A. Inspection: Prior to release of towed motor vehicles, the tow truck operator shall permit the owner of the vehicle towed, or his authorized agent, to inspect the interior and exterior of said vehicle and its contents.
B. Identification: The owner or authorized agent of the owner of the towed vehicle shall be identified by a valid driver's license and an ignition key which operates the vehicle towed; or in the instance of rented vehicles, identification may be accomplished by presentation of a rental contract and the driver's license of the renting party named in the rental contract.
C. Fees And Charges: Should the tow truck operator claim fees and charges for towing, it shall base fees and charges on rates as stated in section 5-13-2 of this chapter.
D. Payment Methods: The tow truck operator shall accept any of the following methods of payment for such fees and charges:
1. United States currency,
2. Regular recognized traveler's checks,
3. Money order,
4. Cashiers' or certified check,
5. Major credit and debit cards. To the extent that the city of Carbondale is authorized to enact regulations on the use of credit and debit cards, a tow truck operator holding a properly signed credit or debit card receipt shall become a holder in due course, and neither the holder of the credit or debit card nor the company which issued the credit or debit card may thereafter refuse to remit payment in the amount shown on the credit or debit card receipt minus the ordinary charge assessed by the credit or debit card company for processing the charge. No tow truck operator may charge any extra fee for payment by credit or debit card.
E. Vehicle Release: The tow truck operator shall immediately release a towed motor vehicle to the owner upon tender of the lawfully authorized fee. Failure of the tow truck operator to release a vehicle within thirty (30) minutes of the fee being tendered shall result in a loss of the fee.
F. Reason For Tow: The tow truck operator shall provide a reason for the vehicle being towed.
G. Hours For Release Of Vehicles: A tow truck operator must be open for release of vehicles Monday through Friday, eight o'clock (8:00) A.M. to six o'clock (6:00) P.M., except for the following holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. A tow truck operator must release vehicles upon demand at all other times upon payment of an after hours fee per section 5-13-2 of this chapter, except no after hours fee may be charged for the release of vehicles within two (2) hours of a vehicle being towed. (Ord. 2015-17)