Melbourne, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Local incorporation
- Melbourne Code § 56-43 adopts F.S. chs. 713, 715
- Storage radius
- 10 miles (Brevard Co. exceeds 500,000 population)
- Police notice
- Within 30 minutes of completed tow
- Redemption
- Vehicle released within 1 hour of request
- Misdemeanor penalty
- First-degree misdemeanor for notice/rate violations
- Felony penalty
- Third-degree felony for storage/entry/release violations
Summary
Melbourne Code § 56-43 sets no separate wrecker procedures; it expressly incorporates Florida Statutes Chapters 713 and 715 for towing, storing, and placing liens on vehicles removed from private property without the owner's consent. Every wrecker operating in the city must follow Fla. Stat. § 715.07's storage-radius, signage, and 30-minute police-notification requirements.
715.07 Vehicles or vessels parked on private property; towing.—...(2)(a) The towing or removal of any vehicle or vessel from private property without the consent of the registered owner or other legally authorized person in control of that vehicle or vessel is subject to substantial compliance with the following conditions and restrictions: 1.a. Any towed or removed vehicle or vessel must be stored at a site within a 10-mile radius of the point of removal in any county of 500,000 population or more, and within a 15-mile radius of the point of removal in any county of fewer than 500,000 population. That site must be open for the purpose of redemption of vehicles on any day that the person or firm towing such vehicle or vessel is open for towing purposes, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m....2. The person or firm towing or removing the vehicle or vessel shall, within 30 minutes after completion of such towing or removal, notify the municipal police department or, in an unincorporated area, the sheriff, of such towing or removal, the storage site, the time the vehicle or vessel was towed or removed, and the make, model, color, and license plate number of the vehicle.
Full Breakdown
Melbourne's own traffic code does not write separate wrecker procedures. Section 56-43 states that "the provisions of this article shall be supplementary to and shall not in any way preclude the city from utilizing the procedures specified in F.S. chs. 713 and 715, governing the towing, storage and liens for the removal and storage of motor vehicles when such vehicles are parked on real property without the property owner's consent." That makes Fla. Stat. § 715.07 the operative rulebook for any wrecker company towing a car from a private lot inside city limits.
Under § 715.07(2)(a), because Brevard County's population exceeds 500,000, a towed vehicle must be stored within a 10-mile radius of the point of removal, at a site open for redemption whenever the towing firm is open, and the operator must return within one hour of a phone request to reopen after hours. The tow operator must notify the Melbourne Police Department within 30 minutes of completing the tow with the storage location, time, and the vehicle's make, model, color, and tag number. Operators must also post "tow-away zone" signage at each driveway or curb cut, file current rate schedules with local law enforcement, and release a vehicle within one hour of a redemption request, letting the owner inspect it first.
A wrecker company must also hold a City of Melbourne business tax receipt under the "Wrecker service" classification if it stores towed vehicles on its premises, separate from the state towing rules. Violating the 30-minute police-notice or rate-filing requirements is a first-degree misdemeanor; violating the storage-radius, entry, redemption-fee, or release rules is a third-degree felony under § 715.07(5).
Violations & Fines
Towing without the required "tow-away zone" signage, storing a vehicle outside the 10-mile radius, or failing to notify Melbourne police within 30 minutes of a non-consent tow violates Fla. Stat. § 715.07. Notification and rate-filing failures are first-degree misdemeanors; storage-radius, entry, redemption-fee, and release violations are third-degree felonies. A wrecker operating without the city's Wrecker service business tax receipt also faces code enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Melbourne have its own towing ordinance?
How far can a Melbourne tow company store a towed vehicle?
What must a tow truck driver do right after a non-consent tow in Melbourne?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Melbourne
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Melbourne to another location·View the Florida business licensing & operations overview
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Towing Companies in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brevard County handle towing companies.