Howard County
Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs
In short
Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs issues 2 permits we publish for Howard County, last verified 2026-10-02. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trespass Towing Company Registrationonly if it applies to you | Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs | $150 annual, per company | annual, renewed each January | 2026-10-02 |
| Peddler/Solicitor Identification Cardonly if it applies to you | Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs | $100 if the card is requested on or after July 1; $50 if requested on or after January 1 (cards expire June 30 regardless of request date). A discounted $50 annual fee is available to firms that have adopted a code of ethics under Howard County Code §14.706(8), under Resolution No. 87-2026, effective July 1, 2026. | annual, expiring June 30 regardless of request date | 2026-10-02 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Trespass Towing Company Registration
A towing company that tows vehicles from private property without the owner's consent (trespass towing) in Howard County must register annually, each January, with the Office of Consumer Affairs, at $150 a year under Resolution No. 87-2026, effective July 1, 2026. This registration applies only to the trespass-towing subset of the auto-repair industry on this site — a general auto-repair shop that does not perform private-property trespass towing has no obligation under this record. The same resolution also sets Howard County's maximum towing rates, for example $125 to attach or remove a vehicle of 8,000 lbs or less and $390 for a heavier vehicle, which a registered trespass-towing company may not exceed.
Peddler/Solicitor Identification Card
A food-truck or mobile-vendor operator soliciting business outside a fixed licensed location, or a retail or contractor business making door-to-door sales calls, needs a Peddler/Solicitor Identification Card from the Office of Consumer Affairs under Howard County Code §14.702: $100 if requested on or after July 1, or $50 if requested on or after January 1, with every card expiring June 30 regardless of when it was requested, under Resolution No. 87-2026, effective July 1, 2026. A firm that has adopted a code of ethics under Howard County Code §14.706(8) qualifies for the discounted $50 annual fee regardless of request date. This requirement applies only to the peddling/soliciting and door-to-door subset of these industries, not to a business operating solely from a fixed, licensed location.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Howard County
- Phone
- Not verified — use the website
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Howard County Council Resolution No. 87-2026, Fees & Rates, Various Departments (towing, peddler/solicitor), effective July 1, 2026Howard County Council · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
Other offices serving Howard County
- Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits (DILP)
- Howard County Health Department, Bureau of Environmental Health
- Circuit Court for Howard County, Clerk's Office, License Department
- Howard County Board of License Commissioners (County Council, ex officio)
- Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Maryland jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.