# Iowa — How long before a car left on your property or towed from it can legally be sold — by US state

For Iowa, time to count as abandoned on private property is more than twenty-four hours; statutory citation is 321.89, verified against its source on 2026-08-18.

- **State:** Iowa _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Time to count as abandoned on private property:** more than twenty-four hours _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statutory citation:** 321.89 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> 321.89 Abandoned vehicles. 1. Definitions. As used in this section and sections 321.90 and 321.91 unless the context otherwise requires: a. “Abandoned vehicle” means any of the following: (1) A vehicle that has been left unattended on public property for more than twenty-four hours and lacks current registration plates or two or more wheels or other parts which renders the vehicle totally inoperable. (2) A vehicle that has remained illegally on public property for more than twenty-four hours. (3) A vehicle that has been unlawfully parked on private property or has been placed on private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of the property for more than twenty-four hours. (4) A vehicle that has been legally impounded by order of a police authority and has not been reclaimed for a period of ten days. However, a police authority may declare the vehicle abandoned wi

## Source

- https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/321.89.pdf

Last verified: 2026-08-18. Review by: 2027-08-18.
Part of [How long before a car left on your property or towed from it can legally be sold — by US state](https://referencesource.org/abandoned-vehicle-private-property-timelines-by-state/).