Impounded for 30 days for expired tags in CA?

[CAstudent88]

I live in CA. I got out of school and had to go pick up my dad because his car broke down at work. It was about 30 miles away. I was literally 1 mile away from where he was when I get pulled over.

The officer says my registration has been expired for over 2 years (exagerated). He goes to his car, comes back, tells me that in CA if its after 6 months thats possible grounds for being impounded. I am shocked. Then he asks me these questions about the tags in a way that seemed to be designed to make me look like a fool. First he seems to say that I have 08 tags, I tell him I thought I put 09 tags on when my Mom asked me to awhile back, then he asks some other questions that confused me and I don't even really know what I said but somehow it looked like I was lying about something, then he asks me how the 09 tags got on the plate. I don't know what he was asking me really, it just seemed like he was pressuring me into a corner where I look stupid. So I basically stopped trying to explain what I did with the tags and said I honestly don't handle any of this stuff, my mom usually takes care of this.

Now on my registration, and in his computer, the registration expired in December of 2008. Yet somehow I had a blue 09 sticker on my car. I know my mom handed me an envelope and told me to put the sticker on so I know I did do that at somepoint but we also have like 4 other cars so its hard to remember which one I did it for and which I didn't. Its possible that I switched the stickers but I can't imagine how I could look at the piece of paper, see the wrong car name, and then still apply the sticker. One interesting thing here is there was a problem when my mom first paid the $400 for the registration, but that was with another car that she paid for as the same time as mine. My mom paid it again for the other car and that worked out fine but maybe there was a problem with mine too? I really don't know whats going on with that.

Anyway, He asks for my keys and says he needs to go decide what to do. He comes back, says he's going to give me a fine and impound the car.

He lets me take my backpack, my textbooks, and my laptop, and my other backpack with my gym clothes and things. Its about 8:30 pm or so and I walk with my stuff a mile down the street to where my dad is at and wait for my mom & lil brother to come pick us up.

The officer said the car is impounded for 30 days and I can't come pick it up until after then.

I've been trying to do my research online and I can't find anywhere that discusses this in CA or any other state for that matter. In other states it seems they might tow your vehicle but not hold it for 30 days.

I guess my question is does this 30 day at the impound part sound legit? I understand if you drive unlicensed in CA you can get your car impounded for 30 days and that makes sense because thats not safe. But a 30 day impoundment for expired tags? Isn't that an imbalanced punishment?

I feel like my cars been stolen from me, I'm seriously depressed. My car is central to getting to school which is 13 miles away and to get to the hospital I volunteer at, and taking my little brother from school. Also, I'm afraid some of my stuff might get stolen, I had to leave a lot of my valuables behind and the tow truck driver seemed a bit unreliable...I think he towed my car with the windows down, I asked him to raise them but he said since the cars going inside it won't matter....I don't know, this whole thing is making me feel very uncomfortable and nervous.

And on top of all that the officer didn't really give me any guidelines of what I should do next. He just had me sign the ticket, gave me a card for the tow company and basically told me to beat it. In fact, it seemed like he really wanted me to just leave and go about my business.

I didn't argue or yell at him or anything. Is this usually how this type of thing goes? He made it seem like he HAD to impound the car and he didn't have a choice because it was so expired (1 year)

If the car does have to stay impounded for 30 days I think I'm going to have to pay big bills for that right? Man, this really sucks...

[Samuel]

I live in CA. I got out of school and had to go pick up my dad because his car broke down at work. It was about 30 miles away. I was literally 1 mile away from where he was when I get pulled over.

The officer says my registration has been expired for over 2 years (exagerated). He goes to his car, comes back, tells me that in CA if its after 6 months thats possible grounds for being impounded. I am shocked. Then he asks me these questions about the tags in a way that seemed to be designed to make me look like a fool. First he seems to say that I have 08 tags, I tell him I thought I put 09 tags on when my Mom asked me to awhile back, then he asks some other questions that confused me and I don't even really know what I said but somehow it looked like I was lying about something, then he asks me how the 09 tags got on the plate. I don't know what he was asking me really, it just seemed like he was pressuring me into a corner where I look stupid. So I basically stopped trying to explain what I did with the tags and said I honestly don't handle any of this stuff, my mom usually takes care of this.

