Clayton County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Sec. 22-53 of the Code of Clayton County requires applicants for polygraph examiner, private detective, private detective agencies, security guards, security guard agencies, wrecker services, ice cream vendors, passenger transportation, burglar or security system installers, and locksmiths to undergo a criminal records investigation by the county police department before a business license issues. After the investigation, the police department makes a recommendation to the licensing department on whether to grant the license, and denial standards are set jointly by the department and the police department.

That screening sits inside the county's general occupation tax and regulatory license article (Sec. ), which governs every business operating in unincorporated Clayton County, wrecker and towing companies included. Under Sec. 22-28, no wrecker service may begin or carry on business without first filing an application and obtaining an annual license effective January 1; Sec. 22-29 sets the filing deadline at March 31 of each year, or at least five days before a new business opens. Under Sec. 22-33, a separate license is required for each towing yard or dispatch location the company operates in the county, and the license cannot be transferred to another owner or address.

Sec. 22-32 requires the license to be displayed in a conspicuous place at the business premises along with a posted emergency contact name and phone number. If the license review board suspends or revokes a wrecker service's license for cause under Sec. 4, Sec. 22-34 makes it a separate violation, punishable under Sec. 1-12, for every day the towing business keeps operating; the entrances must be posted "CLOSED FOR BUSINESS" during any suspension. Sec. 22-37 gives a towing operator the right to appeal an incorrect tax assessment or classification to the board of commissioners, but only after first raising the dispute in writing with the licensing department.