Osceola County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Osceola County Code § 22-1
- Coverage
- nonconsensual & trespass tows, unincorporated county
- Owner grace period
- 10-minute wait after hookup for cash
- Return-fee cap
- no more than half the posted rate
- No-extra-fee window
- 24 hrs trespass / 6 hrs nonconsensual
- Heavy-vehicle threshold
- special fee allowed over 19,500 lbs
- Escalation trigger
- 3 violations triggers State Attorney referral
Summary
Osceola County Code § 22-1 governs every nonconsensual and trespass tow that starts in the unincorporated county. A tow truck must wait ten minutes for a returning owner and can charge no more than half the posted rate once a vehicle is hooked up, and the board of county commissioners sets the maximum tow, storage and ancillary rates by resolution.
(b) Areas affected. The provisions of this section shall apply to all towing and transport of vehicles with its origin within the unincorporated areas of Osceola County. ... (f) Return of owner prior to tow. No towing service ... shall tow a vehicle or charge for its services where the registered owner or other legally authorized person in control of the vehicle arrives at the scene prior to the towing, unless ... the vehicle has already been connected to the towing or removal apparatus and the registered owner ... refuses to pay a service fee of not more than one-half (½) of the rate contained herein for such towing service. The tow truck or wrecker operator shall wait a minimum of ten (10) minutes to allow the vehicle's owner or operator to secure cash for the payment of the fees enumerated herein if cash is required by the tow truck or wrecker driver.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 71 | Land Development Code: Supplement 10).
Full Breakdown
Section 22-1 applies to all towing and transport of vehicles that originate in unincorporated Osceola County, and it exempts consensual tows and tows the county's own Zoning and Code Enforcement department initiates. For nonconsensual and trespass tows, subsection (f) protects an owner who reaches the scene before the truck leaves: if the vehicle hasn't been hooked up yet, the operator can't tow it or charge for the attempt, and even after hookup the operator must accept no more than half the posted rate and wait a minimum of ten minutes for the owner to produce cash if cash is demanded.
Subsection (g) puts the maximum rates for towing, storage and other wrecker services under the board of county commissioners' resolution authority, and bars any add-on charge for double hook-ups, locked-vehicle entry, dropping a transmission linkage, axle or drive-shaft removal, dollies, flatbeds, slim jims, go-jacks, removing bumpers or airing up brakes. Extraordinary services outside customary towing, like hazardous-waste cleanup or securing a vehicle over 19,500 pounds, can be billed at industry-standard rates, and no other fee at all may be charged during the first 24 hours of a trespass tow or the first six hours of a nonconsensual tow, measured from delivery to the storage lot. 78. Complaints about excessive charges or bad practices go to the county manager's office for investigation.
Violations & Fines
Each violation of § 22-1 is a separate offense the county can pursue by injunction, declaratory judgment, or other civil or criminal sanction, and a violator is liable to the vehicle's owner or lessee for the full cost of recovery, including towing and storage fees, attorney's fees, court costs and any resulting damages. Once the county manager logs three cumulative violations against a towing company, it issues a formal notice of future intent to prosecute, and the next confirmed complaint goes to the state attorney.
Frequently Asked Questions
I got to my car right as the tow truck hooked it up in unincorporated Osceola County. What can they charge me?
How long can a towing company store my car before charging extra storage fees?
Where do I complain about an Osceola County towing company overcharging me?
Can a towing company just make up its own rates?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Osceola County
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