Charlottesville, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration
- Annual, every January
- Police notice
- Within 15 minutes of tow
- Record retention
- 3 years
- Late-notice fine
- Up to $100
- Oversight body
- Towing Advisory Board (6 members)
Summary
In the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, City Code §§ 15-420 through 15-427 require any operator who tows or immobilizes a vehicle from private property without the owner's consent to register annually with the city, carry a copy of that registration and a Virginia DCJS tow-truck authorization, and notify Charlottesville police within fifteen minutes of every tow.
Sec. 15-420. - Registration by operators. (a)All operators engaged in immobilizing or towing vehicles without the consent of the vehicle owner shall register with the City of Charlottesville prior to the initiation of any such operations and during January of each subsequent year. To obtain a registration certificate, the following information and documents must be provided to the department:(1)Name, address and telephone number of the business engaged in immobilizing or towing;(2)Name and telephone number of the business owner and/or manager;(3)Copy of the operator's business license issued pursuant to City Code section 14-19(d)(39);(4)Address and telephone number of each storage site to which vehicles will be towed; and(5)Proof of business insurance and tow truck insurance.
Full Breakdown
Section 15-420 requires every non-consent towing or immobilization operator to register with the city before starting operations and again every January, submitting the business name and contact information, owner or manager contact, a copy of the operator's business license under § 14-19(d)(39), each storage site address, and proof of business and tow-truck insurance; any change to that information must reach the department within thirty days. Section 15-421 makes property owners post permanent, reflective towing-warning signs at least eighteen by twelve inches at every entrance, listing the police non-emergency number, (434) 970-3280, in one-inch letters and the towing company's contact information.
Section 15-422 obligates operators to keep towing records, including photographs, for three years. Section 15-423 requires notifying the Charlottesville Police Department within fifteen minutes of any tow or immobilization, with the vehicle's description, plate, address, reason, and storage location; failing to report is itself a traffic infraction carrying up to a hundred-dollar fine and caps storage charges at one day's rate. Section 15-424 requires lit, fenced storage sites within reasonable walking distance of the payment counter. Section 15-427 lets the towing coordinator's agent enter any towing business, storage site or establishment to audit compliance, investigate complaints, or conduct reviews, working alongside the six-member Towing Advisory Board created under § 15-412, which includes two towing-industry members, two law-enforcement members, and a citizen member.
Violations & Fines
Towing or immobilizing a vehicle without registering under § 15-420, without posting compliant signage under § 15-421, or without notifying police within fifteen minutes under § 15-423(d) is a traffic infraction fined up to a Class 4 misdemeanor amount under § 15-402; a late police notification alone caps the recoverable storage charge at one day's rate and can draw a hundred-dollar fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a towing company need city approval before towing cars from a Charlottesville parking lot?
How fast must a tow company report a tow to police?
What signs must a private lot post if it uses non-consent towing?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charlottesville
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