Towed Car Help

Home / Montana / Helena

Car towed in Helena

Helena is in Lewis and Clark County, Montana. Here is how to find your car, what you can be charged, and what to do if the tow looks wrong. Last checked 2026-10-17.

Storage fees grow every day. Get your car back as soon as you can, even if you plan to dispute the tow. Pay, keep every receipt, and fight the charges afterward.

Find who towed your car

Street parking or a police tow

In Helena, call the Helena Police Department non-emergency dispatch to find out whether your car was towed and which company has it.

Apartment, store, or private lot

Look for a tow-away sign at the lot entrance. It often shows the tow company's name and phone number.

No sign, or you can't find it? The company must report the tow to police, so call the police non-emergency line and ask where your car went.

Mont. Code Ann. Title 61, ch. 12, part 4 (no private-tow reporting deadline found)

No record of a tow anywhere? Report the car to police as possibly stolen.

What they can charge

We have not verified local maximum rates for Helena yet. Ask the tow company for its rate sheet. It must give you one on request.

Estimate your bill

What to bring

  • To reclaim a car that police took as abandoned, you must show proof of ownership or right to possession to the sheriff or city police where it is stored and pay the removal and storage costs.
  • Payment. Call ahead to ask which types the lot takes.

Paperwork locked inside the car? If you are uninsured or underinsured, or insurance for the tow cannot be verified, items inside a car under a towing lien can also be held. Some items cannot be held, including prescriptions, IDs, cash and cards, wallets and purses, child safety items, and original personal or business records.

Mont. Code Ann. 61-12-403; Mont. Code Ann. 71-3-1201(2)(b)

Getting it back

  • Tow companies in the state police-rotation program must have staff who can release impounded vehicles from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday except state holidays. This applies to rotation-program operators, not every private-property tower.
  • Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.

Mont. Code Ann. 61-8-920(2)(c)

How to dispute a tow

  1. Collect evidence. Photograph the lot entrances and any signs, keep every receipt, and write down times and names.
  2. Ask for an itemized invoice. Montana law sets no maximum towing or storage price for private-property tows. The state motor carrier chapter does not apply to tow trucks moving wrecked, disabled or abandoned vehicles. Ask for an itemized bill.
  3. File a complaint.
    • Tow truck complaint resolution committee (Montana Department of Justice)
    • Local police non-emergency line or county sheriff
    • Justice court (small claims)
  4. Go to court if needed. You can ask a court to hear any dispute about the sale of property held under a service lien. The lien enforcement hearing is the place to challenge the charges.
  5. Consider small claims or a chargeback. Montana small claims court (in justice court) hears money claims up to $7,000, not counting costs, if the defendant can be served in the county where you file. If you paid by credit card, you can dispute the charge with your card issuer. For billing errors, your written dispute generally must reach the issuer within 60 days of the first bill showing the charge. Whether a tow charge qualifies is up to the issuer.

Deadlines to watch

Your car can be sold. For a car police took as abandoned, the sheriff or city police may sell it at auction if it is not reclaimed within 30 days after notice by certified mail or publication (60 days if taken after the driver's arrest).

A towing company cannot simply sell your car under a lien. It must wait 30 days after the service, then file a court action, and you must be served with an order to show cause at least 21 days before the hearing.

Montana deadlines, counted from the law

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Helena?

In Helena, call the Helena Police Department non-emergency dispatch to find out whether your car was towed and which company has it. For a private tow, the tow company must report it to police, so the police non-emergency line can usually tell you where the car is.

How much can a tow company charge in Helena?

Local maximum rates for private-property tows in Helena are not verified on this site yet. Ask the tow company for its posted rate sheet, which it must give you on request.

How long before a towed car is sold in Montana?

For a car police took as abandoned, the sheriff or city police may sell it at auction if it is not reclaimed within 30 days after notice by certified mail or publication (60 days if taken after the driver's arrest).

Do I pay storage if I get my car back quickly?

Ask the tow company when storage charges begin.

Not verified yet for Helena

We only publish details we could confirm from an official source. These are still missing, so ask the agencies above:

  • Addresses and hours of the tow lots that hold police tows
  • An official online lookup for towed cars
  • Local maximum rates for private-property tows
  • City-specific documents needed to pick up a car
  • Local rules for someone else picking up your car
  • Local auction schedules for unclaimed cars

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-17. These are the laws and official pages this page is based on.