City goes after tow-company license

Indianapolis is moving to revoke the license of a prominent local towing company that officials say has violated local ordinances and elicited more than two dozen consumer complaints.

The city’s Department of Code Enforcement on Monday issued a hearing notice to Interstate/Delaware and South Towing for license revocation or suspension.

According to the city, the company, which has locations downtown on Delaware Street and on Kitley Road on the city’s east side, has not upheld requirements to post signage and to get approval from parking lot owners or authorized agents before towing vehicles. The firm received a citation for inadequate signage in late October.

Interstate/Delaware and South’s general manager, Brian Meyer, could not be reached for comment Tuesday morning.

Earlier this year, the City-County Council approved regulations to prevent companies from engaging in predatory towing practices. The new rules include caps for towing and storage fees, requirements that towing companies accept cash and credit-card payments, and 24/7 access to towed vehicles.

Interstate/Delaware and South is the first towing company to face a license hearing since those provisions were put in place, said Kate Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Code Enforcment.

Code enforcement officials have received 28 citizen complaints since late August that Interstate/Delaware and South violated these and other rules, including  exceeding the fee cap and failing to post sufficient signage.

A hearing on the license is scheduled for Jan. 10, when an administrative law judge will determine whether to revoke the company's license.

If its license is revoked, Interstate/Delaware and South could be prohibited from towing vehicles without consent of their owners in Indianapolis for up to a year, Johnson said.