QuestionI was very interested in finding out what license or permits I would have to aquire in the state of california to start a towing service?I have acess to some equipment and would like to be professional about it.thank you for your ..time...
AnswerWell part of the answer depends on what kind of towing you want to do...
Police towing requirements are totally different from regular commercial towing (broke down vehicles) which is also different from "non consent towing" removing vehicles from parking lots...
Add in the "licensing fees" (taxes) that different cities require and you have a huge nightmare on what is required...
I would love to provide you with information as to what is required, but this is somewhat a loaded question....
First place I would start with is the California DMV web site and do some reading there. There are lots of rules and regulations there as to the requirements for tow trucks to be licensed.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/vc.htm
And of course contact the City you are in for business license information, and the State to get a tax id number. You will need one from the IRS also...
And of course the US Department of Transportation will require you to have authority and a DOT number...
Good luck but its not an "instant business"
