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Towing rules for property managers in Utah

Before you have a car towed from your property in Utah, check these rules. They are a summary of state law; your city or county may add more.

Printable checklist

Placement: At every entrance, on the property and clearly visible to drivers coming in; at least every 40 feet along the edge where cars can enter if no clear entrance
Sign size: at least 24 inches by 18 inches
A sign at each entrance
Reflective lettering or background
A warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed
Who may park there
Release the car if the owner returns before it leaves the property

Check your sign

What the sign law says

Applies to: Lots towing without the owner's consent (not detached single-family homes or duplexes, fire lanes, gated or attended lots, etc.)

A lot can only have cars towed without the owner's consent if it has the state-format signs at every entrance, placed on the property and clearly visible to drivers coming in. Where a lot has no clear entrance, signs are needed at least every 40 feet along the edge where cars can enter. The sign must be 24 by 18 inches with reflective colors. It must say "Towing Enforced" (a patrolled lot says "Lot is Patrolled"), show who may or may not park there, give the phone number of the tow company or the property owner who can request a tow, and list the web address tow.utah.gov.

Utah Code 72-9-603(3), (4)(b)(iv), (7), (8) (opens in a new tab)

The phone number may be the tow company's or the property owner's, so towing-company-phone is not marked. The sign must be exactly 24 by 18 inches per the text. Dimensions are given as 'X by Y inches' without naming which is width and which is height; they are listed in the stated order. Additional quoted text comes from: Utah Code 72-9-603(7), (8) <https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title72/Chapter9/C72-9-S603_2026050620260506.html>.

Tow-away signs

A lot can only have cars towed without the owner's consent if it has the state-format signs at every entrance, placed on the property and clearly visible to drivers coming in. Where a lot has no clear entrance, signs are needed at least every 40 feet along the edge where cars can enter. Utah Code 72-9-603(3), (4)(b)(iv), (7), (8) (opens in a new tab)
The sign must be 24 by 18 inches with reflective colors. It must say "Towing Enforced" (a patrolled lot says "Lot is Patrolled"), show who may or may not park there, give the phone number of the tow company or the property owner who can request a tow, and list the web address tow.utah.gov. Utah Code 72-9-603(7), (8) (opens in a new tab)
Signs are not required for a detached single-family home or duplex, a fire lane, a spot within 15 feet of a hydrant outside a marked stall, a disabled-parking space, a gated or attended lot, or a spot that blocks access to the property. Without proper signs, an owner can still tow after taping a written notice to the driver's window and waiting 24 hours. Utah Code 72-9-603(3)(b), (9) (opens in a new tab)

If you catch them before the tow leaves

If you reach your car before the tow truck is hooked up to it, they cannot charge you anything. If it is hooked up but has not left the property, they must release it when you pay a drop fee, which cannot be more than half the posted rate. For a standard car the 2026 state sheet lists $105.50. Utah Admin. Code R909-19-13(1)(c)-(d); UDOT 2026 fee schedule (opens in a new tab)

Where the car goes

Storage fees may only be charged at a state-approved impound yard, and the tow company must store the car within the county where it was towed. The rules set no mileage limit. Utah Admin. Code R909-19-15(3)(d)-(e) (opens in a new tab)
The registered owner or lienholder can claim the car, or someone with written authority from them who shows their own ID. The yard cannot release a car unless a person with a valid driving credential is there to drive it. Utah Code 41-6a-1406(7) (opens in a new tab)

Drivers' rights in Utah