Is my car being sold? Lien sales and tow yard auctions in Los Angeles
If a tow yard keeps a car and the bill is not paid, the yard can sell it in a "lien sale" or, for a low-value car, send it to a scrap yard. The law makes the yard send you a notice first. Your notice tells you which rules apply and how much time you have.
General information, not legal advice. Check your notice: the dates printed on it are the ones that count. Count calendar days. If the last day is a weekend or holiday, act earlier.
Check your dates
The rules, by notice
| Your notice | Deadline to object | When the car can be sold or scrapped | Can you buy it back after the sale? |
|---|---|---|---|
| REG 668 (car worth more than $500, up to $4,000) | 10 days from the mailing date. Send the Declaration of Opposition to the DMV (Civil Code section 3072(c)(4)). | On the date printed on the notice, which must be 31 to 41 days after it was mailed (section 3072(c)(2)). | No. There is no buy-back period for a car worth $4,000 or less. |
| DMV letter, then REG 280 and a newspaper notice (car worth more than $4,000) | 10 days from the date the DMV mailed its letter. Send the Declaration of Opposition to the DMV (Civil Code section 3071(c)(3)). | Only after the DMV approves the sale. The yard must mail a REG 280 20 days before the sale and run a newspaper notice 5 to 20 days before it (section 3071(f)). LA police tow yards must run the newspaper notice at least 10 days before (OPG Regulation #16). | Yes, within 10 days after the sale, by paying the sale price, the costs of the sale and 12% yearly interest (section 3071(k)). |
| REG 684 (car worth $500 or less) | 10 days from the mailing date. Send the Declaration of Opposition to the tow yard or lienholder named on the notice, not the DMV (Vehicle Code section 22851.8(c)). | No auction. The car can go to a dismantler or scrap yard no earlier than 15 days after the notice was mailed, unless you object in time (section 22851.10(a)). | No. |
- Paying the bill before the sale is the way to get the car back. Objecting can stop the sale, but storage charges keep adding up. For a car worth $4,000 or less, objecting raises the storage limit from 60 to 120 days (Civil Code section 3068.1(b)).
- Leftover money: if your car sold for more than the bill, you can claim the extra from the DMV within three years (Civil Code section 3073). The DMV Lien Sales Unit is at (916) 657-7617.
- A sale that does not follow these rules is void (Civil Code sections 3071(l) and 3072(j)).
Get help objecting to a lien sale
The tool opens at its first page. Answer the questions about your lien-sale notice, and the "Lien-sale opposition" part fills in your opposition form. (Links straight to that step are coming.)
Sources: Civil Code section 3071; section 3072; section 3073; Vehicle Code section 22851.8; section 22851.10; DMV lien sales page; TOPS manual (OPG Regulations).
Last checked .
When and where LA police tow yards hold auctions
These are the 18 Official Police Garages that tow for the City of Los Angeles. Days and addresses come from the Police Commission's TOPS manual (section 10, in effect since September 1, 2026). Viewing and start times come from the OPG Association's pages. Each yard's own page is linked where it has one. When sources disagree, we say so. Call the yard before you go.
| Tow yard | Auction day | Times | Auction address and phone | List of cars and notes | Sources | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viertel's Central Service area 1 | Friday | Viewing 9:00 a.m. Sale 10:00 a.m. | 401 W. Ave 33, Los Angeles, CA 90031 (323) 342-0342 | No separate list found. Search the OPG Association's auction database. Sources disagree: The OPG Association lists the auction address as 403 West Avenue 33; TOPS says 401 W. Ave 33. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page | |
| HCCS Tow Service area 2 | Monday | Times not published. Call the yard. | 645 N. Virgil Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004 (323) 913-4040 | The yard's auction page explains the process. No list of cars found. Sources disagree: The OPG Association's website does not list HCCS Tow. Its Area 2 page names a different company, with a Tuesday auction at another address. TOPS (September 1, 2026) lists HCCS Tow for Service Area 2. | TOPS sec. 10; Yard's auction page | |
| Swanney & McDonald Service area 3 | Tuesday | Viewing 9:00 a.m. Sale 10:00 a.m. | 1224 E. 28th St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (ZIP as printed) (323) 773-6898 | The yard points to the OPG Association's auction database. Sources disagree: TOPS and the OPG Association print ZIP code 90012, but maps place 1224 E. 28th St in 90011. Sources disagree: The OPG Association lists the phone number as (323) 733-6898; TOPS says (323) 773-6898. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; Yard's website | |
| Absolute Towing Service area 4 | Tuesday | Viewing 8:00 a.m. Sale 9:00 a.m. | 4760 Valley Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90032 (323) 225-9294 | No separate list found. Search the OPG Association's auction database. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page | |
| Seventh Street Garage Service area 5 | Monday | Viewing 8:30 a.m. Sale 10:00 a.m. | 701 Sanford Ave, Wilmington, CA 90744 (310) 856-1980 | The yard's auction page shows its next sale date and a list of cars. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; Yard's auction page | |
