Baldwin Park, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Baldwin Park Municipal Code §§ 100.010-100.270
- Franchise fee
- 25% of gross tow and storage revenue
- Minimum fleet
- 3 tow trucks, one flatbed, one 5-ton
- Experience requirement
- 5 years verifiable police towing
- Availability
- 24 hours, 7 days, 365 days a year
- Revocation trigger
- More than 4 passed tows per month
Summary
Baldwin Park requires any company that performs police-directed towing to hold a City Council franchise under Municipal Code Chapter 100, pay the city 25% of gross tow and storage revenue, maintain at least three fully equipped tow trucks, and answer calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
§ 100.040 FRANCHISE FEE. An Official Police Tow Service granted a franchise pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall pay the city a franchise fee of 25% of the total gross revenue of an Official Police Tow Service derived from the towns assigned by the Police Department including storage of said vehicles. The franchise fee shall be payable monthly to the city during the term of the franchise.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 100, adopted by Ordinance 1161 in 2000 and last amended by Ordinance 1407 in 2018, sets up the city's Official Police Tow Service franchise system. 030 requires every tow operator used for police-directed towing to enter a written franchise agreement covering eligibility, operating rules, and fees, and to post an approved rate schedule inside each truck. 050 requires an annual income statement plus a monthly report detailing impounds, dispatch counts, lien sales under Cal. Civil Code §§ 3072-3073, and response times. 090(E) requires a minimum of five years of verifiable law enforcement towing and storage experience and a clean record of paying city fees and licenses.
200 require at least three fully equipped tow trucks in service at all times, one with flatbed capability and one with a five-ton lifting capacity, plus capability for wheel-lift, roll-back, off-road, and motorcycle towing. m. Monday through Friday, posted signage with rates and hours, 24-hour, 7-day, 365-day availability for city tow requests, and free towing of city police vehicles within city limits (75% of standard rates outside city limits). 250 lists grounds for revoking a franchise, including passing on more than four assigned tows in a calendar month, fraud on the city or the public, deviating from the approved rate schedule, or failing to maintain insurance.
Violations & Fines
Under § 100.250, the Chief Executive Officer can move to cancel, suspend, or revoke a tow franchise after five days' written notice for grounds including unpaid fees, breach of the franchise agreement or Municipal Code, fraud on the city or a customer, more than four passed tow assignments in a calendar month, failure to maintain required insurance or equipment, or missing the response-time standard of § 100.220; § 100.270 additionally allows the city to assess liquidated damages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any towing company respond to a Baldwin Park police tow call?
What does a Baldwin Park tow franchisee pay the city?
Can the city take away a tow company's franchise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Baldwin Park
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