Lexington, KY Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Free storage window
- First 24 hours free (Sec. 14-90)
- License fee
- $100 application + $200 annual (Sec. 14-94)
- Max wait to redeem
- 1 hour from owner contact (Sec. 14-93)
- Card processing fee
- $5.00 flat, must be itemized
- Violation fine
- $20–$500 per day (Sec. 14-95)
- License appeal
- Fayette Circuit Court, 30 days (Sec. 14-94.2)
Summary
Lexington-Fayette's private impound (non-consent) tow ordinance caps what a wrecker company can charge to release your car from a private lot. Storage is free for the first 24 hours, fees after that must be billed to the nearest half day, and total charges can't exceed the fee schedule the towing company filed with the Division of Revenue. Companies that overcharge or stonewall owners risk license suspension or revocation.
A private impound tow truck service shall file a private impoundment fee schedule with the department. Fees charged for private impoundment may not exceed those filed with the department. At least ten (10) days before the effective date of any change in a tow truck service's fee schedule, the registered service shall file the revised fee schedule with the department. ... No fee shall be charged by a private impound tow truck service for the storage of a vehicle for the first twenty-four (24) hours from the time the vehicle arrived at the secure storage area. If the vehicle has not been redeemed by the end of that initial twenty-four-hour period, any fee charged by a private impound tow truck service for storage will then begin to accrue but must be calculated on a twenty-four-hour basis and must be charged to the nearest half day from the time the vehicle arrived at the secure storage area. ... In instances where major bank credit cards are used as tender for payment upon redemption of a vehicle, it shall be lawful for the tow operator to collect an additional five-dollar ($5.00) fee in order to cover service charges for processing by the major credit card issuing bank.
Full Breakdown
Sections 14-85 through 14-95 of the Code of Ordinances govern any tow truck service that privately impounds vehicles from parking lots in Fayette County: the classic 'non-consent' tow. Every operator must hold a private impound tow truck service license from the department of public safety (Sec. 00 annual license fee due each January 1 (Sec. 14-94). Storage yards must sit inside Fayette County, be lit at night, and be enclosed by an eight-foot chain-link fence topped with three-strand barbed wire unless staffed 24/7 (Sec. 14-91).
On redemption, Sec. 14-90 lets only the registered owner, lessee, insurer, or someone they authorize in writing reclaim the vehicle, and the company must hand over an itemized receipt listing the tow number, fees charged, and a notice of the right to complain in writing to the Division of Police Traffic Section at 150 E. Main Street. The first 24 hours of storage are free; after that, storage accrues on a 24-hour basis billed to the nearest half day, and no fee may exceed what the company filed with the department.
00 processing fee, itemized separately. Sec. 14-93 bars charging kickbacks to lot owners, making an owner wait more than one hour to redeem a hooked-up vehicle, or moving a car anywhere but the registered storage yard without the owner's request. The commissioner of public safety can suspend a license up to 30 days or revoke it outright for repeat violations, false statements, or operating while suspended (Sec. 1), with appeal to Fayette Circuit Court within 30 days (Sec. 2).
Violations & Fines
Operating a private impound tow truck service without a license, exceeding the filed fee schedule, or violating the one-hour redemption window is a misdemeanor: fines run $20.00 to $500.00, with each day of continued violation a separate offense (Sec. 14-95). Beyond court fines, the commissioner of public safety can suspend a company's license for up to 30 days or revoke it for repeat offenses, false license applications, or operating while suspended, with appeal rights to Fayette Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can a Lexington towing company charge to store my car?
How long can a private impound tow company make me wait to get my vehicle back?
Can a Lexington tow operator refuse to take my credit card?
What happens if a Lexington towing company overcharges me?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington
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