Plantation, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Service availability
- 24 hours a day, Sec. 12-42
- Dispatch response time
- 20 minutes, Sec. 12-49
- Storage facility distance cap
- 3 miles from city limits
- Minimum compound capacity
- 50 vehicle spaces
- Required liability insurance
- $1,000,000 combined single limit
- Home-based operation
- Prohibited, Sec. 12-50
Summary
Towing companies on Plantation's police rotation must run a 24-hour operation under Code of Ordinances Sec. 12-42, arrive within 20 minutes of a police or fire dispatch under Sec. 12-49, and may not run the wrecker business out of a home or residential area under Sec. 12-50.
Sec. 12-42. Availability of services. Towing services must be available on a twenty-four-hour basis...Sec. 12-49. Time limit for responding to calls. (a)A towing contractor is expected to respond (arrive at the scene) within twenty (20) minutes of notice at any time of the day or night with appropriate equipment at the request of the Plantation Police or Fire Departments...Sec. 12-50. Conducting business from residences. No towing contractor franchised by the city will conduct a wrecker business from their residence or from a residential area.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 12, Article III sets the franchise terms for wreckers dispatched by the Plantation Police and Fire Departments. Sec. 12-42 requires towing service to be available on a 24-hour basis, and Sec. 12-43 requires the fleet to be kept in good repair. Sec. 12-44 sets minimum equipment: at minimum four Class A roll-back or slide-back wreckers rated at least 10,000 pounds GVW with a 4-ton crane, plus dedicated Class B, C, and D heavy wreckers with winches rated up to 30,000 pounds, and required gear on every truck including a fire extinguisher, bolt cutters, safety cones, and tow chains.
Sec. 12-46 caps storage-facility distance at three miles from the city limits, and Sec. 12-47 requires a principal compound of at least 50 vehicle spaces, security fencing at least six feet high, and 24-hour phone-manned office access. Sec. 12-49 requires a contractor to arrive at a dispatched scene within 20 minutes at any hour, and bars hooking up or moving a vehicle without instructions from the Police, Fire, or Public Works Department. Sec. 12-50 forbids operating the wrecker business from a residence or residential area, and Sec. 12-54 requires the contractor to carry at least $1,000,000 combined single-limit garage liability insurance for the life of the franchise.
Violations & Fines
A contractor who misses the 20-minute response window assumes liability for resulting damages, including traffic-accident and infraction costs, under Sec. 12-49(a). Operating a wrecker business from a residence, running unrepaired equipment, or falling short of the equipment and insurance minimums breaches the franchise agreement and can result in removal from the police rotation list under Article III.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any tow company work Plantation police accident calls?
How fast must a Plantation-rotation wrecker reach an accident?
Can a tow truck operator run the business from their house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Plantation
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