require that the owner of a motor vehicle removed from a body of water pay the removal costs.

SB 202 requires vehicle owners to pay for removing their vehicles from bodies of water in South Dakota. It applies specifically to owners who intentionally abandon vehicles on public roads, drive vehicles into lakes or streams causing disablement, or drive onto frozen water that breaks through. The law makes owners civilly liable for both towing/removal costs and any associated storage fees under existing law. This bill directly affects vehicle owners whose actions result in a vehicle being submerged or disabled in water, shifting the financial responsibility from public agencies to the owner.