San Bernardino County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

San Bernardino County Code Chapter 6 of Title 4, "Soliciting Motor Repairs," bans roadside towing solicitation across the unincorporated county. 0601 makes it unlawful for "any person, firm or corporation" to engage in the business of soliciting motor vehicle repair or towing work on public roads or highways outside municipal corporations for pay. 0602 repeats the same prohibition aimed at individual solicitors rather than the business itself, so both the tow company and the person flagging down motorists are independently liable. The law was first adopted as Ordinance 381 in 1933 and amended through Ordinance 1112 in 1963, part of an older wave of California "wreck chasing" statutes meant to stop tow operators from converging on accident scenes and pressuring stranded drivers into paying inflated fees before a law enforcement officer or the vehicle owner had chosen a provider.

240(d) only classifies towing for zoning purposes and does not regulate solicitation. The ordinance applies only outside the County's 24 incorporated cities, San Bernardino, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Victorville, Rialto, Hesperia and the rest each enforce their own municipal code on the same conduct within city limits. A driver who calls a tow company directly, or an insurer who dispatches one, is not affected; the statute targets unsolicited roadside offers made for a fee.