Orem, UT Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- State certification
- Utah DOT towing company cert required
- Surety bond
- $1,000.00 minimum
- Annual filing
- Due by December 31 each year
- Vehicle marking
- Permanent name/address/phone signage required
- Enforcing agency
- Orem Police Department
Summary
No one can run a commercial towing or parking-enforcement business in Orem without Utah Department of Transportation certification and an Orem business license, or, for companies already licensed elsewhere in Utah County, City registration. A $1,000 surety bond, liability insurance, and annual December filings with the Police Department keep the license active.
It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in commercial towing operations within the corporate limits of the City of Orem unless the person has been certified by the Utah Department of Transportation as a towing company. The City may revoke or suspend the business license of any towing company that fails to obtain or maintain a valid state certification, or if licensed elsewhere, may suspend or revoke the right to conduct towing services in the City of Orem. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in commercial towing operations or parking enforcement operations within the corporate limits of the City of Orem, unless the person operating such business has applied for and obtained a license from the City of Orem to do so.
Full Breakdown
Orem City Code section 12-5-13(B) makes it unlawful to engage in commercial towing operations in Orem without Utah Department of Transportation certification as a towing company, and the City can revoke or suspend a towing company's business license for losing that state certification. Subsection (C)(1) separately requires anyone conducting towing or parking enforcement operations to hold an Orem business license; a company already licensed by Utah County or another municipality within the county does not need a second Orem license but must still register with the City and comply with the Chapter, at no registration fee.
00 surety bond, and a current fee schedule. Every tow truck and parking enforcement vehicle must display permanent signs with the company's name, address, and phone number, and vehicles must be stored in a secure fenced yard or building. On or before December 31 each year, towing and parking enforcement companies must refile their UDOT certification, employee list, proof of insurance and bond, and fee schedule with the Police Department, which also maintains the certified Rate List and Rotation List it provides to motorists and calls for nonconsensual tows.
Violations & Fines
Operating without valid UDOT certification, without an Orem business license or required registration, without the $1,000 surety bond or property-damage insurance on file, or without the December 31 annual refiling, is grounds under Section 12-5-13 for the City to suspend or revoke the company's Orem business license or its right to conduct towing or parking enforcement in the City, even if licensed elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Orem towing company need a separate city license?
How big a bond does an Orem tow company need?
What must an Orem towing company file every year?
Can Orem revoke a towing company's license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orem
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