Will County, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Admin. fee per tow
- $350
- Release requires
- paid receipt or hearing order
- Hearing deadline
- within 45 days of notice
- Unclaimed vehicle
- deemed abandoned after 35 days
Summary
A towing company holding a vehicle the Sheriff impounded can't release it until the driver shows a paid $350 county fee receipt or a hearing officer's order overturning the impoundment.
No towing company or tow operator shall release any vehicle subject to this chapter to any person, unless that person can provide: (A) A receipt from the county demonstrating that the administrative fee described and levied in this chapter has been paid in full; or (B) An order from the county's duly designated administrative hearing officer certifying that the basis for the vehicle impoundment has been overturned.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-25: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance No. 24-100, passed 4-18-2024 and Res. 23-387, passed 11-16-2023; and State legislation approved through 2024 Pamphlet #2).
Full Breakdown
Under Chapter 78, the Will County Sheriff's Office impounds vehicles tied to specific Illinois Vehicle Code violations, such as DUI, driving on a suspended license, or felony use, and charges a $350 administrative fee per tow. Section 78.25 puts the release decision on the tow company itself: no towing company or tow operator may hand back the vehicle unless the requester produces a county receipt showing the fee is paid in full or a written order from the county's administrative hearing officer reversing the impoundment. This governs Sheriff-initiated tows; Joliet, Bolingbrook, Romeoville and Plainfield run their own police-ordered tow programs under separate municipal codes.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 78 sets no separate fine for a tow company that releases a car early, so the Code's general penalty at § 10.99 applies: a fine of $100 to $1,000 for any violation lacking its own stated penalty. Owners who don't pay also face fee collection as a court judgment under § 78.50.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Will County tow yard give my car back without proof I paid the fee?
Does this rule cover a tow ordered by Joliet police?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Will County
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