Impounded for past due registration? (CA)

Please... no rants about the state of CA or the dmv or the police or otherwise.

looking for replies from anyone who is savvy about the CA vehicle code.

My buddy got his car towed and impounded yesterday. the officer said that it was POLICY to impound a car that was 6 month out of registration. well his is only 5 months out. I know, register your car. that's no the issue.

I'm curious if you can actually get your car impounded over back registration.

I've been ticketed for having my tags out of date, but impounded???

any helpful responses are appreciated.

 

how are we supposed to give an answer without a rant about the police or the state of California?

 

I assume he was driving it?
If that was the case, I don't see it as unreasonable to impound it, as he's essentially driving an unregistered vehicle at that point. Hell, I hear it's 30 days in a lot of places.

 

It seems that you have two choices. One, contact a lawyer. Two, vacate the state.
It's a beautiful bit of geography, but unfortunately.......oh, you requested no rants. I'll stop.

 

Ok.. All he has to to do is go to the DMV bring it up to current go to the police station the dept that impounded it!! And get a release form then go to the tow yard and pay the tow and storage and drive it home!!! That simple!!!

 

Doesn't the fact that your buddy got his car impounded answer your question?

 

The state is getting creative in ways to raise money.

If your car is out of registration, yet on a public road (even parked) they have the right. That's one of the prices we pay for good weather. It won't change. At least not for the better.

 

technically no. it was parked. but on a public street.

Thanks for the reply, but i'm really not looking for hearsay. i'm looking for solid knowledge. not really for him, his car is already in and out of the tow lot. but the whole thing has my interest up.

its one of those things i never thought about, and i'm sure many others haven't either.

like i didn't know that in the city next door, its illegal to have an inoperable vehicle parked outside your garage for more than 72 hrs. even though its on your own property.

 

Yeah, the tow yards are in cahoots with the police so this is likely to cost around a grand in fines, impound fees, tow fees, and surcharges for 1-2 days impound, not including the cost to get the car registered again. The police state doesn't just exist in Kalifornia, comrade.

 

no, it doesn't. that's why i asked. the city it got towed in has a long history of rackets with the tow company. it forced the last tow yard to close down and cost a few people in the PD their jobs.

 

Maybe he's being Overhauled?

 

I buy wrecked and junk vehicles all over the nation for a living. I've had two people in the last week from California tell me their car got towed because the registration was expired.

Now I cannot corroborate their stories, meaning that they may have been towed for other reasons as well as having expired tags.

One person went on to say that there was nothing wrong with the car other than expired registration and he had no parking tickets or anything outstanding that would make the car get towed.

This is just my $.02 on the topic. Draw your own conclusions.

 

It has to be OVER 6 months expired...parked or driven on public property or property open to public... impound fines vary from city to city. Should have been towed under California vehicle code 22651 (O)...it is was towed before 6 months..it was not a lawful tow. Here is the code http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22651.htm

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Even though I have home in Cal. all my vehicles are still registered in WA since I own a home there. I'm just a visitor thank god. It's a constant battle for the hot rod guys, Assholes!

 

22651(o) of the vehicle code. 6 months or more out of registration and parked or moving on a public street and it can get towed.

Now if he was only five months as said, he could have gotten towed for 5 or more unpaid parking tickets (which is easy if he kept getting cited for the reg).

 

is it wrong that's what I thougt too

 

Here is your answer

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22651.htm

Here is an excerpt.
Circumstances Permitting Removal

<!-- #EndEditable --><!-- #BeginEditable "section_number" -->22651<!-- #EndEditable -->. <!-- #BeginEditable "section_content" -->A peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, or a regularly employed and salaried employee, who is engaged in directing traffic or enforcing parking laws and regulations, of a city, county, or jurisdiction of a state agency in which a vehicle is located, may remove a vehicle located within the territorial limits in which the officer or employee may act, under the following circumstances:<!-- #EndEditable -->

o) (1) When a vehicle is found or operated upon a highway, public land, or an offstreet parking facility under the following circumstances:
(A) With a registration expiration date in excess of six months before the date it is found or operated on the highway, public lands, or the offstreet parking facility.

