For several months distraught residents and visitors of “The Reserve at Renton” senior living apartments have been attending Renton City Council Meetings and complaining about towing.  Many have testified that they or someone they know had their car towed to Kent unfairly, and they say they were billed as much as eight hundred dollars to reclaim their car.

I posted two blog entries about this controversy in September that you can find here and here.

On my first post an anonymous commenter wrote “I’d be curious if the towing company is licensed to do business in Renton”.  I assumed the company probably had a Renton license, as it seemed unlikely that a company that was being discussed so publicly at Council meetings would not be checked by anyone at the city as to whether they had a Renton business license. But I told the commenter I would look into it.

Anonymous comment on my blog post

I only recently followed up on this comment, and the answer surprised me.

The city publishes an 81 page list of active Renton business licenses, and Lynn’s Towing is not on it.  There are nineteen other tow companies on the list, including many in Renton and some in Seattle, Issaquah, Burien, and elsewhere.  There are also many other types of businesses with headquarters on Central Ave in Kent, near Lynn’s towing address of record.  But Lynn’s Towing does not appear to be on the list.  Readers can check the list for themselves here.

The active business license list can be found on this page of the Renton City Website

Lynn’s Towing would have been in this part of the list if they had a Renton business license

This excerpt from Renton’s website says they are required to get a Renton business license.

Note that I’m only commenting on whether Lynn’s Towing appears to be on the published list of Renton business licenses.  Towing companies also need Federal DOT and State Business License, and I think that they meet those requirements; State license records show them with a current license.  I tried to access the company’s website today to find their posted license information, and unfortunately the site appeared to be down both times that I checked it.

Their website appeared down or the public was locked out when I checked it today

I’m not an attorney, so I can not say whether a lack of a city license would have any bearing on the legality of the towing actions that were discussed at the Renton City Council meetings.  Towing procedures are covered primarily under state law (and at this time I assume the business has the necessary state licenses). City business licensing concerns would primarily be an issue between the city and the business, and often involve payment of taxes to the correct jurisdiction.

Anyone in Renton whose car gets towed involuntarily could ask for  proof that the towing company is licensed to do business in our city.  A business found to be ignoring licensing rules has no credibility in making judgements about who is lawfully following parking rules.

The Reserve at Renton on Rainier Avenue South (near Fred Meyer).  Motorists patronizing these ground-floor businesses have very few designated parking spots, and if the spots are taken they risk towing if they park elsewhere on the property.  Patrons are directed to park in “unmarked spots” which actually belong to adjacent property owners: the Feast Buffet or Fred Meyer shopping center.  These adjacent parking lots also have tow signs designating they can tow “unauthorized” vehicles,  with a Renton-based towing company’s contact information.  There have been no complaints to City Council about the Renton-based towing company or unfair towing.

There have been no complaints to City Council about towing from the Renton Center/ Fred Meyer parking lot or the adjoining Feast Buffet lot (shown here).  Patrons and visitors of the Reserve at Renton appear to be effectively directed here, even though this property is under different ownership.