Car towed in South Dakota? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in South Dakota.
We checked 6 South Dakota towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
- Sioux Falls Police Information Desk: towed vehicles ((605) 367-7212) (Sioux Falls; City-ordered tows (page covers snow-alert towing); 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
Claim and remove the vehicle before title passes to the removal agency: 30 days, counted from date the notice was mailed.
Official text: “if the record holder of title fails to claim and remove the motor vehicle or other scrap metal within thirty days after mailing of notice, title to the vehicle is irrevocably vested in the removal agency”
We haven't checked how South 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: SDCL § 32-36-9. 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 South Dakota rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in South Dakota
If the tow company wants to sell the car
After removing an abandoned, wrecked or impounded vehicle, the removal agency must send written notice by certified mail to the registered owner and lienholders within 45 days, on a Department of Revenue form. If notice is not given within 10 days of removal, no storage may be charged after day 10 until the notice is mailed.
Official text: “If the removal agency does not give notice within ten days from the date of removal, no storage may be charged beyond the ten”
Source: SDCL § 32-36-8. Last checked .
Title vests in the removal agency 30 days after the notice is sent. The owner and lienholder may reclaim the vehicle and must notify the Department of Revenue in writing within 30 days of their intent to reclaim it.
Official text: “The lien holder and record holder of title shall notify the department in writing within thirty days of their intent to reclaim the motor vehicle.”
Source: SDCL § 32-36-9. Last checked .
The sheriff, officer or removal agency has a possessory lien on the vehicle and its contents for reasonable custody and storage costs. The lien on contents may not exceed $500, and it does not attach to tools of a person's trade, clothing or food.
Official text: “No possessory lien attaches to the tools and implements which a person uses and keeps for the purpose of carrying on his or her trade or business or to any clothing or food.”
Source: SDCL § 32-30-18. Last checked .
Fees and caps
In Sioux Falls, the amount towing companies charge for removal and storage on City tows is set by contract, and the companies may add charges for other costs (City snow-towing page).
Official text: “The amount charged by the towing companies for removal and storage of vehicles is set by contract.”
Source: City of Sioux Falls, Ticketing and Towing Info. Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
A removal agency (towing or salvage business) may not remove an abandoned vehicle from private property without the written permission of the landowner or tenant. A violation is a Class 2 misdemeanor.
Official text: “No removal agency may remove abandoned motor vehicles from private property without the written permission of the landowner or tenant.”
Source: SDCL § 32-36-4.1. Last checked .
Getting money back
If a removal agency tows an unattended car from a public street or highway without a written request from the owner, the owner's agent or a law enforcement officer, it must report the tow to the owner (or, if it can't reach the owner, to the sheriff or police chief) within 24 hours. If it doesn't, it may not bill or collect any towing or storage fees.
Official text: “the removal agency is not entitled to any towing or storage fees for the removed vehicle”
Source: SDCL §§ 32-30-3.1, 32-30-3.2. Last checked .
Page last reviewed .