Sedgwick County, KS Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Article VI of Chapter 26 governs impoundment and non-consent towing in unincorporated Sedgwick County; the sheriff's office administers it. An authorized public agency, meaning a Sedgwick County Sheriff's deputy, may order a vehicle towed without owner consent for reasons including an unattended vehicle blocking traffic, an arrest that removes the driver, a vehicle abandoned over 48 hours, a reported stolen vehicle, or one parked on a snow emergency route (Sec. 26-202). Absent a preference from the owner, the tow goes to the next company on the sheriff's wrecker rotational list (Sec.

26-204). To get and stay on that list, a company must maintain 24-hour service, reach the scene within 45 minutes of dispatch, carry a Kansas Corporation Commission certificate of public service, own or lease at least 15,000 square feet of fenced, lighted storage inside the county, and post a maximum fee schedule for standard, medium, heavy, and specialized tows (Sec. 26-205). Required coverage includes public liability insurance of at least $500,000 per person/accident and $1,000,000 aggregate, plus a garage keeper's liability policy of at least $100,000 per claim up to $200,000 aggregate, both naming the county and sheriff as additional insureds (Sec.

26-205(20)). Companies must accept card or cash payment at no added fee, let owners retrieve medicine, IDs, and personal property within 48 hours of a tow at no cost, and report a tow's location to law enforcement within two hours (Sec. 26-205). Fee schedules are filed annually with the sheriff and posted on the sheriff's website; a company that skips a year keeps using its last filed schedule, cannot exceed it, and cannot charge storage past 45 days (Sec. 26-209). The sheriff can drop a company from the rotation for false statements, a rule violation, or a wrecker license revocation within the prior 18 months (Sec. 26-206).