Tows for expired registration in San Diego: the audit and the 2026 Council policy
For years the most common reason for a San Diego police tow was registration expired more than six months. In 2026 the Council told the City to cite those cars instead.
General information, not legal advice. The papers you got from the police, the tow company, the storage lot or a state agency control your dates. Agencies change phone numbers and steps, so check the agency's own page too.
What the 2022 audit found
The City Auditor grouped tows for registration expired over six months, 72-hour parking and five or more unpaid tickets as 'disproportionate impact tows'. They were 3 to 5 times more likely to end in a lien sale, where owners lose the car and the City and impound company also lose money.
Sources: City Auditor report OCA-23-005
The 2026 policy
Council Policy 500-03, effective September 29, 2026, says it is the Council's policy that the City issue citations instead of towing vehicles whose registration expired more than six months ago. It also requires SDPD towing reports at least every three years.
- A Council policy directs City staff. It is not an ordinance or a state law, and the Vehicle Code still allows tows for long-expired registration. Whether a tow followed the policy can be raised at the post-storage hearing.
Sources: Council Policy 500-03; Vehicle Code section 22651(o)
If your car is already towed
The 10-day post-storage hearing and the release rules still apply. SDPD's procedure says a car towed for expired registration is not released without current registration or a temporary permit and the agency's approval.
Sources: SDPD Vehicle Impounds and Towing; SDPD Department Procedure 7.08, sec. VI
Check what the law required for your tow
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