Horry County, SC Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- County business license, § 12.5-119
- Minimum liability insurance
- $500,000; $100,000 on-hook
- Storage lot minimum size
- 50 x 100 feet, fenced/covered
- Vehicle release window
- Within 45 minutes of request
- Rotation dispatch fee
- $5 per call, § 12.5-127(g)
Summary
Wrecker and towing operators in unincorporated Horry County need a county business license backed by a detailed application, $500,000 in liability insurance, marked vehicles, and a storage lot, before they can tow a single car, whether for the police rotation list or a private lot.
Business license. No person or business shall engage in the business of recovering, towing, removing and storing of vehicles from within unincorporated sections of Horry County without first obtaining a county business license by filing an application, upon a form provided by the county, with the county business license office, together with paying the appropriate license fee as set forth in this Code... Liability insurance: ...Each policy of insurance shall have liability limits of at least five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00), on-hook coverage with limits of at least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00), and shall contain an endorsement providing for thirty (30) days' written notice to Horry County in the event of any material change or cancellation of the insurance policy.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 88).
Full Breakdown
5-119 requires any business recovering, towing, removing or storing vehicles in the unincorporated county to obtain a business license, submitting business ownership details, storage lot location and capacity, vehicle identification for each wrecker, and proof of insurance. 5-119(6). 5-120 sets equipment standards: amber-only emergency lights, no sirens, company name and phone number in at least two-inch letters on both doors with no temporary or magnetic lettering, and required safety gear like tow slings and safety chains. 5-122(f). 5-123, a 30-minute call to Horry County E911 reporting the tow, and an on-call attendant who must release the vehicle within 45 minutes of a request. 5-126.
Violations & Fines
Towing without the required Horry County business license, or towing from private property without posted signage and the required E911 notification, is unlawful under §§ 12.5-119 and 12.5-123. A property owner or vehicle owner wrongfully towed can recover all towing and storage charges from a noncompliant property owner under § 12.5-123(b), and any towing service that solicits business by loitering on a public road to flag accidents violates § 12.5-126(a). Subcontracting to an unlicensed affiliate company, or a county employee soliciting business for a tow company in exchange for anything of value, is also unlawful and can cost the tow company its place on the wrecker rotation list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a tow truck company need a Horry County business license?
Can a lot tow my car without my permission in Horry County?
How big does a Horry County tow company's storage lot have to be?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Horry County
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