Columbia, MO Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- >15 vehicles stored
- Screen height
- 6–10 feet
- Adjacent zoning
- R-1, R-2, or R-MF
- Enforced by
- community development director
- Applies
- Columbia, Boone County, MO
Summary
Columbia, Missouri requires motor vehicle wrecker service businesses storing more than fifteen vehicles next to residential zoning to build a solid screening fence, the city's only towing-specific business rule.
Except as otherwise provided in this section, a permanent screen shall be constructed and maintained on all property:(1)Which is used in connection with a motor vehicle wrecker service business;(2)Which is used to keep or store more than fifteen (15) motor vehicles at any one (1) time; and(3)Which abuts zoning districts R-1, R-2, or R-MF. The permanent screen shall be located in such a manner that, to the extent possible, the stored vehicles shall not be visible from any ground location in the abutting residentially zoned district which is located within three hundred (300) feet of the stored vehicles. For purposes of this section, "ground location" means any point within six (6) feet of the surface of the earth.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 138).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 13-246 is Columbia's only business-specific regulation for towing and wrecker companies: any wrecker service lot storing more than fifteen vehicles at a time and abutting an R-1, R-2, or R-MF zoning district must build and maintain a permanent screen. The screen must stand at least six but no more than ten feet tall, built of solid masonry, solid wood fence, or a combination, positioned so stored vehicles aren't visible from ground level within 300 feet in the abutting residential district. It applies to every qualifying lot in the city regardless of whether the wrecker business predates the section, and the director of community development enforces it.
Violations & Fines
Failing to build or maintain the required screen falls under Columbia's general penalty, Sec. 1-8, since Sec. 13-246 sets no specific fine: up to a $500 fine, up to 90 days confinement, or both, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Columbia tow yard need a screening fence?
Does Columbia's code set towing rates or non-consent tow procedures for wrecker companies?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbia
Compare Columbia to another location·View the Missouri business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.