(1) No registered tow truck operator may:

     (a) Except as authorized under RCW 46.55.037, ask for or receive any compensation, gratuity, reward, or promise thereof from a person having control or possession of private property or from an agent of the person authorized to sign an impound authorization, for or on account of the impounding of a vehicle;

     (b) Be beneficially interested in a contract, agreement, or understanding that may be made by or between a person having control or possession of private property and an agent of the person authorized to sign an impound authorization;

     (c) Have a financial, equitable, or ownership interest in a firm, partnership, association, or corporation whose functions include acting as an agent or a representative of a property owner for the purpose of signing impound authorizations.

     (2) This section does not prohibit the registered tow truck operator from collecting the costs of towing, storage, or other services rendered during the course of towing, removing, impounding, or storing of an impounded vehicle as provided by RCW 46.55.120.

     (3) A violation of this section is a gross misdemeanor.

[1992 c 18 § 1; 1989 c 111 § 4.]

NOTES:

Riding in towed vehicles: RCW 46.61.625.

Safety chains for towing: RCW 46.37.495.