In California, a car can be towed under Vehicle Code 22651(o) once its registration has been expired more than six months. To get it back, you renew the registration with the DMV, pay the towing and storage fees at the yard, and bring proof of current registration plus a valid ID when you pick it up. At Quick Tow SD, we run 24/7 live dispatch across San Diego County, so once your car is released we can help you get it home.
Finding a tow tag on your window, or worse, an empty parking spot, is stressful enough without wondering why it happened. If the reason was expired tags, the fix is straightforward but it takes more than a credit card. This post walks through why the tow happened, what you need to bring to the yard, roughly what you’ll owe, and how to make sure it never happens again.
Why does California tow a car for expired registration?
Under California Vehicle Code 22651(o), a peace officer or an authorized public employee can have a vehicle towed from a highway or public property once its registration has been expired for more than six months. The state gives you a grace period after your tags lapse, but once you cross the six-month mark, an officer who spots the old sticker or runs your plate has legal grounds to call a tow truck on the spot.
This is a different situation than the 30-day mandatory impound under CVC 14602.6, which applies when a driver is caught behind the wheel with a suspended, revoked, or never-issued license. An expired-registration tow has no fixed holding period. You can usually get the car back as soon as you fix the registration and pay what’s owed, not after a mandatory 30-day wait.
How do you get your car back after an expired-registration tow?
You get your car back by renewing the registration first, then bringing proof of that renewal to the yard along with your ID and payment for the tow and storage fees. The order matters, since most yards won’t release an expired-registration tow until they see current registration in hand.
Here’s the general sequence:
- Confirm which yard has the car and call ahead to ask exactly what they require for release.
- Renew your registration with the DMV, paying the renewal fee and any late penalties, plus a smog certificate if your vehicle is due for one.
- Gather your valid photo ID, proof of ownership (the pink slip or registration card), and the new proof of current registration.
- If a police agency ordered the tow, contact that agency for a vehicle release form before you head to the yard, some require this as a separate step from the DMV renewal.
- Bring everything to the yard, pay the tow and storage fees, and pick up the vehicle.
If you’re not sure which lot towed your car, our post on how to find your towed car in San Diego walks through how to track it down. And for the fuller rundown on what to bring and how a release actually works at the counter, see how to get your car back from impound.
How much does it cost?
The total bill has two parts that don’t talk to each other: what the DMV charges to bring your registration current, and what the tow yard charges to give the car back. The DMV side is the renewal fee plus whatever late penalties have piled up, and those penalties climb the longer the registration sits expired. The yard side is the tow fee plus daily storage plus San Diego’s tow impound cost recovery fee, and storage adds up fast since it’s charged per day the car sits on the lot.
For the real, current San Diego fee schedule with worked examples, see the cost to get your car out of impound in San Diego. Either way, the sooner you renew and show up, the smaller both halves of the bill stay.
Can you avoid getting towed for expired tags?
Yes, and the simplest way is to renew before your tags lapse rather than after. The DMV sends renewal notices well ahead of your expiration date, and renewing online takes a few minutes if nothing else is holding up your record.
If the car isn’t being driven right now, filing a Planned Non-Operation (PNO) with the DMV is the move instead of letting registration lapse quietly. A PNO tells the state the vehicle is off the road, so a properly filed car that’s truly not driven on public roads can’t be towed for expired tags. What you shouldn’t do is keep driving a car whose registration has been expired more than six months. That’s the exact window CVC 22651(o) exists for.
What if the car isn’t worth renewing?
Sometimes the registration lapsed because the car isn’t worth fixing up anymore, not because anyone forgot to renew it. If that’s where you’re at, renewing just to retrieve a car you plan to junk doesn’t make much sense. Our post on the paperwork to junk a car in California covers what you need instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is an expired-registration tow the same as a 30-day impound?
No. A tow under CVC 22651(o) for registration expired more than six months has no fixed holding period, you can typically retrieve the car as soon as you renew and pay the fees. A 30-day impound under CVC 14602.6 applies to unlicensed or suspended drivers and comes with a mandatory 30-day hold regardless of when you show up.
Do I have to renew the registration before I can get my car out?
Usually, yes. Most yards require proof of current registration before releasing a car that was towed specifically for expired tags, since renewing is what resolves the reason it was towed. Call the yard ahead of time to confirm exactly what they’ll accept.
Will I owe late penalties on top of the tow bill?
Yes. DMV late penalties for expired registration are separate from anything the tow yard charges, and they’re calculated based on how long your tags have been expired. The tow fee, daily storage, and any impound cost recovery fee are a completely separate bill from the yard itself.
How do I find out which yard has my car?
If you don’t already know, check with the local police department’s non-emergency line first, since they can usually tell you which contracted yard the vehicle was towed to. Our post on finding your towed car in San Diego covers the full process.
Can the tow yard sell my car if I don’t pick it up?
Yes, eventually. If a vehicle sits unclaimed long enough, California law allows the yard to pursue a lien sale to recover its costs. Our post on what happens if you don’t pick up your car from a tow yard in California explains the timeline and what you can still do before that happens.
If your car’s been towed for expired tags and you need it moved once it’s released, call Quick Tow SD 24/7 at (858) 923-5787. We’re not the impound lot and we can’t renew your registration or waive fees, but we run flat-rate dispatch across San Diego County and can help get the car home once you’ve cleared it.