The short version
- To tow unauthorized vehicles from your property, Idaho requires a clearly conspicuous, large-print sign saying unauthorized vehicles will be removed at the owner’s expense and naming the towing company (Idaho Code 49-1806).
- On non-commercial property without signs, abandoned vehicles can still be removed if you sign a release form.
- Expired registration by itself doesn’t make a vehicle “unauthorized.”
- Clear rules, consistent enforcement and written tow authorizations keep things fair and prevent disputes.
Every property manager knows the calls: someone’s in my assigned space, there’s a truck parked across the fire lane, that car hasn’t moved since spring. Idaho law gives people who control private property a clear way to deal with unauthorized and abandoned vehicles. Here’s how it works and how to set up a parking program that holds up.
What Idaho law requires: the sign
Idaho Code 49-1806(1) lets any person in possession or control of real property, including commercial property, have an unauthorized vehicle removed (or booted) if there’s a sign or notice posted:
- on or near the property,
- in a clearly conspicuous location,
- in large print,
- saying that unauthorized vehicles will be removed or booted at the owner’s expense, and
- naming the towing firm.
In practice, that means a sign at every vehicle entrance, placed where a driver will actually see it, and kept readable and up to date. Some Idaho cities add their own requirements on top of state law. Boise, for example, requires the tow company’s phone number on the sign. Our signs list our name and phone number, so a driver who comes back to an empty space knows exactly who to call.
Signs from C.A.R.S. of Idaho are free
We post compliant signs at no cost to property owners in our service area, and we can help you decide where they’ll do the most good. Learn about our parking enforcement service.
Abandoned vehicles on unposted property
What if you don’t have signs and someone just leaves a vehicle? Idaho Code 49-1806(2) covers that for non-commercial property: the person in possession or control of the property may contact a tow company to remove an abandoned vehicle. The tow company will have you sign a release form that identifies you as the person in control of the property, identifies the vehicle, and says you take responsibility for its removal.
For commercial lots, post signs. It’s the cleanest way to have the authority to remove vehicles when you need to.
What doesn’t count
Idaho Code 49-1806(3) is short and important: a vehicle can’t be considered unauthorized and removed solely because its registration is expired or improper. Expired tags are a matter for law enforcement. On your lot, a vehicle has to break your posted rules (parked in a reserved space, without a permit, past a time limit, in a fire lane) or be abandoned.
And a vehicle parked on the public street in front of your property isn’t yours to tow. For that, call the city or the police non-emergency line.
Setting up a parking program that works
1. Write the rules down
Decide what’s allowed: residents only, permits or stickers, guest spaces and their limits, assigned spaces, fire lanes and no-parking zones, time limits for customers, overnight rules, and what counts as an inoperable or abandoned vehicle.
2. Tell people
For apartments and HOAs, put the rules in the lease or the community rules, and send notice before enforcement starts or changes. A friendly heads-up period cuts down on angry calls later. For businesses, the sign does most of the talking.
3. Decide who can authorize a tow
Give the tow company a written list of the people who can request a tow: your manager, board members, security. This keeps a neighbor with a grudge from getting someone towed, and it gives the tow company a clear record of who authorized each removal.
4. Document, and be consistent
Photos of the violation with a time stamp, notes on any warnings, and the same rules applied to everyone. Consistency is what makes a parking program fair, and it’s what makes it defensible if someone complains.
5. Review your signs once a year
Snowplows, vandals and sun fade signs. Make sure every entrance still has a readable one.
What happens after a tow
Once a vehicle is removed, the tow company takes on the paperwork:
- It reports the tow in the Idaho Transportation Department’s towed-vehicle portal within one business day (Idaho Code 49-1807).
- ITD notifies the registered owner and any lienholder.
- The owner pays the tow and storage charges to get the vehicle back. Under Idaho Code 49-1802, the owner is presumed responsible for those costs.
- Personal belongings inside are returned to the owner at no charge (Idaho Code 49-1814).
- If no one claims the vehicle, the tow company can apply for a title or junk certificate 30 days after the first notice, and dispose of it properly.
Since the owner pays to retrieve the vehicle, a well-run parking enforcement program shouldn’t cost the property owner anything.
A few practical tips
- Tenants who moved out and left a car: try to reach them first and keep a record of your attempts. If personal belongings are involved, or there’s a dispute over who owns the vehicle, talk to an attorney before you act.
- Guests and contractors: a simple guest-pass system prevents most mistaken tows.
- Snow removal: post your snow-day rules early in the season, so cars are out of the way before the plow arrives.
Let us handle it
C.A.R.S. of Idaho provides free parking-enforcement signs and 24/7 removal of unauthorized and abandoned vehicles for apartments, HOAs, businesses and landowners in Kootenai County. Call (208) 964-3081 or request signs online. Curious about abandoned vehicles specifically? Read Abandoned Vehicles in Idaho.
This article is general information about how things usually work in Idaho, not legal advice. Laws change, and your contract or situation may differ. Where we cite the Idaho Code, the official text is at legislature.idaho.gov.