Glendale, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 24-211
- Required sign size
- 17 by 22 inches minimum
- Contract term cap
- 1 year, 30-day cancellation notice
- Heavy vehicle fee multiplier
- 2x (10-26k lbs), 4x (over 26k)
- License revocation trigger
- 2 violations within 24 months
- Revocation length
- 6 months
Summary
A private towing carrier in Glendale cannot tow a vehicle off private property without the owner's permission unless the lot is posted with code-compliant signs and the carrier holds a signed towing order or a written contract with the property owner capped at one year. Fees are capped by council resolution and the city can pull a carrier's regulatory license for repeat violations.
(a)It shall be unlawful to tow or transport a motor vehicle from private property without the permission of the owner or operator of the vehicle except upon request from a law enforcement agency or the express written permission from the private property owner who has otherwise complied with this section. The private property owner shall either sign each towing order or authorize the tow or transport by a written contract that is valid for one year or less and contains a provision allowing cancellation of the contract upon thirty (30) days written notice to the private towing carrier by the private property owner...(r)Upon being notified that any private towing carrier has been convicted or found in violation two (2) or more times of any combination of violations of this Article XVI or Chapter 21, Article I, within a twenty-four (24) month period, the city tax and license manager shall revoke such private towing carrier's special regulatory license for a period of six (6) months.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 115).
Full Breakdown
Glendale Code of Ordinances § 24-211 makes it unlawful to tow a vehicle from private property without the owner's or operator's permission unless the property owner has signed a towing order or a written contract of one year or less that can be cancelled on 30 days' notice. Every private parking area that wants unauthorized-parking towing must post signs, at least 17 by 22 inches, in one-inch or larger font, stating the parking restrictions, the disposition of towed vehicles, the maximum cost including storage, and the towing carrier's name, phone number and the address where the owner can locate the vehicle.
Each sign must state "Glendale City Code Sec. " Towing, load and unload, after-hours and daily storage fees cannot exceed the maximum set by council resolution under Section 2-2; those maximums may be doubled for vehicles between 10,000 and 26,000 pounds gross weight and quadrupled above 26,000 pounds. A carrier that tows without the owner's consent must notify the Glendale Police Department immediately with the plate, VIN, reason for the tow, driver and company information, and the storage location. It is unlawful to charge for viewing or removing the vehicle, retrieving personal items, preparing release paperwork, removing a license plate, or giving information to a lienholder or owner.
The city court reports every conviction to the city tax and license manager, and a carrier convicted or found in violation two or more times of this article or Chapter 21, Article I within a 24-month period has its special regulatory license revoked for six months.
Violations & Fines
A carrier that charges more than the posted or council-set maximum forfeits its entire claim to the towing, transport and storage fee, and demanding payment beyond those amounts is itself a separate unlawful act under Section 24-211(q). A carrier that removes a vehicle without complying with every part of Section 24-211 forfeits all towing and storage charges. Two or more violations within 24 months triggers a six-month license revocation by the tax and license manager.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Glendale tow company charge me to get my personal belongings out of my towed car?
What has to be posted before a lot can tow my car in Glendale?
Is there a cap on towing and storage fees in Glendale?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
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