Margate, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Section 33-69.50 governs every tow from private property in the City of Margate that happens without the vehicle owner's consent, the situation covered by F.S. § 715.07. Tows authorized by the city or another law enforcement agency fall outside it. The section adopts Broward County's Towing Company Licensing and Regulating Ordinance (Article XII, sections 20-242 through 20-250 of the Broward County Code) and says the Margate section prevails wherever the two conflict.

Rates come from Broward County, not from the tow company. No operator can charge above the county maximum for towing, immobilization or storage, and the ceiling moves as the county's adopted rates change.

Retrieval rules protect the owner at the storage site. Cash, money order, cashier's check and major debit and credit cards are all acceptable, with change to the closest whole dollar and no surcharge for cards. If the card machine is down and the operator cannot process the payment by phone or another method, the vehicle is released without payment. An expired registration cannot be a reason to hold the car. Release follows payment immediately, and never later than thirty (30) minutes after it. The operator must give an itemized bill on request and a written receipt at payment showing the date, time and location of the tow, each charge, the company's legal name and the driver's identification number and signature. No liability waiver can be demanded as a condition of release.

The paperwork runs both ways. Tow companies register an agent's name, phone number and storage-yard hours with the Margate Police Department. Before any tow, the property owner and the operator sign a written agreement that lists the fees, the days and hours towing is authorized and a storage site within a ten-mile radius of the tow point. A copy goes to the police department, and any change or rescission must be reported within two business days. The written-agreement rule has exceptions, including removal from property that is part of a single-family residence.