Clackamas County, OR Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Tow grounds
- 18 listed in § 7.01.080
- Post-tow notice
- certified mail within 48 hours
- Boot before tow
- 10 days unpaid triggers towing
- Living-in-vehicle tows
- require a circuit court warrant
- Disputes heard by
- Parking and Towing Hearings Officer
Summary
Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies can tow a vehicle off county roads or county property without any advance warning under 18 specific circumstances in County Code Section 7.01.080, from three unpaid parking citations to a suspected stolen vehicle. Owners get certified-mail notice within 48 hours, and every impounded vehicle is inventoried before it goes to a storage yard.
The Sheriff may, without prior notice, order a vehicle towed when: A. Three or more parking citations have been issued for violations of sections 7.01.020 or 6.06.11, which have not been paid or contested within the time allowed by law; ... C. The vehicle registration as indicated by registration stickers or registration card has been expired for 90 days or more, the vehicle is required to be registered when operated on a highway, and the vehicle is parked or being operated on a County highway; ... I. The vehicle alarm system disturbs, injures, or endangers the peace, quiet, comfort, repose, health or safety of the public or any person, if no other reasonable disposition of the vehicle can be made and the owner cannot be contacted by reasonable efforts;
Full Breakdown
010, a registration expired 90 days or more, parking on County property without permission, probable cause the vehicle is stolen or holds evidence of a crime, a vehicle whose alarm can't be silenced and the owner can't be reached, a vehicle blocking traffic or a fire lane, illegal parking in a posted restricted zone, and probable cause the driver was driving suspended, uninsured, unlicensed, impaired, street racing, or fleeing a police stop. 130, and if fines and fees on a booted vehicle stay unpaid for 10 days with no hearing requested, the Sheriff can then tow it.
180, telling the owner where the vehicle is, what it costs to get back, and how to request a hearing to contest the tow or the towing and storage charges. 120 requires deputies to inventory everything inside an impounded vehicle, including closed containers likely to hold money or valuables, and to complete a Property Evidence/Vehicle Inventory Report naming the towing company, the storage company, and any seized items; a copy goes to the owner or gets left in the vehicle and mailed. 090. Disputes go to the County's Parking and Towing Hearings Officer, who acts on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners.
Violations & Fines
Towing itself isn't a separate fine: it flows from the underlying violation, most often three or more unresolved parking citations under Section 7.01.020. Once towed, the vehicle and its contents are subject to a lien for unpaid towing and storage charges under ORS 819.180, and the County can sell the vehicle to cover those charges if they go unpaid by the date the notice specifies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Clackamas County tow my car with no warning at all?
How will I find out my car was towed?
What happens to the stuff inside my towed car?
Can the County boot my car instead of towing it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clackamas County
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