No license? Impounded cars could cost $53 more

The Fountain Valley City Council voted Tuesday night to add a fee to drivers who get their cars impounded for having a suspended license or none at all.

The council unanimously approved a resolution to add a $53 fee onto people going through an administrative hearing after having their cars impounded for 30 days for driving with no license or a suspended one. Councilman Guy Carrozzo was absent.

The hearing gives individuals the chance to appeal the impoundment to a traffic sergeant.

The fee will allow Fountain Valley to recoup the costs city personnel spend preparing for and assisting people going through the hearing process, said Police Chief Paul Sorrell.

The new fee is part of an “ongoing effort to engage in as close to full-cost recovery” as possible, Sorrell said.

Residents who have their cars impounded after being stolen are excluded from the fee, he said.

— Britney Barnes