SB 692: Vehicles: homelessness.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law makes it unlawful for a peace officer or an unauthorized person to remove an unattended vehicle from a highway, except as provided. Under existing law, the removal of a vehicle is a seizure, subject to the limits set forth in jurisprudence for the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Existing law authorizes a city, county, or city and county to adopt an ordinance establishing procedures for the abatement and removal, as public nuisances, of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles or parts of vehicles from private or public property.

Existing law, whenever a peace officer or other public employee removes an abandoned vehicle valued at $500 or less, requires the public agency that removed, or caused the removal of, the vehicle to cause the disposal of the vehicle subject to specified requirements, including providing notice, as specified, to the registered and legal owners and any other person known to have an interest in the vehicle, and a process for the owners and interested persons to request and have a poststorage hearing, as specified.

This bill would authorize a public agency of a city, county, or city and county to dismantle, or cause the dismantlement of, an abandoned vehicle, as defined, if the abandoned vehicle cannot be towed or otherwise moved and the vehicle has been declared a nuisance or hazard by a fire marshal, environmental health director, or public health officer of a city, county, or city and county, if various requirements are met, including attaching a distinctive notice to the vehicle at least 15 days prior to dismantlement that states the vehicle will be dismantled by the public agency if the hazard is not abated, sending a notice, within 48 hours of the attachment of the notice to the vehicle, to the owners and any other person known to have an interest in the vehicle informing them of specified information, including that the vehicle may be disposed of at least 15 days from the date of the notice and that they may have a hearing before the public agency if a request for a hearing is made within 10 days from the date of notice, as specified. This bill would require a requested hearing to be conducted within 5 business days of the request. If, after at least 15 days from the notification, the vehicle remains unclaimed, and if no request for a hearing was made or a hearing was not attended, the bill would require the public agency to provide the lienholder authorization to dismantle the vehicle. The bill would provide that a local government is not prevented from performing emergency summary abatement of an abandoned vehicle that is creating imminent health or safety hazards.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 4

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. September 30, 2026Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 977, Statutes of 2026.
2. September 30, 2026Approved by the Governor.
3. August 27, 2026Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
4. August 24, 2026Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
5. August 19, 2026In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
6. August 19, 2026Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 6261.) Ordered to the Senate.
7. August 10, 2026Ordered to third reading.
8. August 10, 2026Read third time and amended.
9. August 6, 2026Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
10. August 5, 2026From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 5).
11. June 25, 2026From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
12. July 16, 2025Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.