Bozeman, MT Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Removal authority
- Police and authorized agents of the city
- Public storage fee
- $75.00 per month or part, up to $225.00
- Owner notice
- Certified mail within 72 hours
- Storage accrual
- Starts five business days after notice is mailed
- Hearing deadline
- Petition municipal court within ten business days
- Unclaimed vehicles
- Auction possible after 30 days following certified notice
Summary
In the City of Bozeman, Montana, police and other authorized city agents can remove a vehicle to the city impound lot or to a location associated with a tow company. The owner pays towing and notification costs, and storage on public property is set at $75.00 for each month or part of a month, up to $225.00, before release.
I.Removal/impoundment of vehicle.1.The city, or authorized agent of the city, is authorized to remove or tow a vehicle from the ways of the city open to the public pursuant to section 36.02.020 or this section to the city impound lot or to a location associated with the tow company where the vehicle will be stored until the owner of such vehicle appears and claims the same or the vehicle is sold at auction in compliance with MCA 25-13-701 through 25-13-709, under the following circumstances: ... 4.Storage fee. The vehicle may be stored in a public or a private place; if a private place, the storage charges shall be the amount charged for such private storage; if stored on public property, the storage fee shall be $75.00 for each month, or any part thereof, up to a maximum of $225.00, the storage shall be as prescribed from time to time by city commission resolution. ... The city assumes no responsibility for the condition of the vehicle upon towing to impound or a facility provided by a private towing entity.
Full Breakdown
Two sections of the Bozeman Municipal Code govern non-consent towing. Section 36.02.020 lets members of the police department remove a vehicle from a street, highway or public parking lot when it is left unattended on a bridge, viaduct, causeway, tube or tunnel and obstructs traffic; when a disabled vehicle obstructs traffic and the people in charge are incapacitated by physical injury; when it is parked illegally as a definite hazard or obstruction; when it is parked in a two-away zone; when it is parked illegally for more than six hours; or when it has been abandoned for more than seven consecutive days. Section 36.04.380.I adds removals for vehicles that obstruct snow and ice removal or the repair of city services, removals on a judicial order, seizures under MCA 46-5-311, and vehicles tied to six or more unpaid parking violations after the city has first immobilized them.
The city must send a certified mail notice to the owner and any lienholder within 72 hours naming the reason for removal and the storage location. Storage fees for vehicles impounded under section 36.04.380.I do not start accruing until five business days after the certified letter is mailed or the owner is directly advised. To reclaim the vehicle, the owner furnishes proof of identity and ownership, signs a receipt and pays the towing and storage charges (section 36.02.020.C); paying does not erase any fine for the violation that led to the tow (section 36.02.020.D). An owner can petition Bozeman Municipal Court within ten business days for a hearing on an immobilization or impoundment (section 36.04.380.K). Vehicles not reclaimed within 30 days after certified notice can be sold at public auction under MCA 25-13-701 et seq. (section 36.04.380.L).
The sections read here regulate the city's own removals. They print no wrecker or tow company licensing scheme, and they state that the city assumes no responsibility for the condition of a vehicle towed to a facility provided by a private towing entity.
Violations & Fines
Parking violations that lead to towing carry the fines in section 36.04.380.A, which run to $300.00 at most. Six or more unpaid violations let the city immobilize a vehicle, and a $150.00 immobilization fee applies before release; a vehicle immobilized for more than 24 hours can be towed and impounded. Tampering with or removing an immobilization device is a misdemeanor under section 36.04.390, punishable by a fine not exceeding $500.00, up to six months in county jail, or both, plus restitution.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bozeman
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