Multnomah County, OR Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Multnomah County Code § 15.118 lists fourteen acts no licensed tow operator or their employee may commit. They cannot lie or omit a material fact on a license application, monitor police radios for profit, pay for accident-location tips, solicit at an accident scene once towing has already been requested, falsely claim endorsement by another firm, perform unauthorized repairs, or charge more than the rate filed with the Sheriff under § 15.114. The list also bars towing an occupied vehicle, double-billing, charging more than one daily storage fee for the first 24 hours, and refusing a vehicle owner reasonable access to inspect the storage lot.

Violations carry the § 15.999 general penalty, a fine up to the state Class A violation amount with each day of continuing violation counted as a separate offense. Beyond citations, the Sheriff can move against the license itself: § 15.110(A) lets the Sheriff deny or revoke a license for violating this subchapter or any other law, and § 15.110(D) requires 30 days' written notice describing the violation before revocation, unless the hazard is extreme enough for § 15.110(G) immediate corrective action. A licensee who misses the correction deadline loses the license unless they filed an appeal under § 15.113(A), which must be submitted in writing to the Sheriff within 30 days of the notice; the Board then holds a hearing within 60 days, and either side may demand judicial review by writ of review under ORS §§ 34.010 to 34.100.

Separately, § 15.117 requires operators to release an impounded vehicle free of charge any time within 24 hours of the tow, and afterward only during posted business hours between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.