Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee Memorandum
TO: THE SAFETY, WELLNESS, AND YOUTH DATE: OCTOBER 21, 2026
COMMITTEE
FROM: POLICE DEPARTMENT / CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE WARDS: ALL SUBJECT: UPDATE FROM RPD, THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, AND THE CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE REGARDING FEES RELATED TO TOW COMPANIES THAT CONTRACT WITH RPD ISSUE:
Whether the low value vehicle per tow fee for tow companies can or has been removed, and whether the City can and should adjust the tow and storage rates found in Riverside Municipal Code § 5.15.080.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee:
Receive the following report and presentation providing an update to the Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee regarding fees related to tow companies that contract with RPD.
Provide direction on the City’s process to date regarding the low value vehicle per tow fee, and whether the City should adjust the tow and storage rates found in Riverside Municipal Code § 5.15.080.
BACKGROUND:
On September 16, 2026, committee members requested that at the next scheduled meeting, staff gather the CHP statewide average tow rates to include in this presentation, multiple requests for this data were made to CHP; however to date, there has been no response provided.
The Riverside Police Department (“RPD”) has and continues to contract with various tow companies to provide tow services for police-related incidents around the City. As part of these contracts, and pursuant to Riverside Municipal Code § 5.15.095, each tow company has agreed to pay the City a “per tow fee” for each tow referral that RPD forwards to them.
According to the City’s Schedule of Fees and Charges for the 2026-2027 Fiscal Year, the City currently charges tow companies a $74.00 per tow fee, both for tows made at the request of a vehicle owner, (a.k.a. “owner request tows”) and any other vehicle tows.
Also, according to RMC § 5.15.080(F), RPD has the ability to reimburse contracted tow companies up to $1,500.00 for no/low value recreational vehicles, boats, watercraft, and trailers that require destruction.
Additionally, for these tow companies that contract with RPD, RMC § 5.15.080 (included as Exhibit A) outlines the vehicle tow and storage rates that they are authorized to charge customers. According to RMC § 5.15.080(E), said rates were “derived from tow rates that were effective January 21, 2015, and were adjusted for eight percent cumulative U.S. inflation from 2016 through 2019. These effective tow rates may be adjusted biannually by the City…” On June 17, 2026, the Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee received a presentation from the City Attorney’s Office, in tandem with RPD and the Finance Department, regarding the per tow fee charged to contracted tow companies.
During public comment, representatives from some of the contracted tow companies spoke about being billed a “junk fee” by the City in the past, and how this fee posed a concern for them due to the high cost of disposing of junk vehicles. These representatives also mentioned concerns about the current vehicle tow and storage rates they charge pursuant to the RMC.
In response, the Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee requested that the City Attorney’s Office, Finance Department, and RPD provide information regarding the above-mentioned topics.
DISCUSSION:
As stated above, according to the City’s Schedule of Fees and Charges for the 2026-2027 Fiscal Year, the City does not impose a “junk fee” on contracted tow companies. Previously, and for only one year, the City did delineate a $69.75 per tow fee for “low value vehicles” in the City’s Schedule of Fees and Charges for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year. This low value vehicle per tow fee was removed for the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year, and has remained off the City’s Schedule of Fees and Charges to date.
Currently, if a contracted tow company is issued a per tow fee for a vehicle they believe is a “junk” or low value vehicle, they can contest this via an Attestation Form submitted to RPD.
According to the Official Police Tow Truck Service Agreement that is currently in place between the City and contracted tow companies, a “low value vehicle” is defined as one whose value does not exceed $500.000, as stated in California Vehicle Code §§ 22670, 22851.2, and 22851.3.
A low value vehicle (AKA, a “junk” vehicle) is identified when a responding RPD officer fills out a CHP 180 form. If the vehicle has a value that does not exceed $500.00, it is marked as “low value.” RPD staff review this form and if a contracted tow company has to tow said low value vehicle, it will not be charged a per tow fee.
If the responding RPD officer fills out the CHP 180 form and indicates the vehicle in question exceeds $500.00 in value, the vehicle is not identified as “low value.” Accordingly, if a contracted tow company has to tow said vehicle, the City is authorized to charge it a per tow fee.
However, as stated above, contracted tow companies have the ability to contest if they believe a vehicle is indeed “low value” and a per tow fee should not be charged. They can do so by completing and submitting an Attestation Form to RPD. If RPD staff review the Attestation Form and agree with the submitting tow company, the vehicle in question will be deemed “low value” and no per tow fee will be charged.
And as indicated in RMC § 5.15.080(F) above, contracted tow companies have the ability to apply for reimbursement from RPD for any low value recreational vehicle, boat, watercraft, or trailer they have to tow and destruct.
Additionally, in preparation for this Report, RPD staff worked to obtain current tow and storage rates from eight local municipalities: Ontario, Moreno Valley, Banning, Beaumont, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, and San Bernardino.
Through RPD’s research and contacts with the eight cities, it appears that only Ontario and Moreno Valley regulate tow and storage rates in any way. For the remaining six cities, individual tow companies are allowed to charge a California Highway Patrol (“CHP”) tow rate. CHP tow rates are generally unknown, as each tow company contracted with CHP is allowed to charge different rates, which CHP does not share.
In general, there is little oversight of tow companies or the rates they are allowed to charge consumers in local municipalities. When RPD staff reached out to the eight cities directly, some only provided the names of the tow companies they used, while others never responded. Accordingly, RPD staff contacted tow companies directly, with some not responding.
Exhibit B provides a list of tow and storage rates for the eight cities listed above. For the tow companies that responded to RPD’s contacts, tow and storage rates were provided, although said numbers have not been confirmed by CHP.
Overall, in comparison to the tow and storage rates listed in Exhibit B, the City’s current tow and storage rates as listed in RMC § 5.15.080 (Exhibit A) are either (1) approximately the same, or (2) less than what is charged in the eight local municipalities.
According to RMC § 5.15.080(E), the City’s tow and storage rates “may be adjusted biannually.” If it is the position of the Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee that the City’s current tow and storage rates should be adjusted, direction may be provided and the City Council may decide on said matter.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no immediate fiscal impact with this report. A fiscal impact is expected if the City Council votes to adjust the City’s current tow and storage rates. At this point, the total fiscal impact is unknown due to the fact that any change in the rates would have to be known in order to calculate the impacts from any potential adjustment.
Prepared by: Daniel Macias, Sergeant
Jacob Castrejon, Deputy City Attorney
Approved as to form: James Johnson, City Attorney
Attachments:
Exhibit A, Riverside Municipal Code § 5.15.080
Exhibit B, Tow and Storage Rates of Local Municipalities Presentation
Update re: Fees Related to Tow Companies ● Page 2