Council approves changes to towing rules for private property, removing routine on‑scene police presence and adding digital‑payment and audit requirements

North Myrtle Beach council advanced and approved first‑reading amendments on May 4 to chapter 22 of the code of ordinances regulating towing from private property.

The ordinance rewrites procedures for private‑property tows so that towing operators can act after the property owner or an authorized agent requests a tow, rather than requiring police officers to be physically present for every private tow. City Attorney Chris Nuri described the change as shifting front‑end verification to post‑action audits and record checks: “So instead of us doing it on the front end, being there, being present for that interaction, we're going to give ourselves the ability to do it on the back end,” he said.

Key provisions discussed and adopted include:

- Owner/agent authorization: a private owner or agent must authorize a tow; towing companies must retain authorization records and make them available for audit. - Notification: towing operators must notify police dispatch after nonconsensual tows, consistent with state law timeframes (staff referenced the 1‑hour notification requirement under state law). Staff said the city could require a shorter timeline but could not go below the state minimum. - Digital payments: the ordinance expects towing operators to accept digital/credit‑card payments so motorists without cash can use a reduced “no‑tow” fee option; the city attorney said municipalities have authority to require electronic payment for consumer protection. Tow company speakers warned of disputes and chargebacks that can create collection delays; operators asked whether the city could establish a reserve to offset chargebacks.

Towing companies, HOA representatives and property managers provided varied perspectives. One private operator described frequent safety issues when officers do not arrive quickly and urged the city to allow rapid private tows: “It would be a whole lot simpler for me to pick up the phone, call a tow company, let them come and tow the vehicle because by the time I wait on the police to get there, they're already most of them come out. They wanna fight. They wanna pull guns. They wanna pull knives,” said Bill Robinson, a marina operator. HOA representatives said the revised process was more efficient and preferable to tying up police resources. Tow operators urged reasonable safeguards on chargebacks and asked that the agent‑of‑record requirement be workable for large HOAs.

Council members balanced concerns about consumer protection, HOA logistics and liability. One council member warned that private‑property tows can create lengthy legal disputes that strain resources; another said the change would keep officers available for higher‑priority policing.

After public comment and discussion, council voted in favor of the ordinance at first reading by voice vote.

Next steps: staff and legal will finalize ordinance language to address specific operational details (sign material and sizing, electronic authorization/recordkeeping, and procedures for audits) before the next reading.