Ada County, ID Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- License
- Annual, from Ada County Sheriff
- Response time
- 30 minutes to accident scene
- Impound lot
- 6-ft fence, staffed 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Refusal limit
- Max 2 refused tows per month
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under Idaho Code 18-113
Summary
Non-consent law enforcement towing in unincorporated Ada County requires an annual license from the Ada County Sheriff under Code section 6-4-8. Only one license per company owner, no subcontracting, and companies must meet fleet, response-time, and impound-lot standards to stay on the tow rotation.
No person may provide law enforcement towing inside the County without first obtaining a law enforcement towing license. The license issued to an emergency tow company authorizes the licensee and all its bona fide employees to engage in dispatched law enforcement towing from the tow truck rotation list. Only one license may be issued to each emergency tow company owner, and a tow company owner can have no more than one tow company on the tow truck rotation list at any point in time. Licensed tow companies may not subcontract with other towing agencies, licensed or unlicensed, for the provision of law enforcement towing services. Applications for law enforcement towing licenses may be obtained at the Ada County Sheriff's Office beginning on May 1 of each year, and all completed applications must be received by the Ada County Sheriff no later than May 31 of each year.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Code current through: Ord. 1018, passed 3-24-2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 4 of Title 6, first enacted by Ordinance 174 in 1987 and rewritten by Ordinance 453 in 2002, governs law enforcement towing, meaning tows dispatched to accidents or disabled vehicles rather than tows a driver arranges personally. Section 6-4-8 bars anyone from providing law enforcement towing in the county without a license, limits each tow company owner to one license and one company on the rotation list at a time, and bars licensed companies from subcontracting to any other towing agency, licensed or not.
Applications open every May 1 and must reach the Sheriff by May 31, with inspections conducted in June and licenses running June 30 to June 30 the following year. Section 6-4-9 requires the application to disclose the owner's and company's contact information, the number and types of tow trucks, whether the company wants to be on the rotation list, proof of public liability insurance, and a description of the impound yard, all subject to inspection by the Impound Officer before the Sheriff approves or denies the license within thirty days. on business days.
Violations & Fines
The Sheriff can deny, suspend, or revoke a towing license for violations, and any deputy or the Impound Officer can run random equipment and safety inspections under section 6-4-10. Driving to an accident scene uninvited, soliciting business at a law-enforcement tow scene, or responding to certain private calls (sections 6-4-2 through 6-4-4) is a misdemeanor under section 6-4-15, punishable per Idaho Code section 18-113.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any towing company respond to an accident scene in unincorporated Ada County?
How fast must a licensed tow company respond to a dispatched call?
What does Ada County require of a licensed tow company's impound lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ada County
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