Peoria, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Peoria City Code § 14-114
- Signage required
- Restrictions, disposition, maximum fees posted
- Consent requirement
- Written towing order or police request
- Deposit ban
- No security deposit for release
- Penalty
- Class one misdemeanor (subsection g)
Summary
A Peoria property owner must post signs stating the parking restrictions, the disposition of violating vehicles and the maximum towing and storage fees before authorizing a non-consent tow, and the tow operator cannot charge more than the posted amount. Towing without permission or a signed towing order is a class one misdemeanor.
(b) No tow truck operator acting under the authority of this section shall tow a vehicle from private property or a private driveway unless the sign(s) is/are posted as required by subsection (a) and contain all the information specified in subsection (a), nor shall he/she charge fees in excess of the amount specified on the signs. ... (c) In addition to any other restrictions imposed by this section, a tow truck operator shall not tow or transport a motor vehicle from any private property or private driveway without the permission of the owner or operator of the vehicle unless such tow truck operator receives the request from a law enforcement agency or a written towing order from the real property owner or his agent. ... (g) A violation of this section shall constitute a class one misdemeanor.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-9: Supplement contains: LLocal legislation current through Ord. 2026-15, passed 6-16-26).
Full Breakdown
Peoria City Code Section 14-114 sets the rules for towing vehicles off private property without the owner's consent. Subsection (a) requires the property owner to post signs, visible from every entrance to the lot, that state the parking restrictions, what happens to violating vehicles, the maximum cost to the violator including daily storage fees, and must conspicuously cite Section 14-114 itself. Subsection (b) bars a tow truck operator from towing unless those signs are posted with all four required elements, and bars charging fees above what the sign states.
Subsection (c) requires either a request from a law enforcement agency or a written towing order signed by the real property owner or agent, naming each vehicle; a tow operator cannot act as the property owner's agent and cannot tow without the order in hand. Subsection (d) forbids holding a towed vehicle as security for unpaid charges or demanding a security deposit before release, though the operator may require identification. Subsection (e) lets the vehicle's owner demand release at any point before the tow truck reaches a storage yard.
Subsection (f) makes unreasonable towing or storage costs refundable by court order. S. Title 28, Article 9, Chapter 8 governs where it conflicts with the chapter.
Violations & Fines
Subsection (g) of Section 14-114 makes a violation a class one misdemeanor, Peoria's top-tier criminal citation under this chapter, rather than the civil traffic default that covers most of Chapter 14. A tow operator who tows without the required signage, without a valid towing order or police request, or who charges above the posted maximum, faces that misdemeanor charge, and a court can order any unreasonable towing or storage cost refunded to the vehicle owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Peoria property owner have my car towed without telling me first?
Can a Peoria tow company hold my car until I pay a deposit?
What happens if a Peoria tow company overcharges for towing and storage?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Peoria
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