Auburn, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

240 defines a tow truck as a specially built and equipped vehicle used for towing, separate from ordinary goods hauling. Licensed tow trucks must carry dual booms and dual winches rated at least six tons with 100 feet of three-eighths-inch cable per drum, a 360-degree revolving red light used only at collisions or emergencies, a portable tail/stop lamp, a broom, shovel, flares, a jack, a 24-unit first-aid kit, fire extinguishers, two pinch bars, and towing dollies or a flatbed for non-towable vehicles, and must be registered with the Washington State Department of Motor Vehicles in the permit holder's name.

Operators cannot respond to a collision or move a vehicle without a private call or police authorization, must notify police before removing any vehicle off the roadway, and must be available around the clock both to respond and to release stored vehicles to owners. They must charge fees under the Washington State Patrol's annual fee schedule, post those rates, and give a copy to the police chief and city clerk. , within ten minutes any other time, and on scene within 20 minutes of the call.

Every licensee must maintain at least three qualifying tow trucks and a storage yard meeting Washington's Registered Tow Truck Operator (RTTO) standards, located in Auburn or within five miles of the city limits, with records of every tow kept for one year and open to police inspection.