Missouri Towing Laws: Your Rights When Your Car Is Towed

Primary law: Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 304.155-304.158 · Last verified July 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Missouri regulates private-property towing through RSMo 304.155-304.158. A property owner, lessee, or full-time manager can order a tow without police involvement only if the lot is posted with large signs — at least 17 by 22 inches with one-inch letters — at every entrance, warning that unauthorized vehicles will be removed at the owner's expense, disclosing the maximum fees, and listing a police or 24-hour contact. Without signage, longer waits and law-enforcement notification apply: roughly 10 hours for small owner-occupied residential property and up to 96 hours for other property. Tow companies must file detailed reports with local law enforcement.

Missouri does not set dollar fee caps, but it has meaningful cost guardrails: storage charges cannot exceed what the same lot charges for consensual tows, charges may only accrue while the company complies with the statute's procedures, and the mandatory signage must state maximum towing and storage fees up front. After the Department of Revenue identifies the owner, the tow company must send certified mail within ten business days describing the charges and the right to reclaim. If nobody redeems the car or requests a hearing for 30 days, the tower can apply for title free of prior liens.

If you're towed in Missouri, call local law enforcement first — the tower was required to report the tow, so police can locate the car. Watch for the certified-mail notice, because your 10-day window to petition the associate circuit court for a wrongful-tow determination starts when you receive it; you can post bond to get the car back while the case is pending. Compare the bill to the fees posted on the lot's signs and to the company's consensual rates. Move quickly: after 30 days the tow company can start taking title to your vehicle.

Missouri towing rules at a glance

How to get your car back in Missouri

1. Call the local police or sheriff — Missouri towers must report private-property tows, so law enforcement can tell you where the car is.
2. Photograph the lot's entrance signs and compare the bill to the maximum fees the signs were required to disclose.
3. Get the car out fast — storage accrues daily and after 30 days the company can begin claiming title.
4. If the tow was wrongful, petition the associate circuit court in the storage county within 10 days of the certified-mail notice; post bond to retrieve the car meanwhile.
5. Report overcharges or missing signage to the Missouri Attorney General's Consumer Protection unit.

Where to complain about an illegal tow

Missouri Attorney General Consumer Protection handles towing complaints in Missouri. Keep your receipt, photos of any signage (or lack of it), and notes on dates and times — they decide most fee disputes.

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