[Amended 5-19-2016 by Ord. No. 8-2016]
A.
The Township shall not be responsible for the collection or payment
of any charges for the towing or storage of vehicles. The charges,
fees and rates applicable to services performed pursuant to this chapter
shall be posted in a conspicuous place visible to the public at the
tower's storage area and shall be presented to the owner of a vehicle
to be towed at the time of service. The tower shall prepare an itemized
bill in detail as to the actual services rendered and present the
bill to the claimant of a vehicle. Each bill shall contain a statement
that the claimant may file a complaint with the Township with respect
to charges. The Township will not be responsible for charges due and
owing from a claimant of a vehicle, nor will it assist the tower in
collecting such charges. Vehicles impounded as a result of police
investigations involving stolen vehicles or fatal accidents will not
result in storage charges; however, the Township reserves the right
to store such vehicles at a location of its choosing. Towers shall
be required to accept forms of payment including but not limited to:
cash, credit card, debit card, and personal checks drawn on banks
located within the State of New Jersey.
B.
In the event that the Township conducts an auction of unclaimed abandoned
vehicles as defined in this chapter pursuant to Title 39, the tower's
bill for towing and storage shall be an expense of possession and
sale and shall be paid from the proceeds of such auction subject to
statutory limits. Each vehicle auctioned shall be a separate item
for purposes of this subsection. The title fee for which the Township
must pay to the State of New Jersey for title certificates shall be
paid by the purchaser at the auction even if the tower is the purchaser
and shall be in addition to the bid price of each vehicle. In the
event the Township determines to utilize the provisions of Title 39
with respect to unclaimed vehicles, the tower shall receive no compensation
for its services.
C.
The fee for towing a vehicle shall include the service rendered from
the scene where the vehicle is located to the storage area and from
the storage area to the curbline of the property on which is located
the storage area. There shall be no additional charge for towing a
vehicle from the storage area to the curbline for the purpose of an
owner of a vehicle towing the vehicle to a service station or other
repair shop or the person's home or other location. The charge for
towing includes any incidental and related costs such as disconnecting
and reconnecting a transmission. There shall be no additional charges
for any other services, including but not limited to waiting time,
debris removal, winching and additional labor when routine towing
services as provided for by this chapter are performed. The tower
shall be responsible for the cleanup and disposal of motor vehicle
fluids, in accordance with state law and accepted standards, and there
shall be no additional labor charges for this service. The tower may
charge the owner/operator for material used in the cleanup of motor
vehicle fluids. The tower may charge a fee for lockout service as
well as roadside assistance such as jump-starts, tire changes, and
providing gasoline for vehicles that have run out of fuel.
The charges, fees and rates for vehicles to be towed and stored
shall be as follows:
A.
Flatbed and towing service pursuant to this chapter which will include
all towing/winching, labor, and cleanup costs associated with removal
of the vehicle:
(1)
One hundred fifteen dollars. At nights (from 6:00 p.m. through 6:00
a.m.), the fee shall be $130.
(2)
One hundred thirty-five dollars for trucks weighing 2.5 tons to five
tons; $150 for night towing.
(3)
Two hundred twenty-five dollars for trucks weighing over five tons,
buses, tractor trailers, heavy equipment; $250 for nights.
(4)
Waiting time while standing by at the scene for police or EMS activities
after 30 minutes shall be $80 per hour. There shall be no waiting
time charged for the 30 minutes. If there is more than one vehicle
to be serviced, waiting time shall be divided between the vehicles.
In no instance, shall each vehicle be charged separate waiting times.
(5)
In conjunction with § 170-14D, the flat fee for towing of any Township-owned vehicle, at any time of the day or night, shall be $75. The owner and/or insurer of towed vehicles shall be afforded the opportunity to retrieve items from a towed vehicle and/or inspect a towed vehicle upon written request to the tower unless retrieval and or inspection of the vehicle is denied by the Police Department for specific police purposes. The written request shall indicate the date and time of the inspection, and the full name of the person conducting the inspection. Said writing shall be retained by the tower and produced upon request of the Township. The first three trips to a towed vehicle shall be at no cost to the owner and/or insurer of the towed vehicle. A tower may charge an administrative fee in the amount of $25 for each subsequent trip to the towed vehicle. All trips to the towed vehicle will be made during normal business hours as established by this chapter unless mutually agreed upon by the tower and the owner and/or insurer.
D.
Storage:
(1)
There will be no charge for storage for any vehicle removed within
the first 24 hours of the time the vehicle is towed. There shall be
no charge for storage of any vehicle when the storage facility is
not open for business. This also applies to any legal holiday or any
day in which the tower is not open for normal business. A towing company
shall provide reasonable accommodations for after-hours release of
stored vehicles.
(2)
Automobiles, trucks under five tons, motorcycles, mopeds and motor
scooters will be charged $35 per business day for storage after the
first 24 hours.
(3)
Trucks over five tons will be charged $65 per business day for storage
after the first 24 hours.
(4)
Trucks, tractor-trailers, buses and heavy equipment over five tons:
$60 per business day after the first 24 hours.
[1]
Editor's Note: This chapter was vetoed by the Mayor, and said
veto was overridden by Council vote 12-4-2013.
