Prince George's County, MD Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

County Code Division 21 of Subtitle 5 makes it unlawful to provide a towing service in the County without first obtaining a license from the Department of the Environment (Sec. 5-265(a)). The Director issues two license categories: Level 1 Consensual Towing, done at the request of the owner, insurer, lienholder, or law enforcement, at a $1,000 annual fee, and Level 2 Non-Consensual and Consensual Towing, done from private property at the request of the property owner or the owner's designee or law enforcement, at a $2,000 annual fee (Sec.

5-268(a),(b)). Each licensed tow truck must display permanent signage with the company name, phone number, and license number in letters at least three inches tall, plus a tow truck medallion number (Sec. 5-268(g)). Before a consensual tow, the operator must give the vehicle owner an itemized Towing Service Work Order Statement listing the towing charge, the pickup and drop-off locations, and the vehicle description (Sec. 5-268(i)). Storage charges may not begin until 18 hours after the tow (Sec. 5-268(k)), and every company must keep a daily towing log for one year, listing the plate number, tow reason, and who authorized it (Sec.

5-268(l)). Applicants must post a $10,000 surety bond or equivalent cash deposit (Sec. 01) and carry commercial liability insurance of at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, plus $100,000 property damage, naming the County as an additional insured (Sec. 5-270(b)). It is unlawful to tow a vehicle more than 15 miles from the removal site, or outside the County, without the owner's, operator's, insurer's, or lienholder's consent (Sec. 5-272(a)), to condition towing on an agreement for repair work (Sec. 5-272(c)), or to respond to an accident scene without being called by the vehicle's owner/operator or police (Sec. 5-272(e)).