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California 20252026

AB 2437

Impounded vehicles.

Open original source Back to bills
Source: Open States / PluralUpdated 2026-09-12 13:12:55 UTC.

Official record

Measure details

Jurisdiction
California
Session
20252026
Chamber
lower
Classification
bill
Subjects
Impoundedvehicles
Introduced / first action
2026-02-20 00:00:00

Alternate titles

  • Vehicles: equipment.

Source-supplied abstracts

Existing law authorizes the removal and seizure of a vehicle under various circumstances, including whenever a peace officer determines that a person was driving without a license or while their driving privilege was suspended or revoked, or when a city or a county adopts an ordinance declaring a motor vehicle to be a public nuisance. Existing law requires that a vehicle be released to the legal owner of the vehicle or the legal owner's agent prior to the end of the impoundment period if specified conditions are met, including, among other things, that the legal owner or the legal owner's agent pays all towing and storage fees related to the seizure of the vehicle and presents specified documents showing proof of legal ownership. With regards to the payment of the fees, existing law requires a person operating or in charge of a storage facility where vehicles are stored to accept a valid bank credit card or cash for payment by a legal or registered owner or the owner's agent claiming the vehicle. Existing law prohibits any tow yard, impounding agency, or governmental agency, or any person acting on behalf of those entities, from refusing to release a vehicle or other collateral to anyone that is legally entitled to that vehicle or other collateral. A violation of any provision of the Vehicle Code is punishable as a crime, unless otherwise specified. This bill would additionally require the acceptance of debit cards, as defined, for the payment of the fees described above. The bill would provide that requiring any documents to show proof of ownership other than those specified in the provisions described above constitutes a refusal to release under the prohibition described above. The bill would also make other technical, clarifying, and conforming changes. By expanding the scope of existing crimes and creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 14602.6 of the Vehicle Code proposed by AB 1830 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1830 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Sponsors

  • Chen (primary), author

Source-supplied history

Actions

  1. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0.).

    amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  2. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  3. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0.).

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  4. Ordered to special consent calendar.

  5. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  6. Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  7. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-3

  8. Action rescinded whereby the bill was read third time, passed, and to Assembly.

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  9. In Senate. Held at Desk.

  10. Ordered to the Senate.

  11. Withdrawn from Engrossing and Enrolling.

  12. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 6140.).

    amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  13. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  14. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  15. Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1, reading-2

  16. From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.

    committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2

  17. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (June 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  18. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee

  19. Referred to Com. on TRANS.

    referral-committee

  20. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1, referral-committee

  21. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 5056.)

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  22. Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1, reading-2

  23. From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 6).

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  24. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 20). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  25. Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

    referral-committee

  26. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee

  27. Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

    referral-committee

  28. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee

  29. Referred to Com. on TRANS.

    referral-committee

  30. From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

  31. Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

When supplied by the API

Related measures

No resolvable related measure is supplied.