The responsibility of serving the City of Los Angeles as an OPG extends beyond the towing and storage of impounded vehicles. The OPG’s must also conduct weekly Lien Sale Auctions to dispose of vehicles not redeemed.

The Disposition of Vehicles and Lien Sale Process is considered one of the most important areas of responsibility for an Official Police Garage. Professionalism and reverence for laws and codes governing the lien sale process and Vehicle Lien Sale Auctions deserve serious attention, and for this reason we have dedicated a link of this website to this area.

Weekly Lien Sale Vehicle Auctions are conducted by each OPG. While the vehicles are sold as is, many customers find great values at OPG lien sale auctions. To find out more information including the days these auctions are conducted at a specific OPG, click on the link to that OPG.

In the year 2002, the City of Los Angeles impounded 154,524 vehicles. Of the total number of vehicles impounded, 99,364 vehicles were redeemed. The remaining 55,160 vehicles were dispositioned through Lien Sale Vehicle Auctions. These public auctions are conducted and regulated under the authority of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Civil Code Sections 3071 & 3072. The Lien Sale Vehicle Auctions allow the OPG’s to recoup their costs of towing and storage due them. Of the 55,160 vehicles sold through this disposition process, the OPG’s only recouped their costs on 2.4 % or 1,324 of these vehicles.

Through the Lien Sale Vehicle Auctions, the OPG’s also act as a collection entity for the City of Los Angeles and State of California. For vehicles that are sold for more than the charges against them, the OPG’s must remit the excess fees to either the City of Los Angeles for delinquent Parking Citation fees due or the remaining balance of the overage to the State of California, Department of Motor vehicles. In the year 2002, the OPG’s through their Lien Sale Vehicle Auctions remitted approximately $189,000 in delinquent parking citations to the City of Los Angeles and approximately $779,019.00 in excess overages to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Lien Sale Vehicle Auctions are a comprehensive process the OPG’s must carry out in their capacity of serving the City of Los Angeles. These auctions give the public the opportunity of purchasing vehicles at reduced prices and enable the city to recoup fees owed to them.