Car towed in Wyoming? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in Wyoming.
We checked 7 Wyoming towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
1. Find your car
We don't have an official towed-car lookup for Wyoming on our list yet.
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 a police-impounded abandoned vehicle before title passes to the county: 30 days, counted from date of the WYDOT notice.
Official text: “not reclaimed by the registered owner or any lienholder within thirty (30) days of the notice provided by subsection (c) of this section shall vest with the county government”
We haven't checked how Wyoming 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: W.S. § 31-13-104(e). Last checked .
File a court case to recover leftover sale proceeds: 120 days, counted from date of the sale.
Official text: “provided an action is filed in the proper court for recovery within one hundred twenty (120) days of the sale”
We haven't checked how Wyoming 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: W.S. §§ 31-13-109(e), 31-13-111(e). 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 Wyoming rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in Wyoming
If the tow company wants to sell the car
A towing company that tows an abandoned vehicle not under city or county control must notify the county sheriff within 30 minutes after the tow, request a WYDOT title search within 3 business days, and send certified-mail notice to the owner and lienholders within 3 business days of finding their address.
Official text: “Notify the sheriff of the county in which the vehicle is located within thirty (30) minutes upon completion of tow”
Source: W.S. § 31-13-104(g). Last checked .
For police impounds, WYDOT notifies the owner and lienholders, but no notice is required if the sheriff values the vehicle under $2,000. Title vests in the county if the vehicle is not reclaimed within 30 days of the notice.
Official text: “Notice shall not be required if the fair market value of an abandoned vehicle removed by a police officer is less than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00)”
Source: W.S. § 31-13-104(c), (e). Last checked .
Fees and caps
For a vehicle left on private property and sold by the property owner, the owner or lienholder may reclaim it any time before the sale by paying expenses. Storage is computed at $20 per day, and total removal, towing, storage and sale expenses may not exceed $1,000.
Official text: “Storage expenses shall be computed at the rate of twenty dollars ($20.00) per day and the total allowable expenses for removal, towing, storage and sale shall not exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000.00).”
Source: W.S. § 31-13-109(g). Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
When police remove an abandoned vehicle from private property, it must be on the written request of the property owner or the person in lawful control, on a WYDOT form.
Official text: “Removal of an abandoned vehicle from private property by a police officer shall be upon the written request, upon a form prescribed by the department, of the owner or person in lawful possession or control of the property.”
Source: W.S. § 31-13-104(c). Last checked .
Before police impound a vehicle as abandoned, a notice of intent to impound must be placed on it: at least 24 hours on a highway, and 5 days on public or private property.
Official text: “The notice of intent shall remain on the vehicle at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to removal if abandoned on a highway and five (5) days if abandoned on public or private property”
Source: W.S. § 31-13-104(f). Last checked .
Getting money back
A private-property sale may not go forward if a written court order prohibiting the sale is served on the seller before the sale; the court issues one only for good cause.
Official text: “No person shall sell a vehicle under this section if a written court order prohibiting the sale is served on the proposed seller.”
Source: W.S. § 31-13-109(j). Last checked .
After a sale, the owner or lienholder can recover sale proceeds above the costs and amounts owed by filing a court action within 120 days of the sale.
Official text: “provided an action is filed in the proper court for recovery within one hundred twenty (120) days of the sale”
Source: W.S. §§ 31-13-109(e), 31-13-111(e). Last checked .
Page last reviewed .