SB 113 Montana Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Revise exemptions related to tow truck lien law

Senate Bill 113 clarifies which personal belongings inside a towed motor vehicle are exempt from towing and storage liens. The bill specifies that consumer food products and perishable goods not intended for resale are exempt. It also protects original personal identifying documents, various original records (personal, legal, business), and financial items like cash, credit cards, and checks from being subject to the lien. Additionally, child safety items and containers like wallets or purses that hold these exempt items are also excluded from the lien. This legislation aims to provide clarity for both tow truck operators and vehicle owners regarding these exemptions.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
Apr 2025
Introduced Jan 8, 2025 Signed Apr 18, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 6 comparisons

What changed between versions

SB0113_3(10).pdf SB0113_X.pdf · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill clarifies Montana's towing and storage lien laws by explicitly listing items exempt from liens, such as food, perishable goods, and personal documents, to prevent tow operators from seizing essential personal property. It also updates the legal definition of the statute to ensure clarity on what constitutes consumer goods versus items for resale. These changes aim to protect drivers from losing critical items while maintaining the ability of tow operators to recover costs for services rendered.
Scope change
The bill expands the clarity of the statute's scope by explicitly defining exempt items, ensuring that personal property like wallets, licenses, and food are not subject to towing liens.
ELIGIBILITY

Added explicit exemptions for food items, consumer perishable goods, prescription items, and original identifying documents to prevent their seizure during towing.

DEFINITION

Clarified that lien exemptions apply only to consumer products and goods not intended for resale.

REQUIREMENT

Revised the statutory language to align with current legislative formatting standards and ensure precise legal definitions.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 26, 2025 · House Mar 21, 2025

How they voted

500
Passed
Total votes 50
Mar 26, 2025
D Democratic18
18 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican32
32 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
44
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Amendments
1
Apr 17, 2025
Signed into law
(S) Signed by Governor
upper
Apr 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Signed by Speaker
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Signed by President
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (50-0)
senate
Mar 21, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (76-21-3)
house
Mar 21, 2025
Introduced
(H) Returned to Senate with Amendments
lower
Feb 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Business and Labor
lower
Feb 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Business and Labor
lower
Feb 5, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Business and Labor
lower
Jan 30, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs
upper
Jan 29, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs
upper
Jan 14, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs
upper
Jan 8, 2025
Introduced
(S) Introduced
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Mike Yakawich
Mike Yakawich
RRepublican
MT
24