Marietta, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- PSC permit required
- O.C.G.A. Title 46 permit
- First-24-hour storage
- no fee may be charged
- Impoundment fence
- 6 feet high, locking gate
- Attendant coverage
- 24/7 on-site
- Liability coverage
- $100k/$300k bodily injury, $100k property
Summary
A private trespass towing firm operating in Marietta needs a city occupation tax certificate and a Georgia Public Service Commission permit, must run a 24-hour tow service with a fenced, lit and guarded impoundment lot, and may not charge storage for the first 24 hours after a vehicle is removed.
8-12-24-010 - Occupation tax certificate requirements—Impoundment area—Insurance. A.The governing authority of the City of Marietta having towing and storage firms operating within its territorial boundaries may issue an occupation tax certificate to engage in private trespass towing, pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 44-1-13 ... provided, however, that no storage fees shall be charged for the first 24-hour period running from the time the vehicle is removed from the property ... 3.A company shall maintain a separate, fenced-off impoundment area for storage of vehicles. The impounding area shall be enclosed by a fence not less than six feet high with a gate which can be securely locked. An attendant will be on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).
Full Breakdown
§ 44-1-13 to any firm meeting the city's qualifications, with the maximum reasonable removal, relocation and storage costs set annually by the city on a compensatory, public-utility-ratemaking basis; the ordinance expressly bars charging any storage fee for the first 24-hour period after a vehicle is removed. A. Title 46 and operating a secure impoundment lot may remove vehicles at a property owner's request. 00 per accident for property damage, filing proof of that coverage with the city upon purchase or renewal of the annual occupation tax certificate.
Violations & Fines
A towing firm operating without the required occupation tax certificate, PSC permit, insurance filing, or a compliant impoundment lot is in violation of § 8-12-24-010 and subject to denial or revocation of its occupation tax certificate under the city's general licensing enforcement provisions at § 8-4-080(E), which govern grounds for denial across all occupation-tax-certificated businesses citywide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Marietta tow company charge me for the first day of storage?
Does a trespass towing company need more than a city license to operate in Marietta?
What insurance must a Marietta towing company carry?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Marietta
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