New Braunfels, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- TX Occupations Code ch. 2308 + Sec. 138-121
- Scene arrival
- 25 minutes of dispatch
- Light-duty tow cap
- $160 standard, $190 wrecked vehicle
- Heavy-duty tow cap
- $700 standard, $800 wrecked vehicle
- Storage facility
- Must hold TDLR license (ch. 2303)
Summary
New Braunfels requires all tow operators to hold a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation permit and follow the city's police rotation-list system before removing a vehicle without the owner's consent.
A police officer of the city is hereby authorized to order removal of a vehicle, require the driver or other person in charge of a vehicle to move the same or have the vehicle removed by the towing operator on the rotation list to the nearest place of safety or to the premises of the towing operator that meets the criteria in this article, or as otherwise directed by the city police department, under the following circumstances:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
New Braunfels Police may order a vehicle towed without owner consent under 15 circumstances listed in Sec. 138-123, abandonment, blocking a driveway, a reported-stolen vehicle, a wrecked or disabled vehicle, a parking violation, or a junked vehicle among them. Only operators on the police department's rotation list may perform these tows; each must hold a TDLR incident-management towing permit under Occupations Code ch. 2308, use TDLR-licensed drivers, and store vehicles at a facility licensed under Occupations Code ch. 2303. Sec. 138-134 caps fees, a standard light-duty tow tops out at $160, heavy-duty at $700, and bars any added surcharges.
Violations & Fines
Operators dropped from the rotation list for missing a TDLR permit, failing the 25-minute scene-arrival window, or overcharging face automatic suspension by the chief of police without a hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a New Braunfels tow company tow my car without my permission?
What's the maximum a New Braunfels tow company can charge?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Braunfels
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