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

West Covina Municipal Code Section 14-31 layers a mandatory license-discipline rule on top of the general suspension and revocation process in Section 14-30. Business and Professions Code Section 6152 bars tow operators, drivers, and anyone working for them from soliciting towing or storage business at a collision scene or offering compensation for referrals; a criminal conviction under that state statute triggers automatic city action. On a first conviction, the city council must suspend the operator's West Covina business license for not less than ten days and not more than sixty days once it holds a hearing under Section 14-30.

A second conviction of the same statute within any twelve-month period removes the council's discretion entirely: revocation is mandatory. Section 14-30 sets the hearing mechanics for both the ambulance and tow truck license actions: the city clerk must give the license holder at least five days' notice of the hearing date, the council can question witnesses under oath, and the licensee may appear and present evidence in his own defense. The council has thirty days after the hearing closes to issue its written order, which can attach conditions the council deems for the public good.

If the council revokes the license, Section 14-30(d) bars any refund of the license fee already paid to the city; the money is forfeited. The chief financial officer serves as the city's license collector under Section 14-36 and is charged with enforcing every article of Chapter 14, including this capping rule, while Section 14-37 gives the license collector authority to inspect tow yards and business records and to subpoena documents from operators who do not comply voluntarily.