 

Hell where I live they have the option of ticketing anything VISIBLE FROM THE STREET that does not have current registration and insurance.

 

Not sure about reg. but i know if you have 6 or more unpaid tickets you'll get towed...

 

Not to be a smart ass, but ignorance of the law is no excuse. If you own a vehicle, it's your duty to pay the registration. Simple. If the law says your vehicle will be towed if you don't, then it gets towed. You owe the tow fee, storage, notification letters to the registered owner and you have to get the vehicle registered.

As for it being a racket with the police? I'm sure it's happened in a few cases, but storage lots (here in Houston) don't have under the table agreements with the police. All they do is hold the vehicle, till it gets picked up. The wrecker drivers MAY have a friend who's a cop, who'll let them get the tow, but again, that's rare. Most storage lots pay the wrecker driver from the fees collected.

How do you avoid this? Don't put yourself in a position to get towed. And if your friend hasn't changed the title over to his name, he may not be able to get the car. Storage lots are required to only release a vehicle to a registered owner. I'll NEVER understand why people wait months and even YEARS to transfer a title. Doesn't make good sense. You may also have to show proof of insurance.

I worked for a storage lot, back in the day. The fees can amass quickly. Tow fee, 1st day of storage, VIN search to find out registered owner, letters to the registered owner and lien holder (if there is one) and then fees for each incurred day after the first day.

So, can your car get towed for nonpayment of registration? Yes.

 

My son and I finally had worked out some bugs in his OT 67 plymouth a few years ago. The registration had expired couple months before. Anyway, On the test drive, lucky us, we just happened to pass a cop coming the other way up the street a couple blocks from home. That car was something not normally seen anymore so the cop was a bit curious. The cop was very nice and explained that around here, Northern Utah, after 1 1/2 to 3 months expired they usually just ticket. After 3 months they can impound. The fine was cut in half because my son got all the registration done in 14 days. So, now we know. Maybe being old and having white hair helped...dunno.

 

Thank you to
nonstop
natesbpd
roadsterpu

for simply answering the question and providing the vehicle code that i couldn't find.

6 months.

my buddy got hosed.

now i know.

 

I didn't register my car last year but it was in my garage the whole time, not running. I got a letter from the CA tax board telling me they were going to either impound it or attach my bank account for the fees and fines which raised the amount by about $70.(about five months past due, but never on the street) That's when I decided I needed to pay it.

 

if he has proof that it was only 5 months out and the statute says 6 he needs to file a complaint against the officer and request reimbursment for it being falsley towed/impounded. the law works both ways you know against and for you the citizen.

a vw board i'm on a kid had a car towed/impounded and it literally had been in the street 10 minutes while they moved cars around to get it in the garage to work on it. i loved cali but greed has taken over. and thats not a rant it's just a fact and it's spreading to alot of other states...ken....

 

tefeverfred, post #21 above, hit it right on the head. Sorry, but an expired registration is basically equal to none. Why park it on the street? Hide it in your driveway with a cover over it. Simple.

 

Englewood, NJ police pulled me over on my way home from a late night at work (last day of the month, I work in the car business).

1/4 mile from my house. 12:45am, July 1. I had forgotten to renew my plates on that car. They expired in June. Ticketed. Towed, impounded until plates renewed, had to walk home.

 

How long was it parked in that spot. Cars parked over 72 hours on city streets that are current can be towed here. And are all the time. People store cars on residential streets and other people call them in. 3 days and it's gone.

 

Nothing like this in Wisconsin. Don't get caught driving on expired plates, but if you aren't driving the car you can let the plates expire then when you are ready to drive it, go to the DOT and get new plates, no back fees. I love Wisconsin, in my township I can spend up to $75,000 on an out building without a building permit. (doesn't include residences)

 

Yes, it was 6 months out of registration, it can be impounded from any public street or public parking lot. He must bring current registration and proof of insurance to whoever impounded the car. If it was less than 6 months, he can contest the impound to the watch commander of the station that impounded it. The it will be up to the watch commander to waive the tow fees, but he will still have to show current reg and insurance. To contest the impound, it's called a stitman hearing. BTW, if there are any outstanding parking tickets, those will have to be paid too.