Spotsylvania County, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Chapter 12, Article VII governs 'authorized towers' who respond to vehicle tows requested by the sheriff's office or other law enforcement personnel; Sec. 12-226 states the article applies only to those law-enforcement-requested tows, not to private-property or consent towing. The board of supervisors created a towing advisory board under this section, made up of three law enforcement representatives, one county citizen and three tower representatives, at least one from each operating zone and at least one heavy-duty tower, serving staggered two-year terms. To join the rotation, a towing business submits an application under Sec.

12-228 with a $100 fee paid to the county treasurer, renewed annually, disclosing ownership, storage-site location, equipment, insurance and a statement that it will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The sheriff investigates and approves qualified applicants under Sec. 12-230, requiring at least 90 days of prior towing operations from a county location, owned or leased storage and equipment, and compliance with county zoning and building codes. Once authorized, Sec. 12-231 sets strict performance duties: the tower must reach the towing scene within 30 minutes of the call (with a 10-minute grace period if it contacts the requesting agency within the first 25 minutes), or the sheriff's office cancels that assignment and calls the next tower on the list at no cost to the first.

Authorized towers must also carry garage keepers legal liability insurance, use lettered tow trucks, staff a business office, and keep towing records for at least 12 months. Fee schedules, insurance minimums and rotation assignments are all set by the towing service agreement executed with the sheriff, and towers who fail to perform can be suspended or terminated from the rotation list by the towing advisory board.