Car towed from apartment parking in San Diego
landlord tenant attorney California Aug 16, 2026
I would like to start by saying it was poor judgment on my part to begin with, but I would just like to understand the legality. Location: San Diego I live in an apartment complex with assigned parking. I had friends over and they were taking all of my assigned spots, so I parked in a space that has been empty for the 4 months I’ve lived here. It belongs to the apartment conjoined to mine. After 30 minutes of being parked in the space I thought to leave a note, apologizing for inconveniencing the owner of the spot, if there was one, and leaving my apartment and phone number if they wanted me to move. When I went out to put it on the car, my car was gone. I’ve never seen anyone enter the apartment, but since the office was closed, I figured someone had to be there so I knocked on the door. I in fact did take someone’s parking spot that they weren’t using, but they did have me towed for parking there. My friends informed me that it might be illegal to have my car towed, and after looking up the laws I’m unsure if it is or not. I don’t understand all the legal speak in the parking codes for California/ San Diego. I am also planning on speaking to the office Monday, to read the lease on the legality. From the research we did, my original thought was it’s illegal to tow a car within an hour, but I misunderstood that originally. There’s also clauses about property managers being present to tow and, from my understanding, the towing company needing to inform me of my vehicle being towed. I would appreciate anyone who can help me decipher the codes.
