Moreno Valley, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Experience minimum
- 3 verifiable years as owner/principal
- Permit term
- Tow operator permit valid one year
- Agreement cap
- Tow service agreement, maximum 5 years
- Enrollment window
- Open enrollment period at least 30 days
- Background check
- Fingerprints, photos, 10-year felony disclosure
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor for operating without valid permit
Summary
Only tow operators holding a city business license, a tow operator's permit and a signed tow service agreement may respond to police-directed tows in Moreno Valley under Municipal Code Chapter 12.14. Operators need three verifiable years of for-hire towing experience, and every tow truck driver must separately hold a city-issued driver's permit.
It is the intent of this chapter to prescribe the basic regulations for the operation of an official rotational tow service program in police emergency situations, removal of illegally parked, vehicles that are being operated contrary to law, and/or in the removal of vehicles which are apparently abandoned, or involved in an accident, or which constitute an obstruction to traffic because of mechanical failure. ... No towing business may participate in the assignment of service calls on a rotational basis by the police department or the city unless it has a valid city business license to do business and is operating from a physical location in the city of Moreno Valley as set forth in this code. No person shall operate a tow truck as part of the city's rotational tow service in the city unless he or she holds a valid tow truck driver's permit issued by the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4887234; v10 updated 2026-04-07).
Full Breakdown
14 (Police and City of Moreno Valley Rotational Tow Service) governs every non-consent tow performed at police direction, whether for a collision, an abandoned vehicle, an illegally parked car or a vehicle obstructing traffic because of mechanical failure. 030 requires a towing business to hold a valid city business license and operate from a physical location inside city limits before it can take rotation calls, and requires every driver to hold a separate tow truck driver's permit. 040 puts the city manager in charge of soliciting proposals from tow operators for open enrollment periods of at least 30 days, with council-approved agreements capped at five years; only operators who sign a tow service agreement may display the 'Official Police and City of Moreno Valley Rotational Tow Service' decal.
040(E) sets a minimum of three verifiable years of for-hire towing experience as an owner or principal before an operator can qualify. 090. 050 caps what a rotation tow operator can charge a vehicle owner at the rate for the truck class actually needed, and lets police direct any tow operator to move vehicles at no cost during lifesaving operations.
Violations & Fines
Operating on the rotation list without a current permit or signed tow service agreement is a misdemeanor under Section 12.14.040(F), prosecuted criminally or civilly under Chapter 1.10 (Civil Citations). A tow operator holding a financial interest in another rotation-list operator faces immediate revocation of its permit under Section 12.14.060(C), and failing to deposit the administrative fee the city sets by resolution is itself a chargeable violation of the chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a tow company get on Moreno Valley's police rotation list?
Do individual tow truck drivers need their own permit in Moreno Valley?
What background checks does Moreno Valley run on tow operators?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Moreno Valley
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