Rialto, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

42 governs the tow companies Rialto police call to remove abandoned, illegally parked, accident-involved, or mechanically disabled vehicles from public streets. RMC Sec. 030 requires every operator seeking 'official police tow service' status to sign a written franchise agreement setting eligibility requirements, operating regulations and fee schedules, and RMC Sec. 060 caps the city at up to two non-exclusive franchises at a time, awarded through a request-for-qualifications process the chief of police oversees under RMC Sec. 080. Franchisees must also hold a valid city business license under RMC Sec.

070, and RMC Sec. 040 requires a monthly franchise fee, set by council resolution under California Vehicle Code Section 12110(b), paid by the tenth of the following month. Operationally, RMC Sec. 220 sets a thirty-minute average and forty-minute maximum response time to police tow requests, RMC Sec. 110 places franchisees on a rotation list for calls where the vehicle owner has no preference, and RMC Sec. 200 requires equipment like a boom truck rated for at least eight tons, wheel-lift and flatbed capability, and lockout service.

Storage facilities must sit inside city limits, cover at least 15,000 usable square feet, and be enclosed by a fence or wall at least six feet high topped with barbed wire, or eight feet without, under RMC Sec. 210(L). RMC Sec. 100 caps towing, impound, and storage charges at a uniform rate schedule the city council sets, tied to the CHP's approved San Bernardino Bureau rates and posted inside every tow truck and at the business office.