Torrance Officials Raise Fees on Impounded Cars

The cost to remove an impounded vehicle from the Torrance tow lot is now more than triple what it used to be and higher than any other city in the South Bay.

Torrance city officials raised the flat fee last week from $21 to $72 so that those whose cars have been seized incur the cost of impounding the vehicle. The city has been losing about $100,000 a year because more than 40% of the cars impounded are never claimed.

The cost of impounding a car has increased over the last few years since a state law passed in 1994 required that cars seized from people driving with suspended and revoked licenses or without a license be impounded for a minimum of 30 days.

A city report says that 95% of impounded cars in Torrance have been involved in criminal activity or were abandoned, forcing the city to hold onto the vehicles for several weeks.

The city impounds about 2,200 cars a year, about 180 per month, and spends more than $150,000 on administrative costs, storage of impounded cars and hearings for people whose vehicles cars have been seized.

In 1995 the Police Department seized 2,160 vehicles but only 57% of the cars were removed from the lot.

“It costs a significant amount of money to maintain the lot and all we wanted to do was make sure that the Torrance taxpayer wasn’t paying for something that should be borne by the individual whose car has been impounded,” Councilman Dan Walker said. “Right now we’re not making enough to cover those costs.”

Before the fee hike, the cost of impounding a car in Torrance was the second lowest in the South Bay, next to El Segundo, which charges $20. While the fee increase is substantial, Walker said the average Torrance driver will not be affected by the change.

“Homeowners and visitors are not having cars towed so they won’t be getting hit with a big bill,” Walker said. “It’s people who have been involved in criminal acts that will be paying more.”