Fresno County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Fresno County Code § 11.46.100
- Payment methods
- Cash or bank credit/debit card required
- Penalty for refusal
- 4x fees charged, capped at $500
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 24-009, June 4, 2024
- Applies to
- Impound facilities holding nuisance-seized vehicles
Summary
Fresno County Code Section 11.46.100 requires any impound facility holding a vehicle seized under the county's nuisance-vehicle-seizure chapter to accept cash or a valid bank credit or debit card, in the cardholder's own name, when the legal or registered owner comes to redeem it. An operator who refuses is civilly liable for four times the towing and impound fees, capped at five hundred dollars.
A.A person operating or in charge of an impound facility where vehicles are stored pursuant to this chapter shall accept a valid bank credit card or cash for payment of towing, impound, and related fees by a legal or registered owner, or the legal or registered owner's agent, claiming the vehicle. A credit or debit card shall be in the name of the person presenting the card. For purposes of this section, "credit card" is defined in subsection (a) of section 1747.02 of the California Civil Code and does not include a credit card issued by a retail seller.B.A person operating or in charge of an impound facility who violates Subsection A of Section 11.46.100 shall be civilly liable to the owner of the vehicle or the person who tendered the fees for four times the amount of the towing, impound, and related fees not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
46 (Seizure and Impound of Nuisance Vehicles), enacted by Ordinance No. 3(h), when the driver has a prior conviction for the same offense within three years. 100 sets consumer-protection rules for the facility operator handling redemption. The operator must accept a valid bank credit card or cash, and any card presented must be in the name of the person actually claiming the vehicle. 1. Subsection D lets the sheriff-coroner build the cost of credit card processing into the county's rate agreements with towing companies. An operator who won't take a card or cash is civilly liable to the owner or the person who tried to pay for four times the towing, impound, and related fees, though that penalty tops out at five hundred dollars. A payment-method violation doesn't block the owner from getting the vehicle back if every other release condition is met.
Violations & Fines
Failing to accept a bank card or cash under Subsection A makes the impound operator civilly liable to the owner or the person who tried to pay for four times the towing, impound, and related fees, capped at five hundred dollars, under Subsection B. That liability runs against the impound facility operator directly and does not require the sheriff-coroner to bring an enforcement action first; the owner or agent can pursue it as a civil claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Fresno County impound lot have to take my credit card?
What can a Fresno County tow yard charge for redeeming a seized vehicle?
What vehicles fall under Fresno County's impound payment rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
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