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Your rights after a tow in Wyoming

Wyoming law sets rules for towing from private property, such as apartment complexes and store lots. Counties and cities set the maximum rates. Here is what the law says, in plain English.

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Tow-away signs

The Wyoming statutes we read do not require tow-away signs on private lots. Signs may still be required by a city ordinance or by the property's own rules, so check local code. W.S. 31-13-101 to 31-13-116 (no signage rule found) (opens in a new tab)

What a tow can cost

Wyoming sets no statewide maximum tow fee for a car towed from private property. The only dollar caps apply to a vehicle sold by the property owner after 30 days: storage at $20 a day and total removal, towing, storage and sale costs of $1,000. W.S. 31-13-109(g) (opens in a new tab)
A city or town may pass its own towing ordinance, and that ordinance overrides the state law where the two conflict. We could not read Cheyenne, Casper or Gillette codes to see whether any sets rates. W.S. 31-13-103 (opens in a new tab)
A tow company's storage fees cannot be collected for more than 180 days from when service was completed, unless it has sent notice of intent to file a lien and started court action to foreclose. W.S. 29-7-102(e)(ii) (opens in a new tab)

After your car is towed

A tow company that tows a car legally defined as abandoned must tell the county sheriff within 30 minutes of finishing the tow. That duty applies to abandoned vehicles (for example, left 30 days on private property), so it may not cover an ordinary same-day tow. Call the police non-emergency line to find your car. W.S. 31-13-104(g)(i) (opens in a new tab)
For an abandoned vehicle, the tow company must request a title search within 3 business days and then mail notice by certified mail to the owner and lienholders within 3 business days of getting the address. W.S. 31-13-104(g)(ii)-(iii) (opens in a new tab)
If a towed car sits in the tow lot more than 5 business days, the company must request a title search and tell lienholders where the car is within one business day of getting the results. W.S. 29-7-102(e)(iv) (opens in a new tab)

Getting your car back

Anyone who shows satisfactory proof of ownership or a right to possess the car can get it back by paying towing, storage, notice and other impoundment costs. W.S. 31-13-107 (opens in a new tab)
For a car removed at a police officer's request, the custodian must release personal property inside during regular office hours with proper ID, and cannot charge for releasing those items. This rule is not stated for purely private tows. W.S. 31-13-112(c) (opens in a new tab)
We found no Wyoming rule on which payment types a tow company must accept. Ask for the accepted payment methods before you go. W.S. 31-13-101 to 31-13-116 (no payment rule found) (opens in a new tab)
A tow company has a lien on your car and may keep it until paid, but a person who removes it without the lienholder's written consent commits a misdemeanor (fine up to $750). If you dispute the charges, the lienholder carries a duty to follow the sale rules and is liable for damages if it does not. W.S. 29-7-102(b); 29-7-105(j) (opens in a new tab)

Liens and sale of your car

A towing company holding a lien must send certified-mail notice of its intent to file, enforce and foreclose the lien within 30 days of when payment is due, to everyone known to claim an interest in the car. W.S. 29-7-102(e)(i) (opens in a new tab)
Before selling a car for a lien, the company must mail certified notice stating the amount due, the type of sale and the time and place of any public sale. Anyone with an interest can pay the amount owed before the sale. W.S. 29-7-105(b)-(c) (opens in a new tab)
A property owner may sell a car left on private property without consent after 30 days, with written notice to the sheriff and to the owner and lienholders by certified mail at least 10 days before the sale, plus newspaper notice two weeks in a row. W.S. 31-13-109(a), (d) (opens in a new tab)
If the car sells for more than the allowed costs, the owner or lienholder can sue to recover the extra money, but must file within 120 days of the sale. W.S. 31-13-109(e) (opens in a new tab)
A tow company can get a junk title for a car worth under $2,000 if you do not reclaim it by paying towing, storage and notice charges within 30 days of the postmarked notice (or 10 days of receipt for some notices). W.S. 31-2-111(b), (e) (opens in a new tab)

Protecting your rights

In a dispute over a fee charged by a towing company, the company has the burden to prove the fee is fair and reasonable. This is in the highway rotation-list rules, so it may be argued by analogy for private tows. W.S. 31-5-1701(b)(ix) (opens in a new tab)
A court order served on the seller before the sale stops it. A judge issues it only for good cause. W.S. 31-13-109(j) (opens in a new tab)
If you paid by credit card and believe the charge was improper, you can dispute it with your card issuer under federal billing-error rules. Do this in writing, promptly. FTC consumer guidance (opens in a new tab)

Where to complain

Wyoming Attorney General, Consumer Protection and Antitrust Unit. Takes consumer complaints about unfair or deceptive business practices; towing is not specifically listed on the page we read. File a complaint (opens in a new tab)
Local police or sheriff non-emergency line. Ask the city police or county sheriff whether your car was reported towed; tow companies must notify the sheriff for vehicles treated as abandoned.

Small claims cases in Wyoming circuit court cover claims up to $6,000, not counting costs, and can be used to dispute an improper tow or fee.

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Sources

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