Bensalem, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Yes, annual, from director of public safety
- Tower cap
- 10 active licensed towers per year
- Application fee
- $100 plus $25/on-call vehicle
- Response time
- 30 minutes on Duty Tow
- Max penalty
- $600 fine, 30 days jail
Summary
Bensalem Township caps active licensed towers at ten per year and requires anyone offering towing services to the Township or Police Department to hold an annual license, with violations of the towing article fined up to $600 plus jail up to 30 days.
No person shall offer his services to or be called by the Township or its Police Department as a tower unless that person is the holder of a current towing license as hereinafter provided. ... In order for the police department to provide for the efficient administration and oversight of the licensees, the Township will limit the number of active licensed towers to ten in a year. ... Any person, firm, corporation, partnership, or entity which violates this article shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $600.00, and in default of payment, to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days. Every day that a violation of this article continues shall constitute a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 229, Article II governs towing services in Bensalem. Sec. 229-22 makes it unlawful for any person to offer towing services to, or be called by, the Township or its Police Department as a tower without a current towing license. Sec. 229-23 requires an annual application to the director of public safety by November 1 for the following calendar year, disclosing the business's owners, its tow trucks and equipment, the storage yard's location and security, and proof of general liability and garage keeper's liability insurance; the application fee is $100 plus $25 per on-call vehicle, and Sec.
229-23(f) limits the Township to ten active licensed towers in a year. Sec. 229-24 sets equipment standards, including a light-duty and a flatbed wrecker equipped with brooms, shovels, light bars and fire extinguishers, a fenced storage yard of at least 20,000 square feet located within the Township, and minimum insurance of $500,000 general liability and $100,000 garage keeper's liability naming the Township as additional insured. Licensees on the Police Duty Tow rotation must respond within 30 minutes of a call under Sec. 229-27, at fees capped at $175 per wrecker/flatbed tow, $265 per heavy-duty tow and $75 to $100 per day of storage.
A license can be suspended or revoked under Sec. 229-30 for safety violations, with 48 hours to correct safety issues or ten days for non-safety issues, and revocation decisions are appealable to the Bensalem Township Code of Appeals Board within 30 days.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 229-32 makes any violation of the towing article punishable by a fine of not more than $600.00, with imprisonment up to 30 days in default of payment; each day a violation continues is a separate offense, and the director of public safety can additionally suspend or revoke a towing license under Sec. 229-30 for safety or non-safety deficiencies not corrected in time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many towing companies can be licensed in Bensalem Township at once?
What does a towing company need to get licensed in Bensalem?
What are the penalties for towing without a Bensalem license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bensalem
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