Guides / Got a notice of pending lien sale? What it must say

Got a notice of pending lien sale? What it must say

In California, a tow yard or repair shop that holds a lien on your car (the lienholder) must send you a notice before selling it for unpaid bills. This page covers vehicles valued at $4,000 or less. It shows what the statute says the notice must contain and the 10-day window.

Short on time? A notice comes with a blank form called a Declaration of Opposition and an envelope addressed to the DMV. The statute says that if you want a court hearing, you sign the form and return it to the DMV within 10 days of the date the notice was mailed, not the date you opened it. Read the date on your notice today. Jump to the checklist.

Car already sold, or past 10 days? See what the DMV says. Any leftover sale money may be held for you at the DMV: how to check and claim it.

This page covers sales of vehicles valued at $4,000 or less (Civil Code §3072). A vehicle valued over $4,000 follows different steps, which the DMV describes on its lien sale pages. It is information, not legal advice. A lawyer or a legal aid office can tell you your options.

Checklist when a notice arrives

Find the mailing date. The 10 days run from the date the notice was mailed, which can be before you receive it. This site's reading: if the date is unclear, act at once.
Check the car and the amount. Is it your car? Does the amount of the lien and the reason match what happened?
Check the sale date. The sale should be 31 to 41 days after the mailing date.
Decide whether to ask for a hearing. The Declaration of Opposition form comes with the notice. The statute says to return it to the department, and the lienholder must include a return envelope preaddressed to the department. Return it within 10 days.
Call the lienholder and the DMV Lien Sale Unit, (916) 657-7617, if something does not add up.
Keep every paper. Keep the notice, the envelope and any receipt.

What the notice is

“The notice is to let you know that a lien sale is pending for the vehicle. The lien sale allows the business (lienholder) to recover the money owed for repairs, towing, and/or storage of the vehicle.”
California DMV, Lien Sales For Vehicles, frequently asked questions, read 14 November 2026.

The notice goes to the registered and legal owners of record and to anyone else the lienholder knows has an interest. The DMV says why a seller of the car may still get one.

“You received the notice because DMV records indicate you still have an interest in this vehicle.”
California DMV, Lien Sales For Vehicles, frequently asked questions, read 14 November 2026.

What the lienholder must send

“The lienholder shall, immediately upon receipt of the names and addresses, send, by certified mail with return receipt requested or by United States Postal Service Certificate of Mailing, a completed Notice of Pending Lien Sale form, a blank Declaration of Opposition form, and a return envelope preaddressed to the department, to the registered owner and legal owner at their addresses of record with the department, and to any other person known to have an interest in the vehicle.”
California Civil Code §3072, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read 14 November 2026.

What the notice must say

“All notices to persons having an interest in the vehicle shall be signed under penalty of perjury and shall include all of the following information and statements:”
California Civil Code §3072, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read 14 November 2026.

The car: make, year, model, VIN, plate number and state of registration.
The date, time and place of the sale. The statute sets the sale 31 to 41 days after the mailing date.
The names and addresses of the registered and legal owners and anyone else known to have an interest.
The amount of the lien and the facts behind the claim.
That you have a right to a hearing in court, and how to ask for one.
That you may be liable for court costs if the lienholder wins.

The statute words these items this way.

“The specific date, exact time, and place of sale, which shall be set not less than 31 days, but not more than 41 days, from the date of mailing.”
California Civil Code §3072, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read 14 November 2026.

“The amount of the lien and the facts concerning the claim which gives rise to the lien.”
California Civil Code §3072, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read 14 November 2026.

“The person has a right to a hearing in court.”
California Civil Code §3072, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read 14 November 2026.

“If a court hearing is desired, a Declaration of Opposition form, signed under penalty of perjury, shall be signed and returned to the department within 10 days of the date the Notice of Pending Lien Sale form was mailed.”
California Civil Code §3072, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read 14 November 2026.

“The person may be liable for court costs if a judgment is entered in favor of the lienholder.”
California Civil Code §3072, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read 14 November 2026.

If the 10 days have passed

“When the window to oppose the lien sale has past, it becomes a civil matter between the parties involved. You may want to seek legal advice if you are unsure of your options, the consequences, or of what you want to do.”
California DMV, Lien Sales For Vehicles, frequently asked questions, read 14 November 2026.

If the car is sold for more than the lien and the allowed cost, the leftover money may be held for you at the DMV. See the guide to claiming it.

What this site cannot do

It cannot tell you whether your notice is valid or whether the lien is right.
It does not cover vehicles valued over $4,000, and it cannot tell you whether the car was valued correctly.
It does not send anything to the DMV or the lienholder.
It is not the DMV and not a law firm. This page is information, not legal advice.

Sources

California Civil Code §3072, read 14 November 2026
California DMV, Lien Sales For Vehicles, frequently asked questions, read 14 November 2026
California Civil Code §3073, read 14 November 2026

Quotations are copied word for word. Text outside a quotation is this site's reading. This is not legal advice.