City Council approved repeal Chapter 102 "Vehicles for Hire," Article III "Tow Trucks"

With the acceptance of BaytownWrecker Service, Inc.'s bid for towing and storage services, the City no longer needs many of the regulations in its Code, as it will rely upon and enforce the provisions of the bid. Therefore, this proposed ordinance (i) repeals most of the tow truck company provisions except the sections pertaining to definitions and penalties and consolidates the offenses that were described throughout the division into on section. As revised, the following will continue to be offenses under the ordinance:

1: Using a vehicle storage facility that is not fenced in accordance with the City's standards;
2: Parking a tow truck within 500 feet of a consent or nonconsent tow;
3: Soliciting any business at the scene of a consent or nonconsent tow;
4: Offering a contract or a waiver to a person at the scene of a consent or nonconsent tow;
5: Performing nonconsent tows without displaying a proper license and identification card;

Additionally, under the ordinance, it remains an offense for a city official to recommend a towing company or attempt to influence a person in choosing a towing company at the scene of the incident.
Consent tow means any tow of a motor vehicle initiated by a peace officer, investigating a traffic accident or a traffic incident, at the direction of the owner or operator of the vehicle or by a person who has possession, custody, or control of the vehicle.
Nonconsent tow means any tow of a motor vehicle that is not a consent tow but is initiated by a peace officer investigating a traffic accident or a traffic incident after the vehicle owner fails to select a towing company or after the selected towing company fails to respond within 25-minutes of being dispatched by the city's communications division.