California vehicle impoundment law gives police broad authority to tow your car for everything from expired registration to driving on a suspended license, and storage fees run roughly $78 to $81 per day while the car sits. Getting it back usually means a stop at the law enforcement agency that ordered the tow, then a stop at the storage yard with ID, proof of ownership, and payment. The harder cases are the 30-day mandatory holds, which can be shortened in specific situations, and tows you believe were unjustified, which you can challenge at a hearing if you act within 10 days.
Why Cars Get Towed in California
Vehicle Code Section 22651 lists more than two dozen grounds for impoundment. The common ones are a vehicle abandoned on a public road for 72 hours or more in violation of a local ordinance, a car blocking traffic or creating a safety hazard, registration expired more than six months, a driver arrested with no one else at the scene who can lawfully take the car, and parking in a metered or paid zone without evidence of payment.
Most of these are routine. Fix the underlying problem, pay the fees, and the car comes home. The punitive holds come from a different pair of statutes.
The 30-Day Mandatory Hold
Two Vehicle Code sections authorize impoundments that keep your car for a full month regardless of what you can pay.
Driving Unlicensed or Suspended
Under Vehicle Code Section 14602.6, when an officer determines a driver’s license is suspended, revoked, or was never issued, the officer can seize the vehicle on the spot and hold it for 30 days.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 14602.6 The same applies if your license is restricted to vehicles with an ignition interlock device and you’re caught driving a car without one.
The cost is punishing. At current California Highway Patrol maximum storage rates, 30 days of storage for a standard passenger car runs roughly $2,340 to $2,430, before the tow fee and administrative charges.2City of Pomona. California Highway Patrol Maximum Allowable Tow and Storage Rates FY2025-26 For many owners that bill exceeds what the car is worth.
Fleeing, Reckless Driving, or Speed Contests
Vehicle Code Section 14602.7 authorizes a separate 30-day hold when a driver flees from a peace officer, drives recklessly, or participates in a speed contest. This one requires a warrant or court order based on an officer’s affidavit. The impounding agency must send certified notice to the legal owner within two business days; if it misses that deadline, it can only charge for 15 days of storage when the legal owner comes to collect.3California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 14602.7
Getting a 30-Day Hold Released Early
The 30 days are not always absolute. Under Section 14602.6, the impounding agency must release the vehicle early if:
- The car was stolen and the registered owner was not the one driving it unlawfully.
- The car was driven by an unlicensed employee of a business, such as a parking valet or repair shop worker.
- The license was suspended for a reason other than the serious offenses in Vehicle Code Articles 2 and 3 of Division 6 (which cover DUI-related suspensions and hit-and-run, among others).
- The vehicle was seized for an offense that does not actually authorize impoundment under this section.
- The driver reinstates the license and obtains proper insurance during the 30-day period.
Even with an early release, you still have to arrive with a valid driver’s license and proof of current registration before the agency will hand over the paperwork.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 14602.6
Section 14602.7 works similarly. If the registered owner can convince a peace officer that they were not the person fleeing or racing, the agency must release the vehicle immediately.3California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 14602.7
How to Get Your Car Back
Reclaiming the vehicle is a two-stop process: first the law enforcement agency that ordered the tow, then the storage yard.
At the agency, you pay an administrative fee and receive a release form. Vehicle Code Section 22850.5 lets cities, counties, and state agencies charge a fee equal to their administrative costs. There’s no statewide cap, so the amount varies by jurisdiction.4California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 22850.5
At the tow yard, bring:
- Valid photo identification.
- Proof of ownership or authorization, meaning registration documents, insurance cards, or written authorization from the registered owner.
- The release form from the law enforcement agency, where applicable (such as cases involving a crime or fatality).
- Full payment of all towing and storage fees.
