Car towed in California? Start here
Free steps to find your car, protect your deadlines and ask for your money back in California.
We checked 9 California towing rules against official sources. Each one has its citation, a link and the date we checked it.
Our full free tool
- Los Angeles, California (Towed in LA)Checks what the law required, finds your deadlines and makes your letters. Free.
- Riverside, California (Towed in Riverside)Checks what the law required, finds your deadlines and makes your letters. Free.
- Sacramento, California (Towed in Sacramento)Checks what the law required, finds your deadlines and makes your letters. Free.
- San Diego, California (Towed in San Diego)Checks what the law required, finds your deadlines and makes your letters. Free.
- San Francisco, California (Towed in San Francisco)Checks what the law required, finds your deadlines and makes your letters. Free.
- San Jose, California (Towed in San Jose)Checks what the law required, finds your deadlines and makes your letters. Free.
1. Find your car
- City of Los Angeles (MyLA311): find a car towed by LAPD or LADOT (links to the OPG search) (Los Angeles; LAPD and LADOT tows (Official Police Garages)). Last checked .
- SFMTA: towed vehicles (search, 415-865-8200) (San Francisco; City tows). Last checked .
- San Diego Police: vehicle impounds and towing (search) (San Diego; City of San Diego tows). Last checked .
- San Jose Police: recover a towed vehicle (Auto Desk, (408) 277-4263) (San Jose; by phone). Last checked .
- Sacramento Police: towed vehicles (916-808-5471) (Sacramento; police tows; by phone). Last checked .
- City of Oakland: towed vehicles (Oakland; City of Oakland tows). Last checked .
If it isn't listed, call the police non-emergency number for the city or county where you parked. Ask whether the car was towed, by whom and where it was taken. We never charge to help you find your car.
What to do right now
- Make sure it was towed, not stolen. Use an official lookup if there is one, or call the police non-emergency number for the place where you parked. Ask who towed it, where it is, and the lot's hours.
- Take photos now. The spot where you parked, every sign at the entrances (or the lack of one), curb paint and meters. When you get the car back, photograph all sides, the inside and the odometer before you leave the lot.
- Get the paperwork. Keep every notice, receipt and letter, and the envelope it came in. Ask for a copy of anything that shows who asked for the tow.
- Ask for an itemized bill before you pay. Compare each charge with the posted rates and, where we list one, your state's or city's maximum.
- Pay by credit card if you can. A card payment leaves a record, and card issuers have a process for disputing charges. Ask for a receipt either way.
- Write down what happened. Times, names, what people said, and any damage you notice.
- Note every deadline. Look for dates on every paper you get. Some deadlines to ask for a hearing or to stop a sale are only days long, and storage charges usually grow every day.
This is general information to help you keep track. It is not legal advice, and it does not decide whether a tow or a charge was lawful.
2. Know your deadline
Ask for a poststorage hearing (police or public-agency tows): 10 days, counted from date on the notice of stored vehicle.
Official text: “the owners, or their agents, shall request the hearing in person, writing, or by telephone within 10 days of the date appearing on the notice.”
We count the way California law does (Code Civ. Proc. §§ 12 and 12a): the start date doesn't count, and a last day on a Saturday, Sunday or court holiday moves to the next day that isn't one.
Source: Veh. Code § 22852(b)(4). Last checked .
Return the Declaration of Opposition to the DMV (REG 668 lien-sale notice): 10 days, counted from date the lien-sale notice was mailed.
Official text: “a Declaration of Opposition form, signed under penalty of perjury, shall be signed and returned to the department within 10 days of the date the Notice of Pending Lien Sale form was mailed.”
We count the way California law does (Code Civ. Proc. §§ 12 and 12a): the start date doesn't count, and a last day on a Saturday, Sunday or court holiday moves to the next day that isn't one.
Source: Civ. Code § 3072(c)(4)(C). Last checked .
Free deadline calculator
Enter the date from your papers. The calculator only counts days; it doesn't say whether a deadline was met. The dates printed on your notices are the ones that count.
3. Get your money back
Common ways people ask for a refund:
- Ask the tow company in writing to refund any charge you think was wrong, and keep a copy.
- File a complaint with the agency that regulates tow companies, if there is one.
- If you paid by card, ask your card issuer how to dispute a charge.
- Ask for a hearing if your state has one (see the deadlines above), or file in small claims court.
- If you want advice about your own situation, talk to a lawyer or legal aid.
The California rules we checked are below.
Key towing rules in California
Hearings
If a police officer or other public agency had your car towed and stored, you have a right to a "poststorage hearing". The storage notice must say that you have to ask for it in person, in writing or by phone within 10 days of the date on the notice.
Official text: “shall request the hearing in person, writing, or by telephone within 10 days of the date appearing on the notice”
Source: Veh. Code § 22852(a), (b)(4). Last checked .
If the hearing finds there were no reasonable grounds to store the car, the agency that directed the storage is responsible for the towing and storage costs.
Official text: “shall be responsible for the costs incurred for towing and storage if it is determined in the poststorage hearing that reasonable grounds for the storage are not established”
Source: Veh. Code § 22852(e). Last checked .
If the tow company wants to sell the car
If you get a "Notice of Pending Lien Sale" (REG 668) for a car worth $4,000 or less, you can ask for a court hearing by returning a signed Declaration of Opposition to the DMV within 10 days of the date the notice was mailed.
Official text: “shall be signed and returned to the department within 10 days of the date the Notice of Pending Lien Sale form was mailed”
Source: Civ. Code § 3072(c)(4)(C), (d). Last checked .
Fees and caps
If you come back after your car is hooked up or lifted but before it leaves the private property, the tow company may charge no more than half its regular towing charge.
Official text: “a charge of no more than one-half the regular towing charge”
Source: Veh. Code § 22658(h). Last checked .
A business may not add a surcharge for paying by credit card instead of cash or check.
Official text: “may impose a surcharge on a cardholder who elects to use a credit card”
Source: Civ. Code § 1748.1(a). Last checked .
Signs and permission to tow
For a tow from private property based on a sign, the sign must be in plain view at all entrances, at least 17 by 22 inches, with letters at least one inch high. It must say that public parking is not allowed and that cars will be removed at the owner's expense, and list the police phone number and each tow company's name and phone number. (A sign is one of several ways the law allows these tows.)
Official text: “a sign not less than 17 inches by 22 inches in size, with lettering not less than one inch in height”
Source: Veh. Code § 22658(a)(1). Last checked .
Getting money back
A person who breaks the written-authorization rules for private-property tows is civilly liable to the car's owner for four times the towing and storage charges.
Official text: “civilly liable to the owner of the vehicle or their agent for four times the amount of the towing and storage charges”
Source: Veh. Code § 22658(l)(5). Last checked .
A person who improperly causes a car to be towed to create a lien loses all claims for towing and storage, and is liable to the owner for the costs, damages, attorneys' fees and court costs. Not following the private-property tow law (Veh. Code § 22658) counts as an improper tow.
Official text: “shall forfeit all claims for towing, removal, or storage”
Source: Civ. Code § 3070(d)(1), (d)(2)(C). Last checked .
Page last reviewed .