The purpose of this chapter is to establish
towing and storage fees that shall be charged in the Borough of River
Edge and to establish standards and procedures for towing operators
pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.49.
The towing operator shall have an impound area
that meets the following requirements:
A. Land area used for storage of vehicles shall be paved
or stoned, and the area shall facilitate reasonable towing distances.
B. Signs which readily identify the storage facility
and which comply with all applicable laws shall be installed.
C. No towed vehicle shall be parked upon a public or
private street or sidewalk. Said vehicle shall be stored by the towing
operator within the storage area so provided.
D. The entire land area shall be enclosed by a fence
of sturdy construction at least seven feet high with at least one
lockable gate for ingress and egress in accordance with local zoning
regulations.
E. The impound area shall be properly lighted from dusk
to dawn and must be properly safeguarded from vandalism and/or theft.
The security requirements of the borough's and/or towing operator's
insurer shall be complied with. The towing operations may be excused
from such requirements only if compliance would violate any ordinances,
regulation or statute and only after providing notice to and receiving
the borough's consent.
F. The borough's Police Department shall have access
to any part of the impound area at any time, day or night, for the
purpose of inspection and/or investigation. This shall include indoor
and outdoor areas.
G. Access will be restricted to prevent the public from
having unescorted access to the aforementioned impound area. Said
area shall be posted in accordance with the River Edge Police Department's
directions regarding access restrictions.
H. A small storage area, sufficient to hold two vehicles,
must be maintained for vehicles that may be involved in a police incident.
In addition, an indoor area shall be provided for at least one vehicle,
when necessary.
I. The towing operator shall conspicuously post at his
place of business the fee schedule for storage and towing of vehicles.
J. There shall be no piling of vehicles towed as part
of the service(s) provided pursuant to this chapter.
K. The towing operator shall maintain a place of business
where trucks, in response to police requests, shall normally be kept.
The impound area shall be located adjacent to or be a part of said
place of business.
The employee of the towing operator shall meet
the following requirements:
A. An employee of the towing operator shall under no
circumstances be deemed an agent, servant or employee of the borough
or represent to the public that he is an employee of the Borough of
River Edge.
B. No person shall be employed by the towing operator
who has been convicted of a crime or offense involving moral turpitude.
The towing operator shall be responsible to enforce this requirement
upon its own employees; the borough will not perform any background,
record or fingerprint checks upon the towing operator's employees.
C. Each employee shall be provided with an identification
tag by the towing operator. The tag must be of sturdy construction
and include the employee's photograph and name. The tag must be worn
on the employee's outer garment while servicing a tow call.
D. The towing operator and its employees are prohibited
from collecting or attempting to collect a fee, commission, pay or
charge other than as provided in this chapter.
E. The towing operator shall provide the Police Department
with a list of said personnel and their driver's license numbers for
verification.
F. Employees shall have a valid CDL license or state-required
license to operate the appropriate towing vehicle.
G. The towing operator will be responsible to maintain
its own driver safety program and to assure that its personnel are
properly qualified.
[Amended 9-17-2012 by Ord. No. 1770; 10-2-2017 by Ord. No. 17-24]
The fees permitted by the following fee schedules are promulgated
in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.49 and N.J.A.C. 11:3-38. The maximum
fees permitted by this chapter will be the same as allowed by the
statute and regulation, as they may be amended. This chapter will
be interpreted to provide for the same maximum fees, as said statute
and regulation will permit, without further amendment hereof. The
following is the fee schedule for basic automobile towing services
pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.49:
A. Vehicles under 6,000 pounds.
Description
|
Fee
|
---|
Towing
|
$125
|
Mileage (out of town or not to yard) (within NJ), per mile rate
|
$5
|
Road service
|
$60
|
Storage (per calendar day)
|
$40
|
Winching/recovery (beyond right-of-way)
|
$150
|
The fees set forth above are the maximum charges that shall
apply to private passenger automobiles for basic towing services.
There shall be no additional charges other than those provided herein,
including, but not limited to, flatbedding, waiting time, winching
(except as described below) and additional labor when only basic towing
services are required.
|
B. Vehicles 6,001 pounds to 10,000 pounds.
Description
|
Fee
|
---|
Towing (per hour)
|
$175
|
Road service
|
$75
|
Storage (per calendar day)
|
$75
|
Winching/recovery (per hour, per truck)
|
$200
|
C. Vehicles over 10,001 pounds.
Description
|
Fee
|
---|
Towing (per hour)
|
$325
|
Road service
|
$100
|
Storage (per calendar day)
|
$100
|
Winching/recovery (per hour, per truck)
|
$425
|
D. Clean-up.
Description
|
Fee
|
---|
Clean-up at accident scene
|
$35
|
Speedi-Dri (per bag)
|
$15
|
Crash wrap (front, rear)
|
$40
|
Crash wrap (side)
|
$25
|
Waiting time (initial 30 minutes on arrival, no charge; thereafter
$100 billed at 30-minute increments at a per-hourly rate)
|
E. Release of vehicles.
(1) The towing operator must have, at a minimum, the following hours
for releasing of vehicles: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m.; Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
F. Winching service charges. Winching is described as the process of
moving a motor vehicle by the use of the cable from a position that
is not accessible for direct hookup by conventional means for loading
onto a tow vehicle. Winching shall not include the pulling of a vehicle
onto a tilt bed or carrier nor lifting a motor vehicle with a conventional
sling. There will be no additional charge for winching to facilitate
the tow. Winching service charges apply to, but are not limited to,
vehicles that are positioned in embankments, overturned or positioned
in such a precarious manner that normal winching to facilitate the
tow is unsuitable.
G. Storage charges.
(1) Storage charges shall not be charged if the vehicle owner is on site
at the storage facility and can perform all acts necessary to retrieve
the vehicle within the first three hours of the tow. The fees set
forth on the schedule for storage fees are the maximum storage charges
per twenty-four-hour period or a part thereof that shall apply to
a vehicle that is stored. A new twenty-four-hour period begins at
12:01 a.m.
(2) Additional storage shall not accrue if the vehicle has been released
by the River Edge Police Department, but the towing operator is not
available to release it. The towing operator shall assume and be solely
responsible for all costs incident to moving vehicles from one storage
area to another storage area owned and operated by the towing operator.