FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Colin Heyne, Public Information Manager, Transportation Department
408-975-3705, colin.heyne@sanjoseca.gov
San José Increases Citation and Towing for Expired Vehicle Registration
Over 4,200 Vehicles Registered in the City are Lapsed by More Than Six Months
SAN JOSE, Calif. (July 10, 2025) – The City of San José is stepping up its efforts to enforce the requirement that vehicles parked on city streets have current registration. Violators could be ticketed or have their vehicles towed.
Citing an analysis of 2022-2023 DMV data, a recent City budget document noted that at least 4,200 vehicles registered to San José addresses had registrations that were more than six months expired. Vehicle registration fees support a wide range of local transportation improvements, including road maintenance, transit, infrastructure projects, and dealing with vehicles abandoned in the public right-of-way.
The increased enforcement will balance legal requirements with reasonable expectations, focusing on vehicles with registration at least six months out of date. Vehicles with registration that has lapsed by more than six months can be towed immediately, with no prior warning. Enforcement teams have begun issuing warnings and will continue to do so for at least a month. No hard enforcement will happen before August 17.
“Making sure vehicles parked on our street have current registration supports our Increasing Community Safety and Cleaning Up Our Neighborhoods City Council Focus Areas,” said City Manager Jennifer Maguire.
“We have thousands of unregistered cars and RVs in San José that are impacting the safety and cleanliness of our streets,” said Mayor Matt Mahan. “We don’t want to ticket people or tow cars – but we do need to ensure people are following the law and hold them accountable when they aren't."
To staff up a team behind the effort, the Transportation Department is adding three new Parking and Traffic Control Officers and shifting three others from lower-priority programs that will be suspended. The Department will be discontinuing enforcement of time-limited parking outside of the Downtown Meter Districts and sunsetting a pilot program, Extended Parking Stay Enforcement, that had been responding to reports of vehicles parked on city streets without moving for more than 10 days. Both programs issued relatively few citations, and the expanded registration enforcement is anticipated to be more impactful.
Additional Parking Enforcement Updates
In addition to the increased registration enforcement, the Transportation Department will be launching an effort to expand upon its existing Oversized and Lived-In Vehicle Enforcement (OLIVE) program by investigating and addressing some lived-in vehicles outside of OLIVE sites. Like the original OLIVE program, the OLIVE Supportive Enforcement Program (OSEP) will investigate suspected lived-in vehicles and encourage them to move from locations where they have been parked for an extended period of time. But unlike the OLIVE program, which focuses on highly impacted streets, OSEP will respond to lower-priority locations and smaller congregations of vehicles identified through the biannual oversized and lived-in vehicle inventory.
“Increasing our enforcement of expired registration is just one of several changes the Department is making this year to more effectively encourage parking turnover and compliance on city streets,” said Director of Transportation John Ristow. “We have to be smart and strategic with limited resources, and we feel this move, along with our expanded enforcement of oversized and lived-in vehicles, will address some of the most common parking-related complaints we hear.”
Residents and visitors who plan to park on City of San José streets are encouraged to keep their vehicle registration current. Visit dmv.ca.gov to learn more about renewing a vehicle’s registration.
About the City of San José
With almost 1 million residents, San José is one of the most diverse large cities in the United States and is Northern California’s largest city and the 12th largest city in the nation. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world.
About the Transportation Department
The San José Transportation Department plans, develops, operates, and maintains transportation facilities, services, and related systems that contribute to the livability and economic health of the city. Our goal is to provide a transportation system that is safe, efficient, and convenient for all modes of transportation, and which supports San José’s livability and economic vitality.
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