Towing Information

Those interested Wrecker Services must apply and meet certain standards including a current license and fenced lot. They must submit “reasonable fees” for standard services. Fees are considered “reasonable” when they are consistent with fees charged by other towing services in this region performing similar work.

View the Rotation Wrecker Policy

You do!* If you have no preference which company is called, we will call a company from the Sheriff’s Office Rotation Wrecker List that is licensed to tow vehicles in Michigan.

*Exceptions:

• Impounds
  • The vehicle may be impounded after an arrest, serious injury or fatal crash, and other circumstances allowed by statute.
  • If the car is impounded, the Sheriff’s Office selects a contracted wrecker service to tow and store impounded vehicles.
• Response Time
  • The wrecker service cannot respond within a reasonable timeframe.
• Safety
  • Private assistance may not be permissible for safety reasons.

Fees are set by each wrecker service. When a wrecker service applies to participate in the Sheriff’s Office Rotation Wrecker List, they must disclose their fees. Fees are published on this site. Fees that are consistent with industry norms are accepted. The Sheriff’s Office does not set fees charged by private companies. We have set caps for certain fees to stay consistent with commercially reasonable fees.

Our market research into “commercially reasonable” fees in our community is completed. We considered an average of rates submitted for this process, as well as rates utilized in surrounding communities, and those used in previous years (adjusted for inflation).

We are working to ensure the public who seeks Sheriff’s Office assistance in selecting a wrecker service from our rotation is charged commercially reasonable rates. Decisions on acceptable rates were made by Sheriff Command Staff members without access to data identifying specific company applications. We understand many scenes are complex and the rates provided in applications are the baseline prices for “routine” calls.

We set a maximum allowed rate for certain categories:

• Crash with winch out – $500
• Crash with hookup – $500
• Rollover – $250 (as max add-on portion to the crash rates above)
• Mileage fee per load mile – $5
• Storage fee per day – $75
• After-hour release fee – Set at 50% of the company’s daily storage fee

Wrecker services are licensed in Michigan to perform this work safely. Private party towing often is unsafe for these reasons:

• Timeliness to clear a scene – more time on the road means greater risk to
  all nearby
• Visibility – no emergency lights, reflective vests, daylight vs. darkness
• Busy roads – no use of cones or flares
• Inadequate equipment – improper straps, tie-downs, towing

Safety is our primary concern and private towing may not be permitted.

See “Who decides which wrecker service…” above.

If the selected company or service can respond in a timely manner, the driver’s selection prevails. Often, the nearest participating wrecker service will take hours to respond. For safety of the public, and our Deputies, we may not allow you to wait that long. In this instance, the driver will need to choose another company, or at least be towed to a safe location to await the auto club service to arrive.