New Rochelle, NY Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Chapter 316, rewritten in its entirety on February 12, 2013 by Ordinance No. 29-2013, requires any operator who tows or boots vehicles from privately owned real property, such as a shopping center or apartment lot, to first obtain a one-year license from the Police Commissioner under § 316-5. Applicants under § 316-6 must disclose ownership details, any criminal convictions in the past five years, any prior license denials, suspensions or revocations, and proof of insurance; the Commissioner can refuse a license if the applicant is unfit, if the towing business's garage violates zoning, building or fire law, or if the application contains a material misrepresentation.

The license fee is a flat $750 under § 316-8. Before towing an unattended vehicle from private property, the operator must notify the Police Department of the removal and the address and phone number where the owner can retrieve it, and total towing and storage charges cannot exceed what Westchester County authorizes. If a tow truck has not yet hooked up the vehicle, the operator must release it free of charge; if it is hooked up but not yet removed, the release fee is capped at $15.

Booting instead of towing is capped at $45 plus tax, requires an orange warning sticker on the driver's window, and the operator must remove the boot within 15 minutes of being contacted, or within 24 hours regardless, before the vehicle can instead be towed. Property owners must post signs at least 12 by 18 inches listing the towing and booting fees and the retrieval contact. Any violation of the chapter carries a mandatory minimum fine of $50 for a first offense and $100 for a second or later offense, capped at $250, and a license can be suspended or revoked by the Police Commissioner after a hearing on five days' notice, with a licensee's appeal running to the Commissioner within 30 days.