AB 987: Vehicles: storage and towing.

Under existing law, when a vehicle has been towed and stored, the legal owner may only be charged a storage fee during the first 15 days of possession, and beyond the first 15 days, only for any time after 3 days have lapsed after written notification has been made to the legal owner, as specified. Existing law requires that fees charged under these provisions for storage and towing be reasonable.

Existing law makes an insurer that is responsible for reasonable storage and towing charges liable to the person providing those services when a vehicle is towed and stored as a result of an accident or stolen recovery, as specified. Existing law requires that these storage and towing fees be reasonable and enumerates a list of fees that are presumptively unreasonable.

This bill would expand the list of presumptively unreasonable fees for purposes of the provisions described above to include, among other things, storage fees charged for state holidays that exceed the posted standard daily storage rate and towing fees charged when the owner or the operator of a tow truck is directed by a law enforcement officer to remove a vehicle at the scene of a state or local emergency, as specified.