Lakewood, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- City Director of Finance
- Rotation list run by
- LA County Sheriff's Lakewood Station
- Revocation lookback
- 36 months of prior convictions
- Truck marking
- CVC § 27907 decal required
- Referral-fee law
- Bus. & Prof. Code § 6152
Summary
Any tow truck operator or driver Lakewood police dispatch for a non-consent tow must hold a permit from the Director of Finance under Municipal Code Section 6403.8(L). Because Lakewood is a contract city, the Police Department that runs the operator rotation list is actually the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lakewood Station working under this city ordinance.
Purposes. The public health, safety and welfare require that hazards to vehicular movement and traffic safety be removed from city streets as soon as it is possible to do so... it is necessary to establish minimum standards for vehicle towing services. ... ROTATION LIST Is a list maintained by the Police Department of operators who comply with this ordinance and from which the Police Department will make calls for towing services on a sequential basis. ... Each operator and driver of a towing service shall maintain in full force and effect a permit issued by the Director of Finance in accordance with the terms and provisions of this Section and Chapter 3. ... Any permit issued for a towing truck service may be revoked or suspended upon a finding or determination that the operator's said towing service employs a driver who within the preceding 36 months of the date of his service with the operator has been convicted of one of the following crimes: (a) Auto theft, burglary, possession of stolen property, grand or petty theft. (b) A crime involving violence on the person of another.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4901715; v5 updated 2026-04-28; through 04-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
Municipal Code Section 6403.8(L) sets minimum standards for any towing service that answers a call from the Law Enforcement Agency or Police Department of Lakewood, wherever the request originated. The Section defines an "operator" as a person in the towing business, an "attendant" as the qualified employee who runs the tow car, and a "rotation list" as the roster the Police Department keeps of compliant operators and calls sequentially. Because Lakewood is a contract city with no police department of its own, that rotation list is administered by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department under its Lakewood Station contract, even though the code text still says "Police Department."
Every operator and driver must hold a permit from the Director of Finance issued under this Section and Chapter 3, and each towing service must file with the Director of Finance a current roster of drivers authorized to run its trucks. Unlike a taxicab driver's permit, which the Chief of Police must review before the Director of Finance issues it, a towing permit is issued by the Director of Finance alone, without a separate police sign-off step. Every tow truck must display the marking required by California Vehicle Code Section 27907 and carry the city decal, stamp, permit, or license showing an active permit. The Board or Council may suspend or revoke a permit after a Chapter 3 hearing if a person exercising managerial authority over the permittee has been convicted of violating Business and Professions Code Section 6152, the state law against paying or receiving referral fees for towed-vehicle repairs.
Violations & Fines
A towing permit may be revoked or suspended if, within the 36 months before joining the operator, a driver was convicted of auto theft, burglary, receiving stolen property, grand or petty theft, a violent crime, a narcotics offense, a violation of Vehicle Code Sections 4461, 4462B, 4463, 4464 or 5017A, any Division 4 Vehicle Code violation, or illegally acquiring a vehicle or its documents. A separate Chapter 3 hearing can revoke the permit for a Business and Professions Code Section 6152 referral-fee conviction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lakewood have its own police department that runs the towing rotation list?
Who issues a Lakewood towing service permit?
Can a tow truck driver's old conviction cost a company its permit?
What must a Lakewood tow truck display to operate legally?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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