Tempe, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- City Code §§ 32-1 to 32-10
- Consent required
- Owner's written permission or police request
- Police notice
- Required before any non-consent tow
- Fee cap
- Set by Council resolution, Appendix A
- Sec. 32-5 penalty
- $250 to $1,000 civil fine
- 72-hour exception
- Signage rule doesn't apply after 72 hrs
Summary
Private towing carriers who tow vehicles from Tempe private property without the owner's consent must have written permission from the property owner or a law enforcement request under Section 32-5, notify police before towing, and charge no more than the fees Council sets by resolution. Violating the consent rule carries a $250 to $1,000 civil fine.
(a)It shall be unlawful for a private towing carrier to tow or transport a motor vehicle from private property or immobilize a vehicle on private property without the permission of the owner or operator of the vehicle unless such private towing carrier receives a request from a law enforcement agency or the express written permission from the owner of the property or the agent of the owner, who has complied with requirements of this section. The owner or the owner's agent shall either sign each towing order or authorize the tow by a written contract which is valid for a specific length of time not to exceed one (1) year. The private towing carrier may not act as the agent of the owner. A copy of the written contract shall be made readily available to the law enforcement agency upon request and include the owner's or owner's agent name and current telephone numbers.(b)A private towing carrier shall only be authorized to tow or transport a motor vehicle from the tow location to the carrier's designated lot.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Tempe City Code Chapter 32 regulates private towing carriers, defined in Section 32-1 as anyone who commercially tows, transports, immobilizes, or impounds vehicles from private property without the vehicle owner's or operator's prior permission. Section 32-5(a) makes it unlawful for a private towing carrier to tow, transport, or immobilize a vehicle on private property without the vehicle owner's permission unless the carrier is acting on a law enforcement request or has the property owner's express written permission, which must be a signed tow order or a written contract valid for no more than one year; the towing carrier itself cannot act as the property owner's agent.
Section 32-4 requires the carrier to notify the Tempe Police Department before towing a non-consent vehicle, giving the owner's name and address if known, the vehicle's license number, VIN, and description, why and where it was moved, and the tower's name, license number, and company. Section 32-6 requires private lots to post specific warning signs, sized and worded as the section prescribes, before a carrier may lawfully tow from that lot, and the rule doesn't apply to a vehicle left more than seventy-two consecutive hours. 05, and Section 32-7 bars charging for any service not listed in that resolution, with ignorance of the fee schedule no defense.
Violations & Fines
Section 32-10 punishes most Chapter 32 violations under the Code's general penalty, Section 1-7, but singles out Section 32-5's consent requirement for its own civil fine: a minimum of $250 and a maximum of $1,000 per violation. A carrier that overcharges under Section 32-7 or tows without the signage Section 32-6 requires faces the same general penalty exposure, and Section 32-2(g) separately bars releasing any vehicle a law enforcement agency has flagged as stolen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Tempe towing company tow my car from a private lot without asking me?
What can a Tempe tow company legally charge to get my car back?
What's the penalty for a towing company that violates Tempe's consent rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
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