Once you produce these items and pay, the yard must release the vehicle. If you retrieve it within the first 72 hours of storage, you won’t be charged a lien fee on top of the towing and storage charges.5California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 22651.07
What It Costs Per Day
The California Highway Patrol sets maximum allowable storage rates each fiscal year. For FY 2025–26, indoor storage of a standard passenger car or motorcycle is capped at $81.06 per day; outdoor storage of a standard vehicle starts at $77.78 per day. Larger vehicles cost more, up to $90.55 per day for tractor-trailers.2City of Pomona. California Highway Patrol Maximum Allowable Tow and Storage Rates FY2025-26
These are maximums. Some yards charge less; many charge right at the cap. The tow fee itself is separate and depends on vehicle class and the type of tow. Add in the agency administrative fee, and a routine one-week impoundment can easily run $700 to $900. Every day of delay adds another $78 to $81.
Getting Your Personal Belongings Back
You do not have to pay storage fees to retrieve your personal property. Under Vehicle Code Section 22651.07, the storage facility must return your belongings at no charge during normal business hours, defined as Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding state holidays.5California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 22651.07
Section 22851 backs this up: no lien attaches to personal property inside the vehicle. The yard cannot hold a laptop, medication, car seat, or anything else to force payment of the tow bill. Demanding payment for personal items during business hours violates state law.6California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 22851
If you need access outside normal hours, the facility can charge a gate fee, capped at one-half the hourly tow rate that was originally charged when your car was towed.
Challenging the Tow: Post-Storage Hearings
If you believe the impoundment was unjustified, Vehicle Code Section 22852 gives you the right to a hearing. The deadlines are tight on both sides.
Within 48 hours of the impoundment (excluding weekends and holidays), the agency must mail or personally deliver a storage notice to the registered and legal owners. The notice must state the storage location, describe the vehicle, give the reason for removal, and explain how to request a hearing.7California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 22852
You then have 10 days from the date on the notice to request a hearing, in person, in writing, or by phone. Once you ask, the agency must hold the hearing within 48 hours, again excluding weekends and holidays. The hearing officer cannot be the person who ordered the tow.
The hearing is informal, and the agency carries the burden of proving reasonable grounds for the storage. If the hearing officer finds there weren’t reasonable grounds, the agency that employed the officer who ordered the tow is responsible for all towing and storage costs. That’s a full refund of everything you paid the yard.
Miss the 10-day window or skip the hearing, and you lose this right.
Private Property Tows Work Differently
Not every impoundment starts with a police officer. Property owners can authorize tows from private lots under Vehicle Code Section 22658, provided signage and notification requirements are met.8California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 22658
One important boundary: the post-storage hearing rights under Section 22852 do not apply to private property tows. If you think a private tow was unlawful, your remedy is typically a civil claim against the property owner or the towing company, not an administrative hearing.
If You Don’t Claim the Vehicle
Ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away. Under Vehicle Code Section 22851, the yard acquires a possessory lien on the vehicle for towing and storage costs. The lien is good for up to 60 days. If the yard files a lien sale application within 30 days of the tow, the lien extends to 120 days.6California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 22851 After that period, if no one claims the car, the yard can sell it to recover its costs. The lien cannot be transferred to a third party; the yard must conduct the sale itself.
If the vehicle is worth little, the math may work against you. A $3,000 car with a $2,300 storage bill often isn’t worth recovering. Even then, go get your personal belongings. That’s free during business hours, and once the car is sold, anything still inside it is no longer the yard’s responsibility.
Extra Protection for Active-Duty Servicemembers
Federal law adds a layer here. Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, 50 U.S.C. § 3958, a storage lien on a servicemember’s property cannot be foreclosed or enforced during the member’s period of military service or for 90 days afterward without a court order.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3958 – Enforcement of Storage Liens A yard cannot conduct a lien sale on a servicemember’s impounded vehicle without going to court first. If the court finds the servicemember’s ability to pay is materially affected by military service, it can stay the proceedings or adjust the obligation. Knowingly violating this provision is a federal misdemeanor carrying up to one year in prison.