[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.
[Amended 11-6-2013 by Ord. No. 20-2013;[1] 5-19-2016 by Ord. No. 8-2016; 11-8-2023 by Ord. No. 39-2023]
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 fifty dollars.
(2) 
One hundred fifty dollars for trucks weighing 2.5 tons to five tons.
(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.
(6) 
There shall be a fee of $75 per hour, one hour minimum, plus absorbent materials used for minor accident cleanup and disposal of debris.
B. 
Winching services not associated with the towing of a vehicle:
(1) 
Light winches: $85 per unit per hour.
(2) 
Medium winches: $150 per unit per hour.
(3) 
Heavy winches: $250 per unit per hour.
C. 
Mileage:
(1) 
For vehicles towed within the Township limits or to or from the tow service place of business or storage, there shall be no mileage charges.
(2) 
For vehicles towed to or from areas outside of the Township limits at the request of the owner of the vehicle: $4 per mile.
D. 
Storage:
(1) 
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 $45 per business day for storage.
(3) 
Trucks over five tons will be charged $65 per business day for storage.
(4) 
Trucks, tractor-trailers, buses and heavy equipment over five tons: $60 per business day.
E. 
Road service; vehicle lockout service:
(1) 
Daytime rate: $75.
(2) 
Nights between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., weekends, and holidays: $100.
[1]
Editor's Note: This chapter was vetoed by the Mayor, and said veto was overridden by Council vote 12-4-2013.