Cleveland, OH Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Section 677A.02(a) bars any owner from letting a tow truck be used for towing in the city "unless a valid tow truck owner's license, obtained pursuant to this chapter, has been issued and is in force for that tow truck." The section exempts owners towing their own recreational or show vehicles, and trucks merely passing through the city or delivering a vehicle picked up outside Cleveland (§ 677A.02(b)); a driver must show a title or bill of sale proving ownership of a towed vehicle on demand (§ 677A.02(c)).

Applications go in person to the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses under oath (§ 677A.03(a)); the fee is $125 for an original license and $30 for each additional truck a licensee registers, with a $30 fee to replace a lost or stolen license tag (§ 677A.03(b)). Approved licenses come with a metal tag, six by eight inches, permanently fixed to the tow truck's front bumper (§ 677A.04), and run for a two-year term expiring September 30 of odd-numbered years (§ 677A.05). Licenses cannot be assigned or transferred to another truck (§ 677A.06).

The Commissioner may deny, suspend or revoke a license for a chapter violation or for an owner's failure to resolve substantiated complaints about property taken from or damage done to an impounded vehicle (§ 677A.07), with appeal rights to the Board of Zoning Appeals within ten days (§ 677A.08). Owners must carry garagekeepers' liability insurance of at least $100,000 and general liability of at least $300,000 (§ 677A.09), imprint the company name, address and phone number on both sides of the truck in specified lettering sizes (§ 677A.10), and maintain a transport sheet on every tow logging date, owner, vehicle details, origin, destination and charges (§ 677A.12).