Millcreek, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Who approves companies
- Millcreek Township Chief of Police (§ 137-28)
- Who sets maximum rates
- Board of Supervisors, periodically
- Inspections
- Annual unannounced inventories and inspections of each company
- Owner notice, Monday to Thursday tows
- Within 12 hours of removal
- Owner notice, holiday or weekend tows
- By 4:00 p.m. on first Township business day
- Sanction for unapproved charge
- Removal from approved list
Summary
In Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, police-ordered tows and vehicle storage can only be done by removal and storage companies approved by the Chief of Police. The Board of Supervisors sets the maximum towing and storage rates, and the Chief can drop any company that makes an unapproved charge.
Removal and storage of vehicles under this Article by order of the Millcreek Township Police shall be done only by approved removal and storage companies approved by the Township Chief of Police ("approved companies"). ... Periodically, the Board of Supervisors shall establish the maximum rates that approved companies may charge for removal and storage of vehicles under this Section, and those charges shall not be exceeded by the approved companies; no different schedule of charges shall be demanded of or collected from any person whose vehicle is removed or impounded under this section by any approved company. The Chief of Police may remove from its list of approved companies any company that makes any unapproved charge in connection with any vehicle removed or impounded under this Article. ... No vehicle shall be removed under the authority of this Article if, prior to the Millcreek Police requesting an Approved Company remove a vehicle, the owner or the person for the time being in charge of the vehicle is present and expresses a willingness and intention to remove the vehicle immediately.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 137, Article IV of the Millcreek Township Code controls who can tow and store vehicles when the Millcreek Township Police order a removal. Under § 137-28, only approved companies can do the work. A company applies by submitting a written request to the Chief of Police, in accordance with the Rules and Regulations governing removal and storage of vehicles. Periodically, the Board of Supervisors sets the maximum rates an approved company can charge, and no different schedule of charges can be demanded of or collected from any person whose vehicle is removed or impounded. The dollar rates are set by the Board and are not printed in § 137-28.
Section 137-29 puts the Chief of Police in charge of the program. The Chief writes the Rules and Regulations that set the qualifications to become an approved company and govern daily operations, recommends them in writing to the Board of Supervisors, and they take effect when the Board approves them by resolution. The Chief or a designee conducts annual unannounced inventories and inspections of each company's physical plant, files written reports, and ensures noncriminal complaints are investigated, with the results kept in each company's historical file and available to the Board on request. Complaints of criminal misconduct go to the Millcreek Township Police Department.
Owners are notified under § 137-30. A vehicle removed on a non-holiday weekday between 8:00 a.m. Monday and 12:00 midnight Thursday triggers a notice to the owner of record within 12 hours. A vehicle removed on a holiday weekday, or after midnight Thursday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, triggers a notice by 4:00 p.m. on the first Township business day afterward. The notice names the place of removal, the reason, and the approved company holding the vehicle. The Township keeps a record of every vehicle removed (§ 137-32). Under § 137-32.1, police cannot request a tow if the owner or person in charge is present and says the vehicle will be removed immediately.
Violations & Fines
Article IV prints no fine schedule for towing companies. The sanction in § 137-28 is removal from the approved list, which the Chief of Police can order for any company that makes an unapproved charge on a vehicle removed or impounded under the article. Section 137-29 backs this with annual unannounced inspections and police investigation of criminal complaints. A vehicle owner stays liable for the underlying fine or penalty even after paying towing and storage charges (§ 137-31).
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a towing company get approved in Millcreek Township?
Who decides what a police-ordered tow costs in Millcreek Township?
How soon will Millcreek Township notify me that my vehicle was towed?
Does paying the tow and storage bill cancel my parking fine?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Millcreek
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