Bristol, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Chapter 15, Part 6 is the Borough's towing framework. Section 15-601 says it is enacted under § 6109(a)(22) of the Vehicle Code and gives the Borough of Bristol authority to remove and impound vehicles parked in a tow away zone in violation of the chapter's parking regulations. Vehicles abandoned as the Vehicle Code defines it, or parked so as to interfere with traffic or pose a hazard to others, are towed under the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code instead. Under § 15-602 the Borough can remove, or order the removal of, a vehicle parked overtime or otherwise illegally, but only in strict adherence to Part 6 or the Vehicle Code. Tow-away zones are listed in § 15-603 and must be posted with signs; the street and parking lot table in the code currently prints "(Reserved)".

Section 15-604 decides who can tow. Removal and impounding is done only by "approved storage garages" that Borough Council designates from time to time. Each garage must submit evidence to Borough Council that it is bonded or carries liability insurance in an amount Borough Council finds sufficient to cover loss or damage to impounded vehicles while in the garage keeper's custody. Each garage also submits its schedule of charges for towing and storage. Once Borough Council approves the schedule, no different charge can be demanded or collected, and a garage that makes an unapproved charge is deleted from the list.

The costs and handling rules follow. Paying towing and storage charges does not wipe out the fine for the parking violation (§ 15-605). To reclaim a vehicle the owner pays towing and storage costs plus a $50 fee, of which $25 goes to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation through the garage (§ 15-606). The Borough keeps a record of every vehicle impounded and can tell owners or their agents where it is stored (§ 15-607). No vehicle can be removed if the owner or person in charge is present and says he is willing and intends to remove it immediately (§ 15-608). If a stored vehicle is unclaimed after 15 days, a report goes to PennDOT under § 7311 of the Vehicle Code, and after 30 days it can be transferred to a licensed salvor (§ 15-610).

Part 9 adds a scofflaw track: an owner with three or more unpaid parking citations within an eighteen-month period is deemed a public nuisance, and the Police Department can have the vehicle removed by private or governmental equipment to an approved storage site at the owner's cost.