Wyandotte County, KS Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Police notice window
- 2 hours after tow
- Max private tow/storage fee
- 120% of city tow-contract rate
- Mandatory disconnect fee cap
- Half of posted rate
- Immobilization release fee cap
- $75.00
- Signage lead time
- 24 hours before towing
- Owner property access
- 48 hours post-tow
- Penalty
- Class C misdemeanor, up to $500/1 month jail
Summary
In Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, a tow operator or property owner who removes a vehicle from private property without the driver's consent must notify the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department within two hours and cannot charge more than 120 percent of the rates in the city's own tow contracts. Unified Government Code § 35-205 also caps immobilization fees and mandates warning signage before any tow.
(a)Notification. The property owner requesting the tow, tow operator towing or removing a vehicle from private property, or individual responsible for immobilizing a vehicle on private property, shall notify the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department within two hours of the tow, removal or immobilization of the vehicle... (e)Maximum tow and storage fees. The maximum fee a tow operator or tow company may charge for towing of vehicles from private property at the request of a third party or for storage of such vehicle shall not exceed 120 percent of the rates charged by city tow contracts.
Full Breakdown
The private-property towing article (UG Code §§ 35-202 to 35-206) governs any non-consent tow or vehicle immobilization ordered by a property owner or lessee within the Unified Government's limits. Under § 35-205(a), whoever orders or performs the tow must call the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department within two hours with the vehicle's make, model, color, year, VIN, license plate and state, the tow destination, a release contact number, and the reason for the tow. Section 35-205(b) requires a 'mandatory disconnect': if the owner or driver reaches the vehicle before it leaves the property, the tow truck must release it for a service fee capped at half the posted towing rate, and there is no charge at all if the vehicle was never hooked up.
Except for single-family homes, duplexes, townhomes and residential PUDs, § 35-205(c) requires a permanently installed, reflective-lettered sign such as 'Unauthorized Vehicles Will Be Towed' at every driveway or curb cut, posted at least 24 hours before any vehicle is removed. Owners keep a right under § 35-205(d) to retrieve personal property left in the towed vehicle for 48 hours unless it is held as evidence. 00 (§ 35-205(f)(3)). Immobilization services must staff a 24-hour release line and respond within one hour of a call, and emergency police, fire or medical vehicles cannot be booted at all.
Violations & Fines
A tow operator, immobilization service or property owner who violates any part of § 35-205, skipping the two-hour police notice, overcharging past the 120-percent fee cap, refusing a mandatory disconnect, or failing to post required signage, commits a class C misdemeanor under § 35-206, punishable by up to a $500.00 fine and one month in jail. The Unified Government can also pursue separate civil remedies for the same violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a private towing company in Wyandotte County charge whatever it wants?
What if I get to my car before the tow truck leaves?
Does a Wyandotte County property owner have to post a tow-away sign first?
How do I get my belongings back after a non-consent tow?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wyandotte County
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