Grant County, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rate rule
- WAC 204-91A-140, adopted by reference
- County authority
- RCW 36.32.120
- Applies to
- Companies on sheriff's rotational call-out list
- Local rate schedule
- None; county tracks state schedule automatically
Summary
Grant County sets no local towing rate schedule of its own for wreckers on the sheriff's rotational call-out list. GCC 5.20.010 instead adopts the state's fee schedule, WAC 204-91A-140, by reference under RCW 36.32.120, so a company on the sheriff's list charges exactly what the state schedule sets.
5.20.010 - Adoption by reference. Pursuant to RCW 36.32.120, and the authority extended thereby, Grant County does adopt by reference WAC 204-91A-140, together with amendments thereto or additions thereto on the subject of the ordinance codified in this chapter.* ... * Editor's Note: Relates to towing fees to be charged by towing companies listed on the Grant County sheriff's office rotational call out list.
Full Breakdown
010, Adoption by Reference. 120 to adopt Washington's own towing fee rule, WAC 204-91A-140, together with amendments thereto or additions thereto, as the governing rate schedule for the ordinance. The chapter's own editor's note ties that adoption to a specific group: towing companies listed on the Grant County sheriff's office rotational call-out list, the roster the sheriff dispatches from for non-consent, law-enforcement-directed tows. Because the county tracks the state schedule automatically, a rate change the state makes to WAC 204-91A-140 takes effect for Grant County rotational tows without the board having to pass a new ordinance.
The chapter does not impose its own licensing, insurance or storage-facility standard for the tow companies on that list separately from the rate adoption; a wrecker's terms for being placed on the rotation, and any statement of impound-release costs, follow from the sheriff's administration of the list and the adopted WAC schedule rather than from a separate county permit chapter.
Violations & Fines
GCC 5.20.010 does not carry its own penalty clause; it is an adoption-by-reference section, so a rotational tow operator who overcharges beyond the WAC 204-91A-140 schedule is exposed through the state schedule's own enforcement path and the sheriff's authority to remove a company from the rotational call-out list rather than through a county fine printed in this chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Grant County set its own towing rates for non-consent tows?
How does a towing company get on Grant County's rotational list?
What happens if a rotational tow company charges more than the state schedule allows?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Grant County
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