Revised Code of Washington

Wash. Rev. Code § 46.55.063 (2026)

Fees, schedules, contracts, invoices

✓ current as of May 2026

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(1) An operator shall file a fee schedule with the department. All filed fees must be adequate to cover the costs of service provided. No fees may exceed those filed with the department. At least ten days before the effective date of any change in an operator's fee schedule, the registered tow truck operator shall file the revised fee schedule with the department.

(2) Towing contracts with private property owners shall be in written form and state the hours of authorization to impound, the persons empowered to authorize the impounds, and the present charge of a private impound for the classes of tow trucks to be used in the impound, and must be retained in the files of the registered tow truck operator for three years.

(3) A fee that is charged for tow truck service must be calculated on an hourly basis, and after the first hour must be charged to the nearest quarter hour.

(4) Fees that are charged for the storage of a vehicle, or for other items of personal property registered or titled with the department, must be calculated on a twenty-four hour basis and must be charged to the nearest half day from the time when the operator has unloaded the vehicle and completed the necessary paperwork at the secure storage area. The total amount of time to unload the towed vehicle, complete required paperwork, and reasonably prepare the tow truck to return to service may be charged as part of the tow truck service in fifteen-minute increments not to exceed a total of sixty minutes after the return of the tow truck to the secure storage area. If a portion of any fifteen-minute increment exceeds a total of eight minutes, the total minutes must be rounded up to the next highest fifteen-minute period of total time except in the last fifteen minutes of the total sixty minutes. However, items of personal property registered or titled with the department that are wholly contained within an impounded vehicle are not subject to additional storage fees; they are, however, subject to satisfying the underlying lien for towing and storage of the vehicle in which they are contained.

(5) All billing invoices that are provided to the redeemer of the vehicle, or other items of personal property registered or titled with the department, must be itemized so that the individual fees are clearly discernible.

[ 2017 c 94 s 1; 1995 c 360 s 3; 1989 c 111 s 7.]

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 3 cases, 2003–2005 · leading case: Indep. Towers of Washington v. Washington, 350 F.3d 925 (9th Cir. 2003).

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Indep. Towers of Washington v. Washington, 350 F.3d 925 (9th Cir. 2003). “ITOW’s preemption argument fares no better with respect to RCW § 46.55.063. Section 46.55.063 requires operators to file “fee schedules” with the department and forbids them from charging more than the listed rates.”

Citizens for Des Moines, Inc. v. Petersen, 106 P.3d 290 (Wash. Ct. App. 2005). “Fee schedules must be approved by the Department of Licensing, towing fees must be charged on an hourly basis, and after the first hour must be charged to the nearest quarter hour; and storage fees must be charged on a 24-hour basis, and to the nearest half day from the time the…”

Citizens for Des Moines, Inc. v. Petersen, 125 Wash. App. 760 (Wash. Ct. App. 2005). “RCW 46.55.063. ¶18 Police officers may but are not required to impound vehicles in certain circumstances specified by statute and to cause them to be removed to a place of safekeeping.”

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