South Bend, IN Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

The license comes from the Office of the Controller after the Department of Code Enforcement, Police Department, and Fire Prevention Bureau review the application, and it requires a detailed fee schedule for removal, storage, and release filed with the Board of Public Works. No license issues unless the operator carries at least $50,000 in property-damage coverage and $300,000 in public liability coverage per occurrence, updated annually and kept on file with the Controller.

Before any tow, the property owner must post a sign at least twenty-four hours in advance, visible from every parking area and vehicle entrance, sized between 24 by 18 inches and 30 by 24 inches, made of light-reflecting material in contrasting colors. Each sign must list every parking restriction, name and phone number of the authorized removal service and the property owner or agent, and a number 'answered personally at all times of the day and night.' Contact information must appear in letters at least two inches tall.

Once a vehicle is towed, the operator must call the Police Department Radio Room immediately to report the license number, make, year, and impound location, and file a written notification form for any vehicle still unclaimed after twenty-four hours, keeping copies for at least sixty days. The operator must issue a dated, signed receipt for every payment, carry the current fee schedule in every tow truck for inspection on request, and release a vehicle only after the owner or an authorized designee shows proof of ownership and pays the filed rate. Fee changes take effect no sooner than thirty days after being filed with the Board of Public Works. Code Enforcement and the Fire Prevention Bureau inspect each licensed operator at least twice a year.