Vallejo, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

145, titled 'Abatement and removal, Private property,' addresses the separate act of a private tow off a lot or driveway. The section requires written authorization before a towing company can remove any vehicle from private property, and it names exactly who can give that authorization: the property owner or lessee, an employee or agent of either, the registered owner of the vehicle itself, or the city manager (or a city employee the manager appoints to act under his direction). Critically, the person who signs the authorization must physically be present when the tow truck removes the vehicle, so a landlord cannot fax over a standing order and let the tow company decide later which cars to pull.

The section closes off the loophole many cities see, where a property owner hands a lot over to a tow operator's blanket judgment: general authorization to remove vehicles at the towing company's discretion cannot be delegated to a towing company or its affiliates. The only carve-out is for a vehicle unlawfully parked within fifteen feet of a fire hydrant, in a fire lane, or blocking an entrance or exit, situations urgent enough that the code lets a tow proceed without a fresh, present authorization. 060 puts the city manager, or the California Highway Patrol under a Vehicle Code Section 22665 agreement, in charge of enforcement, including entering property to verify a tow's legality.