The following definitions will apply throughout this chapter:

(1) "Chief" means the chief of the Washington state patrol.

(2) "Department" means the Washington state department of licensing.

(3) "Designee" means a person designated by the chief of the Washington state patrol.

(4) "Director" means the director of the department of licensing.

(5) "District commander" means the commanding officer or designee of a geographical area established by the Washington state patrol.

(6) "Emergent move" or "emergent movement" means a law enforcement directed movement of any vehicle by a tow truck, utilizing any safe means, for the purposes of clearing the roadway in the interest of safety and/or for the reduction of congestion.

(7) "Highway" has the same meaning as provided in chapter 46.04 RCW.

(8) "Initial tow" means services provided including, but not limited to, collisions, incidents, disableds, and impound requests, as a result of an original call, on a particular vehicle, that the tow operator receives from the patrol using a copy of a current rotational call list for the particular zone.

(9) "Inspection certificate" means an inspection report and a tow inspection summary report completed by an inspector.

(10) "Inspector" means a commissioned officer of the Washington state patrol who has been designated as a tow truck inspector by the patrol.

(11) "Letter of appointment" means a document issued by the Washington state patrol and signed by the patrol and registered tow truck operator that authorizes the tow operator to tow and store vehicles for the patrol on a rotational or contractual basis in a specified area. The letter of appointment contains a rotational tow rate cap agreement that specifies the maximum tow rates that may be charged for services provided as a result of patrol originated calls.

(12) "Owner/operator" means an owner of a towing business who is active in the general management of the business.

(13) "Patrol" means the Washington state patrol as defined in RCW 43.43.010.

(14) "Place of business" means a building located in an assigned tow zone that the registered tow truck operator occupies, either continuously or at regular times, where tow business books and records are kept and tow business is transacted.

(15) "Registered tow truck operator" or "tow operator" means a person who engages in the impounding, transporting, or storage of unauthorized vehicles, or in the disposal of abandoned vehicles.

(16) "Secondary tow" means towing services from a tow operator's storage facility or place of business to another location designated by the owner/agent of a vehicle, when the initial towing services were the result of a call from the patrol.

(17) "Section" means the section designated by the chief of the Washington state patrol to coordinate the tow truck inspection program, maintain tow truck files, and issue letters of appointment.

(18) "Section commander" means the commanding officer or designee of the section.

(19) "Special event" means any event that causes an unusually large number of impounded vehicles and/or tow calls in a short period of time and which is declared as such by the district commander or designee.

(20) "Special event storage area" means an area used for temporarily storing vehicles impounded/towed from special events. Approval for such areas must be obtained from the department, the patrol, and appropriate city and county jurisdictions.

(21) "State recognized holiday" means a legal holiday as outlined under RCW 1.16.050.

(22) "Storage area" means the approved yard and buildings (primary and secondary) where stored vehicles are kept. The storage areas and fencing must comply with the requirements established by the department and local zoning rules and regulations. Both primary and secondary storage areas must be physically located within the tow zone assigned to the tow operator under a letter of appointment.

(23) "Tow truck" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 46.55.010.

(24) "Tow truck number" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 46.55.010.

(25) "Tow truck permit" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 46.55.010.

(26) "Tow truck service" means the towing, moving, transporting, or impounding of vehicles, together with personal effects and cargo, by a registered tow truck operator utilizing equipment approved by the patrol.

(27) "Tow zone" means that specific geographical area designated by the district commander for the removal of vehicles as defined in Title 46 RCW and this chapter.

PDFWAC 204-91A-030

Definitions.