Section 22850.5 Of Article 2. Vehicle Disposition From California Vehicle Code >> Division 11. >> Chapter 10. >> Article 2.
22850.5
. (a) A city, county, or city and county, or a state agency
may adopt a regulation, ordinance, or resolution establishing
procedures for the release of properly impounded vehicles to the
registered owner or the agent of the registered owner and for the
imposition of a charge equal to its administrative costs relating to
the removal, impound, storage, or release of the vehicles to the
registered owner or to the agent of the registered owner. Those
administrative costs may be waived by the local or state authority
upon verifiable proof that the vehicle was reported stolen at the
time the vehicle was removed.
(b) The following apply to any charges imposed for administrative
costs pursuant to subdivision (a):
(1) The charges shall only be imposed on the registered owner or
the agents of that owner and shall not include any vehicle towed
under an abatement program or sold at a lien sale pursuant to
Sections 3068.1 to 3074, inclusive, of, and Section 22851 of, the
Civil Code unless the sale is sufficient in amount to pay the
lienholder's total charges and proper administrative costs.
(2) Any charges shall be collected by the local or state authority
only from the registered owner or an agent of the registered owner.
(3) The charges shall be in addition to any other charges
authorized or imposed pursuant to this code.
(4) No charge may be imposed for any hearing or appeal relating to
the removal, impound, storage, or release of a vehicle unless that
hearing or appeal was requested in writing by the registered or legal
owner of the vehicle or an agent of that registered or legal owner.
In addition, the charge may be imposed only upon the person
requesting that hearing or appeal.
No administrative costs authorized under subdivision (a) shall be
charged to the legal owner who redeems the vehicle unless the legal
owner voluntarily requests a poststorage hearing. No city, county,
city and county, or state agency shall require a legal owner or a
legal owner's agent to request a poststorage hearing as a requirement
for release of the vehicle to the legal owner or the legal owner's
agent. The impounding agency, or any person acting on behalf of the
agency, shall not require the legal owner or the legal owner's agent
to produce any documents other than those specified in paragraph (3)
of subdivision (f) of Section 14602.6 or paragraph (3) of subdivision
(e) of Section 14602.7. The impounding agency, or any person acting
on behalf of the agency, shall not require any documents to be
notarized.