§291C-135  Tow trucks; signage and insurancerequirements.  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, theregistered owner or lessee of a tow truck shall:

(1)  Permanently affix on each door of the truck asign with the name and telephone number of the tow business.  The letters andnumbers used in the sign shall be no less than two inches in height; and

(2)  Maintain insurance coverage sufficient to protectowners of towed vehicles in the event of vehicle loss or damage due to towing. If a tow operator fails to comply with the insurance requirements of thissection, no charges, including storage charges, may be collected by the towoperator as a result of the tow or as a condition of the release of the towedvehicle.  Any person, including the registered owner, lien holder, or insurerof the vehicle, who has been injured by the tow operator's failure to complywith this section is entitled to sue for damages sustained.  If a judgment isobtained by the plaintiff, the court shall award the plaintiff a sum of notless than $1,000 or threefold damages sustained by the plaintiff, whichever sumis greater, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

This section shall not apply to a county that hasadopted ordinances regulating towing operations. [L 2000, c 260, §1; am L 2003,c 84, §4]