East Brunswick, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Basic wrecker license fee
- $100 per year, regular or heavy
- Police tow list license fee
- $250 per year, regular or heavy
- Administrative Service Fee
- $25 per vehicle towed, itemized separately
- License expiry
- December 31 of each year
- Storage billing cap
- Maximum of 20 business days
- Light wrecker response time
- 20 minutes daytime, 25 minutes overnight
Summary
In East Brunswick Township no one can operate a wrecker or tow truck business without a license. Towing and storage charges follow the New Jersey State Police and GSTA fee schedule, and every vehicle towed adds a $25 Administrative Service Fee, itemized separately and payable by the vehicle owner or operator.
§ 135-47. License required. ... No person shall engage in the business of operating wreckers or tow trucks within the Municipality without first obtaining a license, therefore. § 135- ... 52. Towing rates and other charges. A. Towing Fees and other charges shall conform with the schedule of fees as adopted by New Jersey State Police/GSTA rates published and updated on annual basis. All rates are subject to any yearly amendments and should supersede any rates listed, if not amended herein. Fees under "Towing-Basic" within the schedule shall apply for all impounds. All vehicles towed or impounded to a towing facility or township facility are not subject to "On-Hook Mileage" fees. ... B. In addition to the charges described above, there shall be an Administrative Service Fee, payable by the vehicle owner or operator, in the amount of $25 per vehicle towed.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 135, Article VII regulates wreckers. "Basic tow" is defined to include private property towing and other non-consensual towing, along with hooking, transporting, storing, issuing release documents and an itemized bill, and three trips to the vehicle in storage. The Township Clerk takes applications, which need a storage-area sketch and copies of drivers' licenses, and the East Brunswick Police Department Traffic Safety Section inspects each wrecker company. The Township Council approves or rejects the application within 30 days after receiving the written investigation report, and licenses expire December 31 of each year. The annual fee is $100 for a basic wrecker license, regular or heavy, and $250 for a police tow list license. An applicant offering both light-duty and heavy-duty towing files two applications and pays two fees.
Police tow list work is assigned on a rotation. From dispatch, a light or medium wrecker must arrive within 20 minutes between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and 25 minutes between 6:01 p.m. and 7:59 a.m.; a heavy wrecker gets 25 and 35 minutes. Operators must provide 24-hour, seven-day service and respond to a minimum of 80% of their calls each month. A light or medium operator's business location, including the storage yard, must be within 3 1/2 miles of the East Brunswick Municipal Building.
Under § 135-52, storage fees start the first business day after the tow, are not charged for the day of pickup, and stop after a maximum of 20 business days. Operators must accept cash, an insurance company check, a valid debit card or a valid major credit card, and the motorist cannot be required to go to the business location to complete the transaction. Insurance minimums include $500,000 garage liability, $500,000 automobile liability, $100,000 garage keepers coverage and $1,000,000 excess umbrella. An owner who believes a charge was exorbitant can apply in writing to the Chief of Police within 30 days of the incident.
Violations & Fines
The Police Department, through the Chief of Police and the Traffic Safety Section Commander, enforces the article, together with the Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer where applicable. Police tow list licensees get a warning notice for the first notice in a calendar year, a thirty-day suspension for the second and an indefinite suspension from the list for the third. Basic wrecker licensees face possible revocation under § 135-8. Failure to display the fee schedule bars charging the owner for the service and brings fines and loss of license.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I choose my own tow company in East Brunswick Township?
What is the Administrative Service Fee on a tow?
How long can a towed vehicle accrue storage charges?
How do I dispute an overcharge?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in East Brunswick
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