Committee backs broad rewrite of Idaho abandoned‑vehicle law amid industry objections over predatory towing and portal readiness

Representative Judy Boyle presented House Bill 174 as a complete rewrite of Idaho law governing abandoned and towed vehicles, a process she said took several years and included input from sheriffs, law enforcement, tow companies, insurance and other stakeholders.

"This just sets how abandoned vehicles are supposed to be managed when they're found or reported by law enforcement," Boyle said, describing the goals of the rewrite.

Sheriff Matt Clifford, speaking for the Idaho Sheriff's Association, told the committee the bill "is a full repeal of old code and introduces a new chapter ... to title 49 of the Idaho code," to modernize and standardize towing practices and reduce administrative burdens on law enforcement. Clifford listed provisions the association supports, including a removal procedure for stolen or unauthorized vehicles, a requirement that tow rates be made public, an authorized‑tow list, and a 60‑day maximum storage limit.

Terry Dearden, the sheriff's association legislative consultant, said the bill replaces certified‑mail notification and extensive deputy time in tow yards with technology designed to notify lienholders and owners more rapidly.

Several towing‑industry witnesses urged the committee to delay or change the bill. TJ Biggers, owner of Crossroads Towing and Salvage, said, "There is nothing to protect the public from predatory actions in this bill," citing concerns about booting, private‑property tows and that some tow operators were not involved in negotiations. Randy Colson of Rocky Mount Towing said he opposed the bill because "nobody can tell me how it works," raising questions about who will check vehicles for being stolen and whether the Idaho Transportation Department has capacity to run the proposed portal and processing timelines. Alan Hodges of the Idaho Trucking Association gave example invoices and warned the bill could leave room for excessive commercial storage and ancillary charges.

Committee members questioned details in the draft, including whether protections for personal property inside vehicles had been removed, how lienholder and court fee distributions would work, and whether private‑property towing could expose towers to domestic‑dispute conflicts. Witnesses and committee staff repeatedly said the new chapter shifts many administrative tasks to an ITD portal that will notify lienholders and publish towed‑vehicle information online; several law‑enforcement witnesses said the change was intended to reduce deputy time spent processing towed vehicles.

Representative Green moved that the committee send House Bill 174 to the floor with a do‑pass recommendation. The motion carried on a voice vote; Representatives Harris and Clow asked to be recorded on the no side.

Why it matters: the bill overhauls a decades‑old statutory framework and would change how vehicles are identified, notified, processed and disposed of across the state. Proponents say the portal, published rates and a fixed storage cap will curb fraud and free law enforcement to focus on other duties; opponents from the towing and trucking industries say the proposal leaves operational gaps, does not adequately prevent predatory fees, and may not be operationally feasible on the timelines implied in the draft.