Mobile, AL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit
- required for each wrecker truck
- Operating history
- 3 years locally before eligible
- Separate from
- business license requirement
- Max fine
- $500 per violation (Sec. 63-41)
Summary
Mobile requires wrecker companies to hold a city permit, pass a vehicle inspection, carry required insurance, and show three years of local operating history before joining the tow rotation list.
No wrecker company shall participate in the wrecker selection list without undergoing a vehicle inspection, submitting an application for a wrecker permit for each wrecker to be operated, and providing proof of insurance with applicable policy limits in accordance with section 63-7 of this chapter. The requirement for a permit hereinabove described is a requirement separate and apart from, and in addition to, any county or municipal requirements for a business license. The required wrecker permit is a regulatory permit and not a revenue license.
A wrecker company must show that it has been in business, operating in the corporate limits or police jurisdiction of Mobile for a minimum of three (3) consecutive years before it will be eligible to apply for a permit to operate on the city wrecker selection list.
(Ord. No. 63-036-2025, § 1, 7-15-25)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
Under Sec. 63-16, no wrecker company may join Mobile's rotation-dispatch wrecker selection list without a vehicle inspection, a wrecker permit application for each truck, and proof of insurance meeting Sec. 63-7 limits. The permit is explicitly a regulatory permit, separate from and in addition to any county or municipal business license requirement. Companies must also show at least three consecutive years operating within Mobile's corporate limits or police jurisdiction before they are even eligible to apply, a barrier meant to keep new or unproven operators off city-directed tows.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a current wrecker permit, or applying before meeting the three-year local operating history requirement, bars a company from the dispatch rotation and can draw fines up to $500 per violation under Sec. 63-41.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mobile's wrecker permit replace a business license?
How long must a wrecker company operate before it can apply?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mobile
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