Kalamazoo, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

City Code § 40-6 makes it unlawful for any wrecker and towing service or operator to tow or otherwise move a vehicle from any portion of a public street without either the consent of the vehicle's owner or custodian or authorization from a police officer or other City official. A separate rule, § 40-8, requires the operator to notify the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, by telephone or other means, before removing any vehicle from public or private property whenever that removal happens without the owner's or custodian's consent.

Skipping that notice is a municipal civil infraction carrying a $200 civil fine for a first offense, rising to $500 for a second violation by the same wrecker and towing service or operator within six months, under § 40-8B. Beyond the notice duty, § 40-12 governs the money side of non-consent towing: the City Commission sets, by resolution or contract, the maximum amount any wrecker or towing service may charge for towing or storage anywhere in the City, and it is unlawful to demand more than that City-set maximum.

When a provider tows without consent, § 40-12D also requires it to hand the customer a receipt, printed in at least eleven-point type, stating that removal of vehicles from private property and all related fees are regulated by the City of Kalamazoo, and giving a phone number, 337-8792, for the City Clerk's office where the owner can get more information. Separately, § 40-7 bars towing from private property without either the vehicle owner's request or the specific request of the property's owner, agent or licensee, and § 40-11 bars refusing to release a vehicle that has been prepared for towing but not yet moved onto a public street, once the owner pays any demanded service run fee up to the Commission-set maximum.