Salem, OR Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

SRC 102.200(a) gives officers towing authority beyond ordinary parking enforcement: if a driver is arrested and the vehicle sits unattended on private property, the officer may order a non-consent tow whenever there is reasonable belief the driver lacked permission to park there. Before the tow, 102.200(b) requires the enforcement officer to inventory the vehicle's condition and contents, both to protect the owner's property and to head off disputed damage claims later. The City itself does not own a tow fleet; 102.200(c) lets it contract with towing service firms under a fixed schedule of maximum towing and storage charges, and 102.200(d) gives the contracted tow company a lien on the vehicle and its contents for those charges, letting the company hold the vehicle until payment.

Before or after the tow, SRC 102.205 and 102.210 require notice consistent with ORS 819.170 and 819.180. Anyone with an interest in the vehicle can request a hearing before the Municipal Court under SRC 102.215, but the written request must reach the court within five business days (excluding weekends and holidays) of the notice being mailed or posted. The municipal judge must set the hearing within two regular court days, and can consider both whether the tow was valid and whether the towing and storage charges were reasonable; charges set by the City's contract are presumed reasonable.

An owner can regain the vehicle before the hearing by posting cash or bond security under SRC 102.220. If the vehicle is never claimed, SRC 102.235 requires disposal under ORS 819.210 after 30 days, and SRC 102.240 sends abandoned vehicles appraised at $500 or less to disposal under ORS 819.215 instead.