Florida law does not let police tow your car just because the registration is expired. Section 320.07 of the Florida Statutes covers expired tags, and the statute itself grants no towing or impound authority at all. It sets penalties, not a tow order. That’s a real difference from California, where Vehicle Code 22651(o) lets an officer have a car towed once its registration has been expired more than six months. In Florida, expired tags on their own are not a towing offense. The tow risk that’s still real comes from somewhere else, and this article walks through exactly where.
What FS 320.07 actually penalizes
Registration expired six months or less is a noncriminal traffic infraction in Florida, treated as a nonmoving violation under chapter 318. Cross the six-month mark on a first offense and the penalty runs through a separate statute, section 318.14. Cross it again on a second or later offense and it becomes a second-degree misdemeanor. That’s a genuine escalation in consequences the longer tags sit expired, but nowhere in the statute does the legislature hand an officer authority to call a tow truck for it. If a car is pulled over, ticketed, or flagged for expired registration, the statute that governs that stop simply doesn’t reach towing.
That’s worth sitting with if you searched for this because a friend told you Florida works like California. It doesn’t. California’s law lets police order a tow once registration has lapsed past six months. Florida’s version of that same law never gives anyone that power.
The real way expired tags can still get your car towed
Expired registration doesn’t create towing authority on its own, but that doesn’t make your car untouchable. Florida Statute 715.07 lets a private property owner, an apartment complex, an HOA lot, a shopping center, have a car towed for violating that lot’s own posted rules. That has nothing to do with what’s on your plate. A valid tow-away sign has to be posted at least 24 hours before any tow, with “Tow-Away Zone” in reflective letters at least 4 inches tall, plus the tow company’s name and a working phone number. Once that sign is up, the lot can remove a car that’s violating its rules regardless of registration status. Expired tags don’t trigger the tow. Parking somewhere you shouldn’t does.
There’s one exception where a sign isn’t even required. A car parked on a public street that blocks access to a private driveway can be towed without any posted notice at all, under a separate part of the same statute. That one’s about blocked access, not registration either, but it’s the kind of thing that catches people off guard the same way expired tags do.
What Orange County requires if your towed car already has expired registration
If your car does end up on a hook for an unrelated reason and your tags happen to be expired too, county rules protect you from that becoming a second problem. Under Orange County’s towing ordinance, expired registration cannot be used to block your vehicle’s release once you’ve paid what you actually owe. The yard also can’t pad your bill to check your plate status. If it needs to research your registration, the county caps that research fee at the yard’s actual cost, up to $7. Those are county rules, not state law, and they exist so a tow yard can’t hold your car longer or charge you more just because your tags are expired on top of whatever got it towed in the first place.
What to do once you know your car is towed
The release process and the fees involved don’t change based on whether your registration is current or expired, since expired tags alone can’t hold up a release under county rules. We walk through the full release process, what to bring, and what to expect at the counter in how to get your car out of impound in Orlando. For the real numbers on what a release costs, including the fees Orange County caps and the ones that vary by yard, see what it costs to get a car out of impound in Orlando.
We’re not the storage yard and we’re not the county. We’re a 24/7 towing dispatch across Orlando Metro. If your car needs to move once it’s released, or you need a tow right now for a breakdown, accident, or lockout, call (321) 321-9797 and we’ll get a truck rolling.
Frequently asked questions
Can Florida police tow my car just because the registration is expired?
No. FS 320.07 sets penalties for expired registration, not towing authority. It’s a noncriminal infraction if expired six months or less, a penalty under section 318.14 on a first offense past six months, and a second-degree misdemeanor on a repeat offense past six months. The statute never authorizes a tow.
How is that different from California?
In California, police can order a tow once registration has been expired more than six months. Florida’s statute covering expired registration doesn’t include that authority at all, so the tow risk in Florida comes from private property rules instead, not a traffic stop.
Can a private lot tow me even if my registration is current?
Yes. FS 715.07 lets a property owner tow for violating that lot’s posted rules, which has nothing to do with your registration. A valid tow-away sign posted at least 24 hours in advance is what gives the lot the authority, not the condition of your plates.
If my car gets towed and my registration happens to be expired, can the yard refuse to release it for that reason?
No. Orange County’s ordinance specifically bars using expired registration to block a vehicle’s release once you’ve paid the fees you owe.
Can the yard charge me extra to check my registration status?
Only up to actual cost, capped at $7 under Orange County’s ordinance. That’s the ceiling, not a fee they can round up from.
What if my car was blocking someone’s driveway?
That’s the one case where a car can be towed from a public street without a posted sign at all. FS 715.07 allows removal of a vehicle blocking access to a private driveway even without the standard signage.