Sandoval County, NM Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Chapter 38, Article II of the county code (§§ 38-21 to 38-28) governs non-consent towing and impoundment in unincorporated Sandoval County. The sheriff's department, not private property owners, decides when a vehicle is towed: a deputy or other county employee authorized to enforce traffic or parking law may summarily impound a vehicle without prior notice when it blocks a bridge or tunnel, obstructs traffic, blocks a driveway or fire hydrant, is reported stolen, or is left by an incapacitated or arrested driver, among 15 listed circumstances (§ 38-24).

For abandoned vehicles, defined as unplated cars or those left in one spot for 72 hours without a sheriff's sticker, the sheriff must first tag the vehicle with notice of a ten-day removal deadline and the owner's right to a hearing within 96 hours (§ 38-23). Whichever way a vehicle is impounded, it is towed to an authorized storage facility or a lot the sheriff's department or county maintains, and the deputy authorizing the tow must obtain a signed, dated receipt from the wrecker service showing when and where the vehicle was delivered; if it is held for evidence or forfeiture, the deputy must give the garage written instructions to that effect (§ 38-27).

Release of a lawfully impounded vehicle requires proof of ownership, proof of insurance, and payment of the accumulated towing and storage fees directly to the garage; an owner who instead wins a hearing or district court appeal is entitled to reimbursement from the county (§ 38-28).