Salt Lake City, UT Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Wrecker/towing operations, § 5.84.110
- Sign minimum size
- 18" x 24", § 5.84.190
- Abandoned-vehicle threshold
- 7 days unattended
- Police notice
- Immediate, on non-owner-requested tows
Summary
Salt Lake City licenses wrecker services and bars non-consent tows from private property unless the lot is posted with compliant signs or the vehicle is abandoned.
For any wrecker or operator, or any other person, to tow or otherwise move a vehicle or authorize the removal thereof from any private road or driveway... no person shall tow, remove or authorize the removal of a vehicle from private property without the consent of the owner or custodian of such vehicle, unless: a. The property is posted with signs that comply with section 5.84.190 of this chapter, or... c. The vehicle has been abandoned... if left unattended for seven (7) days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 5.84 requires a City-issued license for any towing operations business (§ 5.84.110) and separately bans non-consent tows from private property. A wrecker can't remove a vehicle from a private lot or driveway without the vehicle owner's consent unless the property carries signage meeting § 5.84.190's size, wording, and towing-fee-disclosure requirements, the car is blocking a residential driveway without the occupant's permission, or it has sat abandoned for seven days. Operators must also notify SLCPD immediately after impounding a non-owner-requested tow.
Violations & Fines
Towing without the required § 5.84.110 license, or removing a vehicle from private property without owner consent and without compliant § 5.84.190 signage (or an abandonment/driveway exception), violates Chapter 5.84 and can void the license under § 5.84.150.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a tow company remove my car from a private lot without asking me?
What must a private-lot tow-warning sign include?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
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