| Hollywood Tow Service Service area 6 | Thursday | Viewing 8:30 a.m. Sale 10:00 a.m. | 1015 N. Mansfield Ave, Hollywood, CA 90038 (323) 466-8583 | The yard's auction page lists this week's cars. Sources disagree: The OPG Association lists the phone number as (323) 466-5421; TOPS says (323) 466-8583. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; Yard's auction page | |
| S&J Wilshire Tow Service area 7 | Wednesday | Viewing 10:00 a.m. Sale 11:00 a.m. | 2368 W. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 734-3137 | The yard's auction page links to its list in several pages. Sources disagree: The yard's own page says viewing at 9:00 a.m. and the sale at 10:00 a.m., at 1907 W. Gage Ave. TOPS and the OPG Association say 2368 W. Washington Blvd, and the OPG Association says 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; Yard's auction page | |
| Quick Silver Towing Service area 8 | Wednesday (evening) | Viewing 6:00 p.m. Sale 7:00 p.m. | 1981 Cotner Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025 (310) 478-1201 | The yard's auction page lists this week's and next week's cars. Sources disagree: The OPG Association says every Wednesday. The yard's own page says every other Wednesday, but it listed sales on two weeks in a row. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; Yard's auction page | |
| Keystone Towing Service area 9 | Thursday (evening) | Viewing 6:30 p.m. Sale 7:30 p.m. | 16139 Stagg St, Van Nuys, CA 91406 (818) 782-1996 | Shared sale with Ross Baker Towing. Run as an in-person and online sale by VMS Auctions. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; VMS Auctions Los Angeles page | |
| Jon's Towing Service area 10 | Tuesday | Viewing 8:00 a.m. Sale 10:00 a.m. | 7930 Deering Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91304 (818) 884-5600 | The yard's auction page lists upcoming sales by date. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; Yard's auction page | |
| Viertel's Northeast Service area 11 | Friday | Viewing 9:00 a.m. Sale 10:00 a.m. | 401 W. Ave 33, Los Angeles, CA 90031 (323) 342-0342 | No separate list found. Search the OPG Association's auction database. Sources disagree: The OPG Association lists the auction address as 403 West Avenue 33; TOPS says 401 W. Ave 33. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page | |
| Al's Towing Service area 12 | Wednesday | Times not published. Call the yard. | 1919 W. Gage Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 778-4903 | No separate list found. Search the OPG Association's auction database. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page | |
| US Tow Service area 13 | Thursday | Times not published. Call the yard. | 2119 E. 25th St, Los Angeles, CA 90058 (213) 749-7100 | The yard's website has a "This week's list" link. Sources disagree: The OPG Association's link to this yard's auction page did not work when we checked. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; Yard's website | |
| Bruffy's Tow Service area 14 | Tuesday | Viewing 9:00 a.m. Sale 10:00 a.m. | 11101 S. Hindry Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90045 (310) 395-0084 | The yard's auction page links to a printable list in the OPG Association's database. Sources disagree: The OPG Association prints the auction ZIP code as 90044; TOPS says 90045. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; Yard's auction page | |
| Black & White Towing Service area 15 and 16 | Wednesday | Viewing 8:30 a.m. Sale 10:00 a.m. | 11303 San Fernando Rd, Pacoima, CA 91331 (818) 896-9511 | The yard's site links to the OPG Association's database and warns that not every car listed may still be for sale. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; Yard's website | |
| Ross Baker Towing Service area 17 | Thursday (evening) | Viewing 6:30 p.m. Sale 7:30 p.m. | 16139 Stagg St, Van Nuys, CA 91406 (818) 886-7411 | Shared sale with Keystone Towing. Run as an in-person and online sale. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page; Yard's auction page | |
| Kelmark Tow Service area 18 | Thursday | Viewing 8:00 a.m. Sale 9:00 a.m. | 620 E. 111th Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90059 (323) 779-3202 | No separate list found. Search the OPG Association's auction database. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page | |
| Pepe's Towing Service (heavy-duty vehicles, citywide) Service area Heavy duty, all areas | Thursday | Viewing 11:00 a.m. Sale 12:00 p.m. | 220 N. Broad Ave, Wilmington, CA 90744 (424) 703-6200 | No separate list found. Search the OPG Association's auction database. Sources disagree: The OPG Association lists the phone number as (310) 518-7100; TOPS says (424) 703-6200. | TOPS sec. 10; OPG Association page |
- Most yards say their sales skip holidays. Holiday weeks may move or cancel a sale.
- Cars are often picked up or pulled before a sale, and yards warn their lists can change. A car missing from a list does not mean it is not being sold.
- Many yards do not post their own list. The OPG Association's auction search covers all of them, but it needs a CAPTCHA and limits free searches.
- Since September 1, 2026, OPG Regulation #10 says these auctions must be open to the public at a fixed, announced place, date and time in the City, and no ID, deposit or fee may be required to attend or get a bidder number. Some yard websites still say ID or a deposit is needed, so call ahead.
- This list covers only the City of Los Angeles police tow yards. Private-property tow yards and other cities run their own sales.
- We never show owner names, license plates or VINs.