Newark, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Chapter 8:19 of the Revised General Ordinances governs wreckers and towing companies. Under § 8:19-2, no one may operate a wrecker on Newark streets without a biennial license from the Division of Tax Abatements/Special Taxes, costing $300 and expiring every May 31; the license must be displayed inside the wrecker. at least five days a week, and towed vehicles cannot sit on a public street or alley but must go into a secured, lighted storage facility. A towing company may not charge a release fee or any other charge for releasing a vehicle to its owner after normal business hours or on weekends, and every company must keep a designated person or answering service available to give information on towed vehicles.

No vehicle may be towed from public property for a parking offense on a municipal, state, or federal holiday, except for an emergency or when the vehicle is tied to a criminal investigation, and no company may bill a victim of an active criminal investigation for towing services. A driver who is present as a wrecker is hitching up a vehicle for a parking violation can cancel the tow by paying a $25 cancellation fee before the wrecker leaves the scene, after showing license, registration and insurance; the wrecker operator must give a signed receipt.

Section 8:19-6 caps basic towing, storage and recovery rates (for example, a light-duty hook-up is capped at $155), and companies must post their rate card and business card in the lobby. The Director of the Department of Finance, acting through the Division of Tax Abatements/Special Taxes, and the Division of Police oversee licensing, inspections and vehicle releases.