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Car towed in Sandy

Sandy is in Salt Lake County, Utah. 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 Sandy, call the Sandy City Police Department non-emergency line to find out whether your car was towed and which company has it.

Apartment, store, or private lot

Read the tow-away sign at the lot entrance. It must show 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.

Utah Code 72-9-603(1)(a)

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

What they can charge

$211.00
Most they can charge to tow a standard car from private property
$42.00
Most they can charge per day of storage
Other Utah (statewide, UDOT) maximums
ChargeMaximum
Administrative fee$44.00
After-hours or gate fee$75.00
Drop fee (released before removal)$105.50

UDOT sets a flat maximum for private-property tows, not an hourly rate, and updates the sheet every year. Inside storage for a standard car is $47 per day; fuel surcharges follow rule R909-19-16. See the official Utah (statewide, UDOT) rates (opens in a new tab).

Statewide, the administrative fee to release a car from the tow company's lien cannot exceed $44.00.

Estimate your bill

What to bring

  • 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.
  • The tow company and the impound yard must accept cash and debit or credit cards. They may add a card fee of up to 3% of the total. Call ahead to ask which types the lot takes.

Paperwork locked inside the car? You can collect essential items such as medication, medical equipment, shoes, coats, food and water, child seats, photo ID and human remains during business hours without paying. After you pay the tow fee, you can go into the car during business hours and take out other loose belongings.

Utah Code 41-6a-1406(7); Utah Code 72-9-603(15)(b), (18)(a)(ii); Utah Code 72-9-603(13)

Getting it back

  • Rights to belongings and essential items apply during the yard's normal business hours, but the one-hour release rule runs around the clock for tows done without the owner's consent.
  • A company that holds a car towed without the owner's consent must have someone reachable by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and must release the car within one hour of the owner's call. Failing to do so can lead to a criminal charge.
  • Utah's tow law does not require a written inspection or damage-waiver form, and this research found no ban on being asked to sign one. Take your own photos before you pay or sign anything.
  • Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.

Before you sign anything: Utah's tow statute has no damage-claim procedure. Photograph the car, the signs and the lot before leaving, and ask for the receipt, which must list start and end times and the car details.

Utah Code 72-9-603(13)(e)-(f), (19); Utah Code 72-9-603(19), (20); Utah Code 72-9-603 (no waiver provision found); Utah Admin. Code R909-19-12(1)

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. The tow company and yard must post all current fees, rates and accepted payment types in plain view. You are entitled to documentation showing the date and time storage began, and a receipt that itemizes the tow, administration, fuel, storage and after-hours charges.
  3. File a complaint.
  4. Consider small claims or a chargeback. Utah small claims court handles money claims up to $20,000 (including attorney fees) from January 1, 2025 through 2029, rising to $25,000 in 2030. You can use it to seek a refund of unlawful tow charges. 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. If a car is not claimed, the state Motor Vehicle Division issues a certificate of sale to the tow company after 30 days from the original notice for a car model year 8 or more years old. For a car 7 years old or newer, it is sold at public auction after 60 days, with at least 5 days of published notice.

If you have not picked the car up, the tow company must send a certified letter within two business days to the registered owner and any lienholder with the location, time, reason, who requested the tow, and the costs to get it back. You must also be handed the Utah Consumer Bill of Rights Regarding Towing when you first make contact.

Utah deadlines, counted from the law

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Sandy?

In Sandy, call the Sandy City Police Department non-emergency line 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 Sandy?

For a standard passenger car towed from private property, the published maximum is $211.00 for the tow and $42.00 per day for storage, under Utah (statewide, UDOT) rates. Other fees may apply; see the table on this page.

How long before a towed car is sold in Utah?

If a car is not claimed, the state Motor Vehicle Division issues a certificate of sale to the tow company after 30 days from the original notice for a car model year 8 or more years old. For a car 7 years old or newer, it is sold at public auction after 60 days, with at least 5 days of published notice.

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

Ask the tow company when storage charges begin.

Not verified yet for Sandy

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
  • City-specific documents needed to pick up a car
  • Local rules for someone else picking up your car
  • Local auction schedules for unclaimed cars

Other cities in Salt Lake County

Sources

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