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Grand Forks committee votes to remove maximum towing fee caps, keeps licensing and access protections
Summary
Following debate, the committee voted 6–1 to remove city code caps on maximum towing fees but retain licensing, impound access rules and add a requirement that property owners make specific removal requests to avoid predatory towing.
The Grand Forks Committee of the Whole voted 6–1 to remove the municipal maximum fee caps for private‑property tows but kept other regulatory protections in place, such as licensing requirements and access rules for vehicles in impound lots.
Why it matters: Grand Forks is the only major North Dakota city that, until this vote, capped maximum towing fees in local code; committee members debated whether the caps are still needed after more than a decade and whether removing them would expose residents to predatory charging.
The ordinance change brought to the committee revisits a 2011 city code enacted after reported “predatory towing” incidents. Miss Lundmark (city staff) summarized the code’s origins and the protections it contains: “At that time we put in, the ordinance we put into place required licensing by any business who was going to be providing that service and each of their drivers also had to hold a license,” she said.
A motion from Council member Osowski sought to remove the maximum‑fee subsection; Council member Alunsky seconded the motion. Several council members argued caps were no longer necessary because prior bad actors no longer operate in town and because other code protections remain. Opponents urged retaining caps as a consumer protection; Council member Berg voted against the motion.
Council legal staff and the police department explained enforcement provisions. City attorney staff said operating without a license remains an offense, and police noted the code change will include a refinement requiring that private‑property owners make a specific request to a towing vendor before a tow may occur — a measure intended to stop tow operators from “trolling” for work in parking lots. City staff noted fines for unlicensed towing already exist in the code (up to $1,000 and license revocation is possible).
The committee approved the change 6–1; staff said the proposed text edit removes only the maximum fee subsection (previously in 20‑1‑907) and will come back as an ordinance for council readings. Staff also plans minor non‑fee code cleanups at the next council meeting.
Ending: With the caps removed, towing rates on private‑property tows will be set by market and company pricing subject to enforcement of licensing and impound access rules; the council will take formal ordinance readings in the next meeting.
