North Dakota Towing Laws: Your Rights When Your Car Is Towed

Primary law: N.D. Cent. Code ch. 23.1-15 (Abandoned Motor Vehicles) · Last verified July 2026. General information, not legal advice.

North Dakota has one of the thinner towing frameworks in the country: there is no dedicated consumer towing statute, and private-property tows are handled through the abandoned-motor-vehicle chapter, N.D. Cent. Code ch. 23.1-15. A commercial tower may remove a vehicle from private property at the request of the owner, lessee, tenant, or occupant, and a car generally qualifies as abandoned if it sits without the property owner's consent or remains illegally for more than 48 hours. Cities like Fargo and Bismarck add their own impound rules.

Consumer protections are limited but real. The tower must alert law enforcement within 12 hours, and the registered owner and any lienholders get certified-mail notice within 10 days along with a 30-day window to reclaim the car by paying towing and storage. Storage on ordinary passenger vehicles under 20,000 pounds is capped at $50 per day. Beyond that, there is no verified statewide tow-fee cap, drop-fee right, kickback ban, or card-payment mandate.

If your car vanishes in North Dakota, call local police or the sheriff first; the 12-hour reporting rule means they should know who has it. Get an itemized bill, pay to reclaim the vehicle well within the 30-day window so it cannot be auctioned, and keep all paperwork. If charges seem abusive, complain to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division and check for a city towing or impound ordinance.

North Dakota towing rules at a glance

How to get your car back in North Dakota

1. Call local police or the sheriff; towers must report tows within 12 hours.
2. Get the storage lot's location and an itemized towing and storage bill.
3. Check that storage on a normal passenger vehicle does not exceed $50 per day.
4. Reclaim the car within 30 days to stop a lien sale or disposal.
5. Send overcharge complaints to the ND Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division.

Where to complain about an illegal tow

North Dakota Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division handles towing complaints in North Dakota. 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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