Anaheim, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Anaheim Municipal Code Chapter 4.75 governs non-consent tows from private property (as opposed to police-ordered tows). Section 4.75.020 makes it unlawful to "engage in, conduct, or carry on the business of towing or impounding illegally parked vehicles from a private property location" without a permit. Applicants file with the License Collector along with proof of insurance under Section 4.75.110; the Chief of Police investigates the applicant's background and the Building Division and Fire Department inspect any proposed storage facility. Section 4.75.030 sets a $500 application fee, and Section 4.75.100 requires the permittee to keep a current towing and storage rate schedule on file with the Police Department; under Section 4.75.110(9), a permit can be denied if the applicant's rates run more than 15 percent above the City's own contracted police towing rates.

Section 4.75.090 requires warning signs visible from 25 feet at every vehicular entrance and every 100 feet thereafter, reading "NO PARKING, UNAUTHORIZED VEHICLES SUBJECT TO TOW-AWAY AT OWNER'S EXPENSE, CVC 22658 - AMC 14.32.220," plus the Anaheim Police non-emergency line. Section 4.75.070 requires the property owner or manager to notify the Anaheim Police Department before any tow, including the vehicle's license number and where it will be stored, and the person authorizing the tow must be physically present; the permittee must deliver a signed copy of that authorization to the Police Traffic Bureau within 48 hours.

Permits run two years (Section 4.75.140) and are nontransferable; a sale or transfer of the business voids the permit and triggers a new $500 application under Section 4.75.060. The Chief of Police may suspend or revoke a permit under Section 4.75.120 for code violations, moral-turpitude convictions, or hiring tow operators under 18, after a hearing on five days' written notice; the permit holder can appeal a denial, suspension, or revocation to the City Council.