Cracking down on illegal towing: Jackson County passes new rules and regulations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - On Monday, several tow operators stepped up to express their concerns about a new county ordinance meant to crack down on illegal towing.

The tow industry had two main worries, one of those were the license and fees.

The proposal called for each business or independent tow driver either located in the county, or that does at least 50% of business in the county, to have a valid tow license from Jackson County.

The business license would be an annual fee of $1,000. In addition, each business would be charged a $250 fee for each tow truck or wrecker they use.

Tow operators said that the costs were too high, and many wouldn’t be able to afford it.

“The cost of the license is not comparable to other adjoining counties,” said Jared Innis, President of the Missouri Tow Truck Association.

Hours after the meeting, that portion of the ordinance was revised. The new proposal calls for each business or independent tow driver to have a valid tow license, which would cost $500 a year, as well as $100 for each tow truck used.

The other reservation was the proposed penalties.

The proposal includes suspending licenses. The length would likely depend on the company or driver’s history.

• 45–90-day suspension
  • Business or driver violates any part of the law in place
  • Business or driver violates city ordinances that pertain to tows
  • Business or driver has an active bench warrant
• 1 year suspension
  • Business or driver violates ordinance two or more times in 12 months
• 2-year suspension
  • Business or driver conducts tow operations while tow license is suspended

These did not change, some tow operators said they don’t believe they are fair penalties.

“Right now, you could have one driver make a small mistake which technically violates an ordinance with no intention to fraud anyone or do anything wrong,” said Innis, “but you’re technically in violation which makes them pull the entire business license for 45-90 days, essentially putting them out of business.”

While a new ordinance has passed, Chairman of the Jackson County Legislature, DaRon McGee, is hopeful they will tackle licensing guidelines soon.

“The state gives us authority to license; it doesn’t give the city the power to license,” said McGee. “That’s why they need us to license them, so the city has some teeth to enforce their municipal code.”

Right now, Jackson County does not require some kind of license for tow operators, something McGee wants to see changed.

“This is the first step, right? We know through the state it empowers the counties to regulate towers in terms of licensing,” said McGee, “it’s not just Kansas City, but we’re working with folks in Raytown and Independence to do the same thing.”

KCTV5 was told that the new ordinance would not go into effect immediately.

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