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Manual of Policy and Procedures / Volume 5 - Line Procedures / Chapter 1 - Motor Vehicles

5-01/090.10 - Vehicle Release Administrative Fee


5-01/090.05 - Owner in Custody of Sheriff
5-01/100.00 - Recovered Vehicles

An administrative fee for the release of a vehicle properly removed/impounded/stored from unincorporated Los Angeles County, pursuant to California Vehicle Code Section 22850.5, shall be imposed and collected before a qualifying vehicle will be released.

The fee shall be imposed and collected for any qualifying vehicle removed by impound or storage from unincorporated Los Angeles County.  Fees shall only be collected in cases where the removal is accompanied by a CHP-180 form.

All fee waivers must be approved by the watch commander.  The fee shall not be collected when:

  • The vehicle was towed as a result of a civil writ;
  • The owner/agent presents verifiable proof that the vehicle was stolen at the time of the removal; or
  • The vehicle was towed to assist a motorist in removing a disabled vehicle due to mechanical failure, or the result of a collision unless the vehicle is impounded per section 5-01/060.10, Impounded Vehicles (Vehicle Hold).

Units shall use the SH-CR-94 form, Release of Vehicle Hold, when authorizing the release of a qualifying vehicle and documenting the collection (or non‑collection) of the vehicle release administrative fee.  A brief explanation of the reason(s) for non‑collection of the fee shall be documented on the Release of Vehicle Hold form (SH-CR-94).  This form shall be placed in the corresponding URN file for the vehicle removal.

If, as a result of a Stypmann Hearing conducted pursuant to section 5-01/080.00, Notification and Hearing Procedure for Stored/Impounded Vehicles, a refund is awarded to the claimant, a SH-AD‑32A shall be submitted to Financial Programs Bureau, Special Accounts.  This memorandum shall include:

  • The date the hearing was conducted;
  • The person who conducted the hearing;
  • Who the refund was awarded to;
  • The address where the warrant is to be mailed (delivery to the station/unit for issuance to the claimant may be requested);
  • The unit commander's signature;
  • A copy of the Stypmann Hearing memorandum;
  • A copy of the receipt for the vehicle release fee originally paid by the claimant; and
  • A copy of the transmittal of Miscellaneous Fees that includes the vehicle release fee paid by the claimant.

This refund is for the vehicle release administrative fee only.  Towing and storage fees are to be handled pursuant to section 5‑01/080.00, Notification and Hearing Procedure for Stored/Impounded Vehicles.

Specialized units or task forces [e.g., Taskforce for Regional Autotheft Prevention (TRAP), Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (L.A. IMPACT), etc.], that remove a qualifying vehicle shall coordinate with the concerned station/unit regarding the release of the vehicle and the collection of the fee.  The station/unit from whose jurisdiction the vehicle was removed shall have responsibility for the collection of the fee.