Now on my registration, and in his computer, the registration expired in December of 2008. Yet somehow I had a blue 09 sticker on my car. I know my mom handed me an envelope and told me to put the sticker on so I know I did do that at somepoint but we also have like 4 other cars so its hard to remember which one I did it for and which I didn't. Its possible that I switched the stickers but I can't imagine how I could look at the piece of paper, see the wrong car name, and then still apply the sticker. One interesting thing here is there was a problem when my mom first paid the $400 for the registration, but that was with another car that she paid for as the same time as mine. My mom paid it again for the other car and that worked out fine but maybe there was a problem with mine too? I really don't know whats going on with that.

Anyway, He asks for my keys and says he needs to go decide what to do. He comes back, says he's going to give me a fine and impound the car.

He lets me take my backpack, my textbooks, and my laptop, and my other backpack with my gym clothes and things. Its about 8:30 pm or so and I walk with my stuff a mile down the street to where my dad is at and wait for my mom & lil brother to come pick us up.

The officer said the car is impounded for 30 days and I can't come pick it up until after then.

I've been trying to do my research online and I can't find anywhere that discusses this in CA or any other state for that matter. In other states it seems they might tow your vehicle but not hold it for 30 days.

I guess my question is does this 30 day at the impound part sound legit? I understand if you drive unlicensed in CA you can get your car impounded for 30 days and that makes sense because thats not safe. But a 30 day impoundment for expired tags? Isn't that an imbalanced punishment?

I feel like my cars been stolen from me, I'm seriously depressed. My car is central to getting to school which is 13 miles away and to get to the hospital I volunteer at, and taking my little brother from school. Also, I'm afraid some of my stuff might get stolen, I had to leave a lot of my valuables behind and the tow truck driver seemed a bit unreliable...I think he towed my car with the windows down, I asked him to raise them but he said since the cars going inside it won't matter....I don't know, this whole thing is making me feel very uncomfortable and nervous.

And on top of all that the officer didn't really give me any guidelines of what I should do next. He just had me sign the ticket, gave me a card for the tow company and basically told me to beat it. In fact, it seemed like he really wanted me to just leave and go about my business.

I didn't argue or yell at him or anything. Is this usually how this type of thing goes? He made it seem like he HAD to impound the car and he didn't have a choice because it was so expired (1 year)

If the car does have to stay impounded for 30 days I think I'm going to have to pay big bills for that right? Man, this really sucks...

Sounds like a typical story...

Consider yourself lucky - you could have easily gone to jail. The registered owner(s) of the car can call the tow company and find out what he/she/they need to do to get the car back. Likely that the car will have to have current registration or at least all fees paid pending a smog before it can be released. If the car wasn't current, you shouldn't have been driving it...

[PapaBear]

The person who is driving the vehicle has the obligaton to make certain the vehicle is properly registered and equipped pursuant to the laws of CA. "Assuming" that things are properly addressed ends up costing one a lot.

By the way, if you can get easily rattled by simple questions about registration, you need a vacation.

Circumstances Permitting Removal

22651. 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:


(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.

(B) Displaying in, or upon, the vehicle, a registration card, identification card, temporary receipt, license plate, special plate, registration sticker, device issued pursuant to Section 4853, or permit that was not issued for that vehicle, or is not otherwise lawfully used on that vehicle under this code.

(C) Displaying in, or upon, the vehicle, an altered, forged, counterfeit, or falsified registration card, identification card, temporary receipt, license plate, special plate, registration sticker, device issued pursuant to Section 4853, or permit.

[Safety Steve]

Well CAstudent88, if you would have been down here where I am right now, I would have written you a warning! We don't enforce other states registration!

Get a bicycle. The 13 mile trip to school will be physically good for you ! Be Safe.

