Clarksville, TN Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Sec. 5-1302 sets the application path: an operator must hold a city business license, carry vehicle liability insurance meeting federal minimums plus garage keeper's legal liability coverage for cargo, and submit to an annual inspection of equipment and insurance at the business location, with a photocopy of the business license on hand. Every wrecker must keep a daily manifest recording each vehicle towed, its origin and destination, type, and the identity of whoever requested the tow when identification is available; the manifest must be kept for at least one calendar year and made available to the police chief or a designee at any time.

Sec. 5-1304 grades wreckers into four classes, from Class A light-duty trucks with a one-ton chassis and four-ton boom capacity up to Class C heavy wreckers rated for tractor-trailers, plus Class D flatbed and wheel-lift transporters built to move a vehicle without touching its body. For a non-consent tow from private property, Sec. 5-1305 requires the vehicle to have sat immobile or unattended for twelve hours before it can be removed, unless it is creating a hazard, blocking access, parked illegally, or sitting in a lot posted no-parking or customer-parking-only, in which case the twelve-hour wait does not apply.

The tower must call the police department within one hour of the tow and report the license plate, VIN, make, model, color, and the pickup's date, time and location. § 55-16-109 and keep the seller's photo ID, name, birth date, and the wrecker service used, on file for a year under Sec. 5-1306.