An act to amend Sections 22651, 22651.3, and 22851.1 of, and to repeal Section 22651.7 of, the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.
AB 1022 would change California Vehicle Code provisions that currently allow peace officers and certain parking-enforcement employees to remove, impound, or immobilize vehicles based on repeated unpaid parking violations or unresolved traffic citations. The bill would eliminate the authority to tow vehicles under the “five or more notices” rule on highways or public land, delete the related off-street parking facility impound authority, and repeal the separate immobilization statute that allows wheel-locking or similar devices for the same category of repeat violations. It also makes conforming changes to related release, lien, and sale provisions tied to those impoundments.
The bill would also revise Section 22851.1 so that lien-sale provisions tied to vehicles impounded under the repealed or narrowed authority are limited to vehicles impounded before January 1, 2026. In practical terms, AB 1022 would reduce local agencies’ ability to use towing, impoundment, and immobilization as enforcement tools for chronic parking and certain traffic debt, while leaving in place other removal authorities for safety hazards, stolen vehicles, blocked driveways, fire hydrants, abandoned vehicles, registration violations, and other specified circumstances.
AB 1022 would amend Vehicle Code Sections 22651 and 22651.3 and repeal Section 22651.7, thereby removing several statutory bases for vehicle removal tied to repeated parking and traffic citation nonresponse. It would also narrow or eliminate associated impound, release, lien, and sale procedures that currently support collection of unpaid parking penalties and traffic-related bail, while preserving other towing and removal authorities unrelated to repeat citation debt. The bill primarily affects local governments, parking enforcement agencies, towing/impound operators, vehicle owners, and legal owners with lien interests.
The available voting history suggests the bill has received meaningful support in committee, passing 10-3 on a do-pass motion and being referred onward to Appropriations. No committee transcript is available, but the measure’s structure indicates a reform-oriented approach aimed at limiting vehicle seizure for unpaid citations. The absence of recorded opposition statements makes the overall sentiment harder to gauge, but the recorded vote indicates majority support among committee members at that stage.
The main point of contention is likely whether local agencies should retain strong enforcement tools to compel payment of parking fines and traffic-related obligations, versus whether towing and immobilization are overly punitive and can disproportionately burden vehicle owners. Supporters are likely to emphasize reducing harsh consequences for unpaid citations and preventing loss of transportation access, while opponents may argue that removing these remedies weakens enforcement and collection of public debts, especially for repeat violators. The bill also affects lien-sale and impound revenue structures, which may concern local agencies and tow operators.