Fresno, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Sec. 9-1704 requires the Police Chief or designee to dispatch tow trucks for police-ordered tows on a rotation basis from the list maintained under the article, except for the exclusions in Sec. 9-1705, tows requested by the vehicle owner's own club or garage, abandoned-vehicle abatement tows under Vehicle Code Sec. 22660, emergency hazard tows, and evidence-vehicle tows. To get on the list, Sec. 9-1706 requires an application disclosing the applicant's name and addresses, a description and license number of every tow vehicle, and the location of the business and storage facility; companies accrue no vested right to placement and may face an interview and inspection before approval.

Sec. 9-1707 gives the Police Chief thirty days to investigate and place a qualifying applicant on the list, but bars addition if the applicant was previously removed for violating the Tow Agreement, made an untrue statement, has a disqualifying record known to the Chief, is located outside the agreement's geographic boundaries, has a felony conviction, or if the list already holds 20 or more companies, though the Chief retains discretion to add operators if community need requires it. Sec. 9-1709 requires all listed companies to comply with state Vehicle Code towing law and the City's zoning requirements, and caps towing and storage fees at no more than the rate charged under the Tow Agreement, or the rate charged by the primary local law enforcement agency if the tow originates outside Fresno.

Ownership or control changes outside "immediate family" transfers automatically terminate a company's Tow Agreement under Sec. 9-1708, and even immediate-family transferees must pass a background review and fingerprint screening.