Please note, as of January 1, 2024, the City’s authority to licence the towing and vehicle storage sector has ended and all of the provincial Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act (TSSEA) provisions have come into effect. This means as of January 1, tow truck drivers, tow truck owners and public garages that exclusively receive or store towed vehicles no longer require licences from the City, but will require certification from the province.
During the transition period leading up to January 1, the City continued to issue tow truck owner and driver licences and applicants paid the $438.72 non-refundable application fee.
The City automatically renewed licences that expired between October 1 to December 30, 2023. A new licence that expired on December 31, 2023 will be mailed to applicable licence holders.
The province is now accepting applications for towing or vehicle storage certificates. To reduce an overlap in fees paid to both the province and municipalities, the province’s certificate fees are waived until July 2024.
Find out how to get a towing or vehicle storage certificate.
In June 2021, the Ontario government passed the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act (TSSEA) to establish a framework to transition municipal oversight of the towing and vehicle storage sectors to the province as of January 1, 2024.
The Transitioning Oversight of the Towing and Vehicle Storage Sector to the Province of Ontario staff report outlines recommendations to facilitate this transition including:
Learn more about the province’s changes to tow and storage rules and the consultation and research results from the province’s towing task force.