In this title, the following words have the meanings indicated.
(1) "Disabled, abandoned, or recovered vehicle" means a motor vehicle that has been damaged or rendered inoperative as a result of a collision or accident; an abandoned motor vehicle that obstructs the free flow of traffic; a recovered stolen motor vehicle; or a motor vehicle impounded by the police.
(2) "Nonconsensual towing" means towing a vehicle from private property for compensation and without the consent of the vehicle owner.
(3) "Parking lot" means a privately owned facility consisting of two or more spaces for motor vehicle parking that is accessible to the general public and intended by the owner of the facility to be used primarily by the owner's customers, clientele, residents, lessees, or guests. For nonconsensual towing, a designated residential parking space or handicapped parking space shall qualify as a parking lot.
(4) "Police-initiated towing" means towing disabled, abandoned, or recovered vehicles at the request of the Police Department.
(5) "Private road" means any road not otherwise designated as a public road as defined in this section.
(6) "Public road" means any street, highway, shoulder, median, right-of-way, alley, sidewalk, road, parking lot or area, lane, path, public way, or any other land that is owned or leased by the County or State and used, intended, or obtained for use for public conveyance of vehicles or persons.
(7) "Redemption area" means a location owned, controlled, or operated by a towing company that is staffed during the regular business day to allow for the retrieval of towed vehicles.
(8) "Regular business day" means the period between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturday, holidays excluded.
(9) "Storage facility" means an area owned, controlled, or operated by a towing company that is staffed during the regular business day and used to store towed vehicles.
(10) "Tow truck" means a vehicle registered with the State Motor Vehicle Administration that is capable of performing towing operations.
(11) "Tow truck operator" means any person who operates equipment used in the towing of vehicles at the request of the Police Department or who tows vehicles from private property for compensation and without the consent of the vehicle's owner.
(12) "Towing company" means a person owning, operating, or conducting the business of towing disabled, abandoned, or recovered vehicles at the request of the Police Department or a person owning, operating, or conducting the business of towing vehicles without the consent of the vehicle's owner.
(1985 Code, Art. 16, § 18-101) (Bill No. 80-99; Bill No. 18-09; Bill No. 52-13; Bill No. 71-18; Bill No. 83-19)