In Utah, law enforcement can tow your vehicle for certain violations, and property owners can have it towed off if it’s been improperly parked. But as a car owner, you do have certain rights to protect yourself from having your car illegally towed. Knowing these rights can help you avoid the hassle and cost of getting a car out of impound.
That’s why Jerry
, the vehicle owners’ super app
that saves people money on car insurance
, is here with a guide to Utah’s towing laws. This will walk you through when and in which circumstances your vehicle may be legally towed, and what you can do to get it back. 
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Start earning nowWhen can police tow a vehicle in Utah?
Utah state law code section 72-9-603
is a big, hairy piece of reading to take on. It covers everything about the state’s tow truck provisions, including when and how a vehicle may be towed off to impound. It’s a lot of information in legalese to wade through, which is why we’ve narrowed it down to a simple guide covering when and how law enforcement may tow your vehicle, and when and how private property owners may tow your vehicle.
Let’s get started with law enforcement. These are the circumstances in which Utah police may have your car towed to impound:
Law enforcement determines the vehicle has been abandoned.
The vehicle is posing a hazard by being parked on or adjacent to a highway.
The vehicle’s driver has been arrested.
A crash has left the vehicle inoperable or the driver incapacitated.
A driver is found to have been driving under the influence.
The vehicle has improper, expired, or no registration.
In cases of exhibition driving, in which the vehicle has been driven in an unnecessary or loud manner that disturbs the peace.
The driver’s registration or license has been revoked due to lack of insurance, driving offenses, or other violations such as drug-related crimes.
While this list doesn’t cover every instance in which law enforcement may tow a vehicle, it gives you a good idea of the reach that police agencies have. While different law enforcement agencies have different policies, you should be aware of the Utah State Highway Patrol’s policies for vehicle abandonment on state highways. These policies state that:
A vehicle obstructing traffic or posing a hazard will be towed away immediately.
A vehicle abandoned with at least two wheels on the pavement of a state highway is subject to removal after two hours.
An abandoned vehicle that is completely off the pavement may be removed after 48 hours.
How to get your car out of an impound lot in Utah
If for whatever reason, your car is impounded, the Department of Motor Vehicles will send an impoundment notice to the last address according to the vehicle’s registration. But the clock starts ticking before you get that notice. That’s because, in Utah, the state tax commission may sell your vehicle at auction as soon as 30 days after it was towed.
So if your car gets towed to impound, you need to take care of the matter as soon as possible or risk losing your vehicle altogether. Here’s what you need to do to get your car out of impound in Utah:
Go to your local DMV office with proper evidence of ownership, such as a title, registration card, or bill of sale along with your photo identification.
Pay any fees or penalties owed to the DMV, and request a Letter of Impound Release.
Take the Letter of Impound Release to the lot where your car is being held, and pay any fees owed for the towing and impoundment.
You might have noticed that we mentioned the word “fees” more than once in those instructions. That’s because, if your car was towed off by law enforcement, you’ll probably owe a lot of them. Here are some fee types you might face when you retrieve your vehicle:
Storage fees, assessed daily
After-hours fees, lien charges, or possible auction fees
When can private property owners tow a vehicle in Utah?
While the police have a lot of leeway when deciding whether or not to tow a vehicle, the rules for private property owners are a little more restrictive. First, the property owner has to provide notice that the vehicle is being towed in a couple of different ways, including:
Proper signage: This might be a “No Parking” sign posted in plain view.
Written notice: A notice must be affixed to the vehicle indicating that it will be towed for 24 hours before it can legally be removed from the property.
If your vehicle is removed from private property due to improper parking, Utah state law says you will only be responsible for paying for the tow truck service, storage fees, and any administrative impound fees.
MORE: My car got towed. Now what?
When can your car be towed from a parking lot in Utah?
There are a few conditions in which your car can legally be towed away to impoundment from a parking lot in Utah. This might happen if:
Your car is parked in a legally designated disabled persons parking space and doesn’t display the proper disabled parking plates or placards.
You violate any state laws that prohibit parking by parking in a fire lane or within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
You park in a location that prevents access to the property.
Your vehicle is parked where it is reasonably visible that the area is not intended for parking.
MORE: How to get a Utah handicap placard
What are my rights if my car is towed in Utah?
If your car has been towed without your consent in Utah, you do have some rights to contest the impoundment and to know the status and fees associated with your vehicle. Your rights include:
The right to verify your vehicle’s towing has been Utah Motor Vehicle Division Impound Vehicle System
The right to receive documentation indicating the date and time impoundment began
The right to file a complaint claiming overcharges and other disputes with the Utah Department of Transportation
To check your vehicle’s status after towing, visit http://www.tow.utah.gov/
and enter your vehicle’s information. You can also get more information from the law enforcement agency that is local to the area where your vehicle was towed from. How to save on car insurance in Utah
After paying all the DMV, towing, and impoundment fees to get your car back after its removal, you might be looking for ways to save elsewhere in your budget. One cost-saving tip that car insurance
experts recommend is shopping for new coverage every six months. If you’re just bouncing back from an unwanted tow, now might be the time to put this advice into practice. That’s where Jerry
can help. Jerry is a licensed insurance broker and car insurance comparison super app with the mission of saving people money. The app is free and easy to use, and it only takes a few minutes to see what you can save on Utah car insurance
with Jerry. You can do everything, from start to finish, on your mobile device without making any phone calls or filling out any paperwork. Switching insurance companies with the Jerry app is easy, and best of all, the average Jerry user saves more than $800 a year on car insurance!
“My past tickets were making it hard to find affordable insurance. With Jerry
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