Smithtown, NY Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Under Smithtown Code § 281-4, no person, firm or corporation may operate a tow truck for hire in the Town of Smithtown without a permit from the Town Clerk, though out-of-town towers may still enter to pull a vehicle from a body shop, gas station, repair facility or private residence, or just pass through, without one. Section 281-5 limits eligibility to businesses that actually run a body/fender shop, gas station with repair facilities, or specialized repair facility based in Smithtown, and requires a verified application to the Department of Public Safety with vehicle VINs, fingerprints (a $140 fee covers the state background check), any prior criminal convictions, pending lawsuits, proof the storage site is zoned for it, and minimum $100,000/$300,000 bodily injury and $15,000 property damage liability coverage.

Applications are due by December 30 each year, and the Clerk must approve or deny within 30 days; a denial can be appealed to the Town Board. The permit fee is $50 per listed vehicle (§ 281-6), plus $150 to join the Fourth Precinct duty rotation. Permitted trucks must display a medallion and business name/address in letters at least three inches high (§ 281-7), and soliciting tow or repair work at an accident or breakdown scene is unlawful (§ 281-9). Vehicles seeking the duty roster must carry specific gear, a crowbar, fire extinguisher, tow bar, four-ton winch, flares, and more, under § 281-12, and maximum rates are capped: $125 for a standard passenger tow, $60 extra for a dolly tow, $160 for a flatbed tow, $250 for a heavy-duty tow of a two-ton-plus vehicle, and $30/day storage rising to $35/day after seven days; yard fees are flatly prohibited. Permittees must maintain a fenced, six-foot-high, 2,500-square-foot containment area with a locked gate (§ 281-12E).