San Mateo County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Solicitation ban
- County Code § 7.64.010
- Tow truck buffer
- 500 feet, § 7.64.020
- Duration
- Until responders clear scene
- Scope
- Unincorporated area only
Summary
Unincorporated San Mateo County bans tow operators from soliciting business at crash scenes and keeps tow trucks 500 feet away.
No person shall at the location of any vehicular accident, collision, or other catastrophe or calamity, solicit or offer the sale of any tow service, or the sale or offering free any other services.
(Prior code § 3751.0; Ord. 1118, 06/21/55)
7.64.020 - Parking of tow vehicles. No vehicles equipped for use as tow trucks shall be parked within five hundred (500) feet from the location of any vehicular accident, collision, or other catastrophe.
(Prior code § 3751.1; Ord. 1118, 06/21/55)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 47).
Full Breakdown
County Code Chapter 7.64 prohibits anyone from soliciting or offering tow service (or any other service, free or paid) at the location of a vehicular accident, collision, catastrophe or calamity (Sec. 7.64.010), and separately bars any vehicle equipped for use as a tow truck from parking within 500 feet of an accident, collision or catastrophe (Sec. 7.64.020). Both bans run from the time of the incident until a reasonable time after, and continue while law enforcement, public health or emergency personnel are actively working the scene (Sec. 7.64.030). This is a conduct restriction on tow operators in the unincorporated county, not a business license requirement: the code does not stage a separate towing-company permitting chapter.
Violations & Fines
Soliciting tow business at a crash scene, or staging/parking a tow truck within 500 feet of one, before emergency responders have cleared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a tow company solicit work at a crash site in unincorporated San Mateo County?
How close can a tow truck park to an accident scene?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Mateo County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Mateo County to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
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