[CAstudent88]

Well I really didn't know it wasn't current, I thought it was all good

\What rattles me is the idea of not having a car for 30 days because of something like this, in which I really can't see the justification for such a large punishment...as I said before it makes sense to take an unlicensed driver of the streets, but im not really seeing how 30 days can be justified for expired tags...but I mean that's not the officer's fault I guess


So more than likely once I call the tow company I'll find that they can't hold my car for 30 days for this right? Because the officer did not explain it to me like that. He was making it seem like it had to be there for at least 30 days

[retdetsgt]

If your Mom gave you an 09 sticker and the car hadn't been reregistered, you might ask her where she got it. In Oregon, having an expired tag is one thing. Having a fraudulent sticker on it ups the ante quite a bit.

Keeping track of your car registration isn't that hard. That goes along with just taking care of life's daily chores.

[Cat_Doc]

I can't speak of California laws, but in Arizona you can ask for an appeal hearing on 30 impounds. There is an administrative cost for the hearing and the hearing officer's decision is final.

[CAstudent88]

Alright so I called the Towing company, who then directed me to LAPD, who then called the Towing company, and appartenly I have to do as Samuel said. Pay the fees for the tags; if I need a smog then I have to get a 1 day moving permit.

Only problem is the DMV is closed on Fridays now. Just my luck. If I could have gotten it done today then my fees at the impound would have been $246, but for tomorrow its going up $75 and I think it increases after each day. Then I also have to go to the clerk's office and pay some other fine I'm guessing.

The person I spoke with over the phone at LAPD said they didn't mark it as a 30 day impound so that is fortunate. However I'm still not sure because the officer seemed to really emphasize I wouldn't be getting it for 30 days. The person I spoke with at the LAPD also said that since it happened just last night he doesn't have all the exact details but gave me the basic guidelines of what I should do...So I don't think I'm in the clear yet.

I left my id badge for the hospital I volunteer at in the car so I gotta stop by the towing company tonight and pick that up...hopefully all my stuff is still there.

[Legoate]

You know that in the future all of this drama could be avoided by:
1. Driving a vehicle that is fully registered.
2. Not having false evidence of registration displayed on your vehicle.

As was said before, you can be arrested and booked into the county jail for having false tabs on your vehicle. Take responsibility as an adult and ensure that you vehicle is legal before you start driving it around.

[CAstudent88]

Picked up the car today

Well it was a good lesson for me, don't think I'll be forgetting that again. They really didn't do a good job of emphasizing this issue when I got my license a few years ago.

Anyway, I was still puzzled how I put the 09 tags on the car so we talked to AAA, and figured out what caused all this.

My mom paid for the car's registration. The DMV received the payment and sent us the new tags/registration (that's where I got the 09 sticker from). The DMV went to cash the check but it bounced for some reason. Therefore I wasn't registered in the computer. Neither the DMV nor the bank sent us a letter saying that the check bounced. They didn't send me a letter saying the tags they sent me were no good. Because of this, the file for our car got blocked in Sacramento and so the DMV never sent us any renewals for registration.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

The DMV never sent you anything because it's not their responsibility. It falls on that of the owner.

[retdetsgt]

The DMV went to cash the check but it bounced for some reason. Therefore I wasn't registered in the computer. Neither the DMV nor the bank sent us a letter saying that the check bounced.

The reason it bounced was because there wasn't enough money to cover the amount.

I'm quite sure the bank notified the account owner that the check bounced. They charge quite a princely sum for bounced checks, probably your Mom never mentioned it to you. As said above, DMV couldn't care less about notifying you. If they don't get their money, they cancel your registration.

Glad you learned something from it. Those things, like a lot of things in life don't take care of themselves.

[JakeLock]

Well CAstudent88, if you would have been down here where I am right now, I would have written you a warning! We don't enforce other states registration!

Please tell me you're kidding...


Student you got lucky if you were here you would've been arrested for ficticious registration and impounded your car. Count yourself lucky.