Bloomington, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Article XXV of Chapter 29, Commercial Towing of Motor Vehicles, licenses and regulates any 'commercial vehicle relocator' that removes trespassing vehicles from private property for a fee, defined at § 29-2501 by reference to the Illinois Commercial Relocation of Trespassing Vehicles Law and the Illinois Vehicle Code's licensing sections at 625 ILCS 5/18a-100 et seq. Section 29-2502 sets the baseline for when a non-consent tow is legal: a relocator may not tow from a public street, alley or other public property without explicit authorization from a peace officer, the manager of the lot, the vehicle's owner, or an authorized driver, and may never tow a vehicle parked in the space it is authorized to occupy.

Before removing any unauthorized vehicle, the relocator must have a specific removal request from the property owner, lessee, manager, or the Bloomington Police Department, unless standing authorization covers the whole lot, and any authorization to tow from a posted area requires signage under § 29-2504 visible from every entrance, in letters at least three inches tall, stating who may park, warning of towing, and disclosing the exact fee. Section 29-2502(E) gives vehicle owners a last-minute right to stop the tow: if the owner or another person entitled to possession arrives before the vehicle is actually removed, shows the ignition key, and offers to move it immediately, the relocator must let them, though the owner then owes half of the standard towing fee set under § 29-2514, or the relocator may proceed if that half-fee is refused. A relocator who tows a vehicle must notify the Bloomington Police Department by phone within one hour, under § 29-2505.