The police can charge you with this offense even if you were not driving the car. Even parked cars in an “off-street public parking facility” are subject to these laws.
When are registration tags required?
Vehicle Code 4000a1 VC says that you must register your vehicle with the DMV if you:
- drive it,
- move it, or
- park it in an off-street public parking facility.1
An “off-street public parking facility” means either of the following:
- any publicly owned parking facility, or
- any privately owned parking facility that charges no fee for cars to park.2
“Registration” means that you provide evidence that you have paid the registration tax and fees on a motor vehicle. This evidence consists of:
- a metal license plate,
- a validation decal, and
- a registration certificate.
Note that in the case of a parked vehicle that does not show proper registration:
- the authorities cannot tow and impound it,
- unless they try to contact you (the owner) and inform you that it is not registered.3