A bill meant to keep rogue tow operators from reinventing themselves — or their license plates — has been sitting on Gov. JB Pritzker's desk, giving Illinois another shot at its long-running crash-scene towing problem. The measure would give the Secretary of State wider power to suspend or revoke tow registrations when fraud or illegal plate use is involved, but it is not law yet.
HB 4843 passed the Illinois House 110-0 on April 15 and the Senate 59-0 on May 21 before lawmakers sent it to Pritzker on June 18, according to the Illinois General Assembly. That timeline means Wednesday's renewed attention is not the result of a new vote; the bill has been awaiting action from the governor for more than a month.
The legislation is backed by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Chicago Ald. Gilbert Villegas, who has pushed towing reforms locally. Giannoulias said the measure would give his office “stronger enforcement tools” to identify bad actors and remove them from Illinois roads, as reported by CBS News Chicago.
Under the enrolled bill, the Secretary of State could suspend or revoke a tow truck or wrecker operator's certificate or special plates if the operator is not legally entitled to them, uses the plates illegally, commits fraud in vehicle registration or fails to provide required transfer notices. The bill also makes clear that tow truck plates may be suspended or revoked under the state's existing enforcement provisions, according to the enrolled legislation.
HB 4843 would add another layer to reforms that took effect January 1. Public Act 104-0133 allows Illinois Commerce Commission police to impound tow trucks being used without valid safety-relocator registration or by operators with unpaid commission fines, while the law also requires more detailed business and storage-lot information. Separate reporting by CBS found that the new rules bar scanner monitoring and prevent tow operators from placing liens on many personal items left inside towed vehicles.
The tougher rules follow years of complaints from Chicago drivers who say tow trucks appeared at crash scenes uninvited, hauled away their cars and demanded steep fees for their return. In one 2024 investigation, CBS News Chicago reported that a man who had lost access to his vehicle said a towing company demanded $11,000, while the Illinois Commerce Commission said a related company had 49 unpaid citations totaling more than $46,000.
Chicago has been trying to build its own enforcement muscle, too. A proposed city overhaul championed by Villegas would give local authorities more power to punish illegal towers, building on a licensing effort approved after aldermen called rogue towing a “public safety nightmare,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Hoodline previously reported on the city's so-called “Rogue Towing 2.0” push and its proposed seizure and impoundment powers.
What The Bill Would Mean For Drivers
HB 4843 is primarily an enforcement measure aimed at the operator's credentials, not a promise of automatic refunds or immediate release of a vehicle. If Pritzker signs it, the law would take effect immediately and give state officials another way to target operators who try to stay in business through fraudulent registrations or illegal plates.
Drivers dealing with a disputed tow would still need to document the truck, paperwork, fees and storage location. Illinois law separately requires safety relocators to provide required disclosures and an itemized final invoice, while the Illinois Commerce Commission maintains complaint resources for consumers and legitimate operators.
