Macon County, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Lien basis
- 1941 chattel lien act plus state Vehicle Code notice rules
- Lien cap
- Rate set under 625 ILCS 5/18a-200(3)
- Payment methods required
- Cash and any major credit card
- Governing county section
- Macon County Code § 71.01(D)-(E)
- General penalty
- Up to $1,000/day under § 10.99
Summary
Towing companies that remove and store vehicles in unincorporated Macon County hold a possessory lien for their services under state chattel-lien law, but Macon County Code § 71.01 caps that lien at the state Vehicle Code rate and requires every lienholder to accept credit-card payment as well as cash.
(D) Vehicles removed from public or private property and stored by a commercial vehicle relocator or any other towing service in compliance with the State Vehicle Code shall be subject to a possessory lien for services pursuant to “An Act concerning liens furnished for chattels”, filed July 24, 1941, as amended and the provision of § 1 of that Act relating to notice and implied consent shall be deemed satisfied by compliance with 625 ILCS 5/18a-302 and subsection (10) of 625 ILCS 5/18a-300 of the State Vehicle Code. (E) In no event shall the lien be greater that the rate established in accordance with subsection (3) of 625 ILCS 5/18a-200 of the State Vehicle Code. In no event shall the lien be increased or altered to reflect any charge for services for materials rendered in addition to those authorized by this section. Every lien shall be payable by use of any major credit card, in addition to being payable in cash.
Full Breakdown
01(D) ties the county's non-consent towing rules to Illinois law: a commercial vehicle relocator or any other towing service that removes and stores a vehicle from public or private property, in compliance with the State Vehicle Code, holds a possessory lien for its services under the 1941 chattel lien act. The notice-and-implied-consent provisions of that act are satisfied only if the towing company also complies with 625 ILCS 5/18a-302 and subsection (10) of 625 ILCS 5/18a-300 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, the state's relocator statute governing notice to the vehicle's owner.
01(E) then caps what the towing company can charge: the lien can never exceed the rate set under subsection (3) of 625 ILCS 5/18a-200, and it cannot be padded with extra material or service charges beyond what the section authorizes. The county also requires every lienholder to accept payment by any major credit card in addition to cash, so an owner reclaiming a towed vehicle can't be forced into a cash-only transaction. 01(A) through (C), which govern when the Sheriff can direct a tow from a posted no-parking county highway in the first place.
Violations & Fines
A towing company that charges beyond the capped lien rate, refuses credit-card payment, or skips the state-law notice requirements is out of compliance with § 71.01(D) through (E); a violation of this chapter falls under the county's general penalty, § 10.99, a fine of up to $1,000 with each day of continued noncompliance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Macon County towing company charge whatever it wants to release my car?
Does a tow company have to take my credit card?
What notice does a towing company owe me before towing my vehicle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Macon County
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