Okaloosa County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Immobilization fee cap
- $25 maximum
- Boot release window
- within 30 minutes of payment
- Storage distance limit
- within 15 miles of removal site
- Records retention
- 3 years, open to code/law officers
- First violation fine
- $200 civil fine
- Repeat violation fine
- $500 each
- Occupied vehicles
- towing prohibited outright
Summary
Okaloosa County Code Chapter 12, Article VI governs towing or booting a vehicle from private property without the owner's consent. Operators need written authorization from the property owner or a contract filed with the Sheriff's Office, must release an arriving owner for half the posted rate, and immobilization services cannot charge more than $25.
(2)In addition to the requirements set forth in Section 715.07, Florida Statutes, any person involved in the removal or immobilization of any vehicle from or on private property without the consent of the registered owner...shall have in their possession written authorization from the owner or lessee of the property, or any person authorized by the owner or lessee, authorizing them to remove or immobilize the vehicle...A copy of the written contract must be filed with the sheriff's office.(3)If the registered owner or other legally authorized person in control of the vehicle arrives at the scene prior to removal, towing, or immobilization of the vehicle and the vehicle is attached and towable, or immobilized, the vehicle shall be disconnected from the towing or removal apparatus, or immobilization device, and that person shall be allowed to remove the vehicle without interference upon the payment of a reasonable service fee of not more than one-half of the posted rate for such towing service or immobilization service.(8)No towing service shall tow a vehicle when there is a person occupying the vehicle.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 12, Article VI of the Okaloosa County Code regulates non-consent towing and vehicle immobilization (booting) from private property, enacted under Fla. 07. Under § 12-323, an operator must hold written authorization from the property owner or lessee describing the vehicle, or a written contract on file with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office specifying when removal or immobilization is authorized. If the vehicle's owner reaches the scene before it is towed, or while it is still booted and attached, the operator must disconnect it and let the owner leave upon payment of no more than half the posted rate, with a receipt given.
No vehicle may be towed while a person is occupying it. 5-by-11-inch warning sticker naming the booting company, and be removed within 30 minutes of a release request once payment is made. Towing and immobilization services must keep a data sheet for every job, including company name, tow location, vehicle description, and the law-enforcement case number, on file for three years under § 12-323(7), and produce it to any code enforcement or law officer investigating a complaint. Under § 12-324, a towed vehicle must be stored within 15 miles of the point of removal at a site meeting Fla.
78(7)(b). Section 12-325 lets the Board of County Commissioners set maximum towing and storage fees by resolution, and flatly caps any immobilization fee at $25. Kickbacks from a towing company to a property owner in exchange for towing rights are also prohibited under § 12-323(10).
Violations & Fines
Violating Chapter 12, Article VI is prosecuted under Fla. Stat. § 125.69(1) or by a civil fine of $200 for a first offense and $500 for each violation after that, per § 12-326. Towing an occupied vehicle, booting without a filed authorization or contract, charging above the $25 immobilization cap, refusing to release a vehicle for the reduced fee when the owner arrives in time, and failing to produce the required three-year data sheet to a code or law enforcement officer are each separately punishable violations of the article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a towing company boot my car on private property in Okaloosa County?
How much can an immobilization or towing service charge in Okaloosa County?
What if I get to my car before it's fully towed?
Where can Okaloosa County tow companies store my vehicle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Okaloosa County
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