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Huntsville, AL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Notify HPD
Within 1 hour of tow
Written report deadline
5 days
Applies to
Non-owner-requested private-property tows
Also required
City business license + annual wrecker inspection

Summary

Huntsville tow companies must report every private-property, non-owner-requested tow to police within one hour and file a written report within five days.

Every towing service which tows a motor vehicle from private property within the city limits at the request of any person other than the owner of the vehicle, a person designated by the owner, or the city police department, shall notify the city police department records division by providing the information indicated in section 25-88 within one hour after completion of the towing service, and shall also file a written report of repossession or towing, as indicated in section 25-88, with the city police department records division within five days after completion of the towing service.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 2).

Full Breakdown

Any towing service that hauls a vehicle off private property in Huntsville at the request of someone other than the owner or the owner's designee, and not at police request, must notify HPD's records division within one hour of completion and file a written report within five days. The report must include the possessor's name and address, tow location, time, and vehicle description. Tow companies also need a city business license and an annual police vehicle inspection permit before operating any wrecker on city streets.

Violations & Fines

Failure to report a non-consent private-property tow within one hour, or to file the written report within five days, is a violation; operating a wrecker business without the city business license and annual inspection permit required by Sec. 25-73 is separately unlawful.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this cover repossessions too?
Yes. Sec. 25-86 imposes the identical one-hour notice and five-day written report duty on repossessors and repossession wreckers.
Do consensual tows need a police report?
No. The reporting duty applies only when someone other than the owner or the owner's designee, or police, requests the tow from private property.

Sources & Official References

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All Huntsville rules

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