Vehicles: storage and towing.

The bill text was re-published in a different format. The chaptered document (clean text) was replaced by a web page rendering that includes site navigation, quick search fields, version history list, and UI elements from the California Legislature website. All substantive statutory language in Sections 10652.5 and 22524.5 of the Vehicle Code remains identical between versions.

Document reformatted from enrolled bill format to chaptered law format: added Chapter 345 designation, Governor approval date (October 6, 2025), and 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' header. Removed legislative passage dates and clerk signature blocks.

Removed six categories of presumptively unreasonable fees: holiday hours fees, nonhourly storage fees for vehicles stored fewer than 24 hours, storage and towing fees in emergency situations where the owner was not at fault, towing fees during natural disasters, storage and towing fees on stolen vehicles recovered within one week, and storage fees on days the facility is not open.

Added the condition 'and upon payment of all fees then due' to the provision requiring storage facilities to release a vehicle after the owner requests it. Previously, the facility had to release the vehicle upon request alone; now the owner must also pay all outstanding fees before the facility is obligated to release the vehicle.

The window for reduced storage fees (capped at 50 percent of the daily rate) when a vehicle is recovered quickly appears to have been shortened from 12 hours to 4 hours, based on legislative markup showing 'four' inserted alongside '12.'

Changed the definition of 'normal business hours' from 'including state holidays' to 'except for state holidays,' meaning state holidays are no longer treated as regular business days. This allows towing and storage companies to charge after-hours rates on state holidays, subject only to the cap that holiday storage fees cannot exceed the posted standard daily rate.

The legislative counsel's digest was updated to remove references to holiday hours fees and non-at-fault emergency situation fees as new additions, reflecting their removal from the bill text.

The emergency roadway-clearing towing fee prohibition now applies when either the vehicle owner OR the operator of a tow truck is directed by law enforcement to remove a vehicle, rather than only when the owner is directed. This closes a gap where a tow truck operator acting on a police directive could still be charged.

A new subdivision (f) was added to Section 22524 stating that nothing in the presumptively unreasonable fees list prohibits fees authorized in a written agreement between a law enforcement agency and a towing or storage company, including official police garages under a municipal police commission, if the tow was initiated by law enforcement. This creates an explicit exemption for contracted police garage rates.

The existing exemption in Section 22524.5 for law enforcement-initiated tows was expanded: it now requires the agreement to be 'written,' extends coverage from towing companies to 'towing or storage company,' and explicitly includes 'official police garages operating under the jurisdiction of a municipal police commission.'

Senator Wahab was added as a coauthor of the bill.

New presumptively unreasonable fee: when gate fees are reasonably assessed, any additional towing fees exceeding 10 percent of the normal towing rate due to the call originating after normal business hours. This caps after-hours surcharges at a specific percentage.

New presumptively unreasonable fee: any storage fees charged for state holidays that exceed the posted standard daily storage rate. This prevents facilities from charging more on holidays than their regular posted rate.

New presumptively unreasonable fee: towing fees when a law enforcement officer directs an owner to move their vehicle to the nearest shoulder or level ground to clear a roadway for emergency vehicle access during a state or local emergency. Tow operators performing such removals are also relieved of all liability for damage to personal property.

New presumptively unreasonable fee: storage fees for any day that a storage facility fails to release a vehicle after the owner has requested its release. This penalizes facilities that delay releasing vehicles.

New presumptively unreasonable fee: storage fees in excess of 50 percent of the daily storage rate when a vehicle is recovered within the first 12 hours of storage. This caps short-term recovery charges.

A new definition of 'normal business hours' was added to both sections: Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., inclusive, including state holidays. This provides a clear standard for when after-hours surcharges may apply.

The prior provision stating 'It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to ensure towing operators have reasonable standards' was removed entirely, along with its corresponding digest language. The bill now relies on specific fee caps rather than a general intent statement.

Assembly Member Davies was added as a coauthor of the bill.

Section 10652.5(d) no longer cross-references Section 22524.5(c) for the reasonableness presumption. Instead, it directly lists its own set of presumptively unreasonable fees, making the two sections more independent.

The fiscal committee vote changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the amendment now requires fiscal committee review due to the expanded scope of fee restrictions.

Tow truck operators moving vehicles during state or local emergencies must now act in good faith to qualify for civil liability protection. Previously the protection was absolute ('relieved of all liability') with no stated conditions.

A new exception states that the liability protection does not apply when the tow truck operator's act or omission constitutes gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct. This creates a clear standard under which operators can be sued for property damage even during emergency vehicle relocations.

Paragraph (9) in Section 22524 and subparagraph (I) in Section 22524.5 were restructured from single paragraphs into lettered/clause subdivisions (A/B/C and i/ii/iii respectively) to accommodate the new good faith requirement and gross negligence exception.

The phrase 'regular normal business hours' was corrected to 'normal business hours' in two places, removing a redundant word.

The bill now amends Vehicle Code Sections 10652.5 and 22524.5 rather than merely stating legislative intent. This gives the bill actual legal effect instead of being aspirational.

Added an exemption stating Section 10652.5 does not apply to vehicles stored by a levying officer acting under judicial process (i.e., court-ordered repossessions).

Added a carve-out in Section 22524.5 allowing fees authorized in agreements between law enforcement agencies and towing companies when the tow was initiated by law enforcement, preserving existing public-private contracts.

Added a list of 12 presumptively unreasonable fees in Section 10652.5, including holiday hour fees, security fees, dolly fees, load/unload fees, pull-out fees, gate fees (with after-hours exception), nonhourly storage under 24 hours, emergency situation fees where owner was not at fault, natural disaster towing fees, stolen vehicle fees if recovered within one week, and storage fees on days the facility is closed.

Added a parallel list of presumptively unreasonable fees in Section 22524.5 for accident and stolen recovery tows, with the same categories as above.

Established that towing and storage charges are deemed reasonable if they do not exceed rates charged for similar services requested by public agencies such as the California Highway Patrol or local police departments, and storage rates must be comparable to other facilities in the same locale.

Added a provision allowing the prevailing party in a storage fee dispute to recover reasonable attorney's fees capped at $1,750, giving vehicle owners a financial remedy for challenging excessive charges.

The original intent statement (formerly Section 1) was renumbered to Section 3, and the bill title was expanded from 'An act relating to vehicles' to specifically reference the Vehicle Code sections being amended.