Wayne, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Chapter 191 regulates the towing the Wayne Police Department orders. Section 191-1 says the chapter sets minimum requirements for a towing contractor providing vehicle removal, impoundment and storage when the Wayne Police Department determines it necessary, and it does not apply to towing from private property, which is governed by N.J.A.C. 13:45A-31.6.

Access to the work is capped. Under § 191-3 there is a maximum of four towers on the rotating list per year. Applicants must show at least five years of personal experience, a principal location within a 15-minute response time to any call in the Township of Wayne, and a guaranteed fifteen-minute response time. If more than four qualify, the four whose principal place of business is closest to the center point of the intersection of Alps Road and Ratzer Road are selected. Initial applications carry a nonrefundable $1,000 fee and renewals $500 (§ 191-4). The yearly license fee is $100, and each vehicle towed adds a $15 administrative charge paid monthly (§ 191-6). Applications are due to the Township Clerk by September 1 for the calendar year beginning January 1, and the Township Council considers issuance at a public meeting after the Chief of Police reports that the police investigation is complete.

Operating rules are specific. Only the Wayne Police Department makes callouts, towers cannot make their own, and cruising is not permitted (§ 191-7). Insurance includes motor vehicle liability of $2,000,000 single limit, comprehensive general liability of not less than $2,000,000, and $250,000 each for garage keeper legal liability and on-hook coverage (§ 191-8). Storage lots need a barrier at least seven feet high, and no towed vehicle can be parked on a public or private street or sidewalk (§ 191-10).

Rates are ceilings: § 191-12H makes it unlawful to charge more than the schedule. Heavy-duty towing over 16,001 pounds is $500, outside secured storage under 10,000 pounds is $45 per storage day, and there is no mileage charge to respond or to return to the licensee's principal location (§ 191-12I). Storage for private property or other nonconsensual towing is calculated by full 24-hour periods (§ 191-12F). A disputed fee goes first to the Police Department and then to the Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (§ 191-5E).