Flagler County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Secs. 20-341 through 20-348
- Coverage
- County-wide, except cities with own fee cap
- Rate classes
- Class A-D by gross vehicle weight
- 1st offense
- Letter of warning
- 2nd offense
- 30-day rotation suspension
- 3rd offense
- Permanent rotation removal
Summary
Flagler County caps nonconsensual tow, storage and wrecker fees by resolution under Chapter 20, Article VI, and runs a sheriff's-office rotation list for law-enforcement-requested tows. Operators who overcharge, chase wrecks, or miss calls face a written warning, then a 30-day suspension, then permanent removal from the rotation.
Nonconsensual tow shall mean the removal and storage of wrecked or disabled vehicles from an accident scene or the removal and storage of vehicles in the event the owner or operator is incapacitated, unavailable, leaves the procurement of wrecker service to the law enforcement officer at the scene, or otherwise does not consent to the removal of the vehicle, as authorized by F.S. § 125.0103. ... (a)Any violation of the provisions of this article shall result in a letter of warning from Flagler County Code Enforcement for the first offense. A second offense within three (3) years shall result in a thirty (30) day suspension of the towing service from the rotation list. A third offense within five (5) years shall result in permanent removal from the rotation list.
Full Breakdown
Article VI defines a nonconsensual tow, per Sec. 07 covers removal from private property without the owner's consent. 0103, so a city that adopts its own rate schedule opts its territory out of the county cap. Sec. 20-342 sets maximum rates by vehicle weight class, from Class A (under 10,000 pounds or a vessel 15 feet or less) up to Class D (over 25,000 pounds), with the dollar figures adopted separately by county resolution. Sec. 20-343 allows an additional daily storage fee for attached trailers or vessels and permits pass-through of statutory lien-notice costs.
To take law-enforcement-requested tows, a company must be on the Flagler County Sheriff's Office rotation list and meet the Florida Highway Patrol's Wrecker Qualification and Allocation System requirements, per Sec. 20-345. Grounds for removal from the rotation include overcharging, chasing or running wrecks without a dispatch call, cruising county streets soliciting tow business, missing three dispatched calls in a calendar month, or damaging a vehicle through improper operation.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 20-346 escalates penalties for rotation-list operators: a first violation draws a letter of warning from Flagler County Code Enforcement, a second violation within three years brings a 30-day suspension from the rotation list, and a third violation within five years means permanent removal. Removing a wrecked or abandoned vehicle without law enforcement clearance triggers an immediate 30-day suspension on a first offense and permanent removal on a second within three years. A removed operator may request a hearing before the county administrator within 10 days, which stays the removal unless public safety would be endangered; "lack of reputability," including a related felony conviction or responding to a call while impaired, can result in indefinite removal outright under Sec. 20-346(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Flagler County wrecker charge whatever it wants for a nonconsensual tow?
How does a towing company get put on the sheriff's rotation list?
What happens if a towing company is caught soliciting tows on county streets?
Does the county's towing rate cap apply inside Palm Coast?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Flagler County
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