day for a passenger vehicle, pickup, van or truck of 20,000 registered gross weight pounds or less. The section also applies to emergency towing.
Official text: “Storage charges under subsection 2 may not exceed fifty dollars per day for an abandoned passenger vehicle, pickup, van, or truck”
Source: N.D.C.C. § 23.1-15-06(3), (5). Last checked .
For Fargo Police impounds, the city's page lists a minimum towing fee of $125, a $25 release fee and $20 per day for storage (as posted on the page checked October 5, 2026).
Official text: “The minimum towing fee is $125 with an additional $25 release fee.”
Source: City of Fargo, Towing & Impound. Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
Under North Dakota's abandoned-vehicle law, a car left on private property without the consent of the person in control of the property counts as abandoned. A commercial towing company may remove it when the owner, lessee, tenant or occupant of the property asks.
Official text: “If requested by an owner, lessee, tenant, or occupant of private property, a commercial towing service may remove and take into custody an abandoned motor vehicle located on the private property.”
Source: N.D.C.C. §§ 23.1-15-01, 23.1-15-03. Last checked .
Getting money back
A commercial towing company that tows an abandoned car must tell the local law enforcement agency within 12 hours after the tow. If it does not, it may not collect a storage fee and must return the car to the registered owner at no cost.
Official text: “may not collect a storage fee under section 23.1-15-06 and shall return the motor vehicle to the registered owner at no cost”
Source: N.D.C.C. § 23.1-15-05(3), (5). Last checked .
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