August 1, 2026
CVC 22511 and 22658: California EV Charging and Tow-Away Sign Requirements
If you own or manage private parking in California and you want the right to tow, the sign is not a formality — it is the thing that makes the tow lawful. Two sections of the Vehicle Code cover it: CVC 22658 for general private-property parking, and CVC 22511 for spaces reserved for electric vehicle charging. They set out different wording but, usefully, the same physical specification.
Which section applies to your lot
These are not two options to choose between — the space decides. CVC 22658 is about the property: it is the section that lets a private owner have a vehicle removed from the lot at all. CVC 22511 is about the individual stall designated for electric vehicle charging, and it is what makes that stall enforceable against a car parked in it without being connected for charging. A private lot that contains charging stalls is therefore looking at both: entrance signage under 22658 for the lot, and 22511 language for the charging spaces. One posted correctly does not cover for the other being missing.
The specification both sections share
Under both CVC 22658 and CVC 22511, the sign must be not less than 17 inches by 22 inches, with lettering not less than one inch in height. That is the floor, not a recommendation. A 12 by 18 sign with three-quarter-inch type is a sign that a court can find non-compliant, and a tow made on the strength of it is a tow the property owner may have to answer for.
Tow-away signs: CVC 22658
The statute requires a sign that prohibits public parking and indicates that vehicles will be removed at the owner's expense. It must also carry the telephone number of the local traffic law enforcement agency, and the name and telephone number of each towing company that is party to a written general towing authorization agreement with the property.
That last requirement is the one people get wrong. It is not enough to say "violators will be towed" — the sign has to name the tow company you actually have an agreement with, and give its number. Change tow companies and the sign is out of date the same day.
Placement: in plain view at all entrances to the property. Every entrance, not the main one.
EV charging spaces: CVC 22511
For a space designated for electric vehicle charging, the statute specifies the statement itself. The sign must state that unauthorized vehicles not connected for electric charging purposes will be towed away at the owner's expense, and that towed vehicles may be reclaimed at a given address or by telephoning a given law enforcement number. You fill in the address and the number; the rest is the required language.
Placement here gives you a choice: immediately adjacent to and visible from the stall itself, or in a conspicuous place at each entrance to the off-street parking facility. Either satisfies the section. Spaces on a public street are a different matter and follow the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices instead.
One more condition worth knowing: the space only becomes enforceable for towing once it is posted as the statute describes, and the owner or operator has to notify the police or sheriff before a vehicle is removed.
What a CVC 22511 sign has to carry, line by line
Written out as a checklist, the EV charging sign is four things: the statement that unauthorized vehicles not connected for electric charging purposes will be towed away at the owner's expense; the place a towed vehicle can be reclaimed, given either as an address or as a telephone number for the law enforcement agency; lettering not less than one inch high; and a panel not less than 17 by 22 inches.
The CVC 22658 checklist is a different list on the same size panel: that public parking is prohibited and vehicles will be removed at the owner's expense, the telephone number of the local traffic law enforcement agency, and the name and telephone number of every towing company under a written general towing authorization agreement with the property. The overlap between the two lists is the panel and the type size — not the words. Laying out one sign and changing a line to make the second one is how a lot ends up with two signs that are each missing something.
What to have them made from
For anything permanent and outdoors, aluminum composite is the sensible substrate — dibond aluminum from $37.42 does not rust, does not dent easily, and survives a decade of sun without the face chalking. For a lot that is being restriped, a temporary event, or a property changing tow vendors soon, corrugated plastic from $23.79 costs a fraction and can be replaced without regret.
Size is where people try to save money and should not. The code sets 17 by 22 as a minimum; going larger is always safe, going smaller is the whole liability.
Before you order
Two things to confirm on your own: that you are looking at the current text of the code, since sections get amended, and whether your city or county has a local ordinance that adds requirements on top of the state minimum. Some do. The state statute is the floor, not the ceiling.
Angels Print prints both sign types on aluminum composite or corrugated plastic at 17 by 22 and larger, and ships anywhere in the U.S. Send the tow company name and number, or the reclaim address and law enforcement number, and we will lay it out at compliant type sizes before anything prints. If the same property needs entrance panels, directional signs and stall markers as one matched set, that is our signage work, and the ADA and wayfinding guide covers the rest of what a parking lot has to be signed with.
Frequently asked questions
What does CVC 22511 require an EV charging sign to say?
That unauthorized vehicles not connected for electric charging purposes will be towed away at the owner's expense, and that a towed vehicle may be reclaimed at a given address or by telephoning a given law enforcement number. You supply the address and the number; the rest is the language the statute specifies.
What size does a CVC 22511 sign have to be?
Not less than 17 inches by 22 inches, with lettering not less than one inch high — the same minimum CVC 22658 sets for private-property tow-away signs. Larger is always safe; smaller is where the liability is.
Where does a CVC 22511 sign have to be posted?
You have a choice under 22511: immediately adjacent to and visible from the charging stall, or in a conspicuous place at each entrance to the off-street parking facility. A CVC 22658 tow-away sign gets no such choice — it goes in plain view at all entrances to the property, every entrance and not only the main one.
What is the difference between CVC 22511 and CVC 22658?
CVC 22658 covers private-property parking generally and is the section that lets an owner have a vehicle removed. CVC 22511 covers spaces designated for electric vehicle charging and specifies the wording for those stalls. The required wording differs; the physical minimum — 17 by 22 inches with one-inch lettering — is the same.
Does CVC 22511 cover EV charging spaces on a public street?
A space on a public street is a different matter and follows the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices instead. The posting options in 22511 are written for off-street parking facilities and the stalls in them.
Is posting the sign enough to tow from an EV charging space?
The space becomes enforceable for towing once it is posted as the statute describes, and the owner or operator still has to notify the police or sheriff before a vehicle is removed. Confirm as well whether your city or county adds requirements on top of the state minimum — the statute is the floor, not the ceiling.
What should a tow-away or EV charging sign be printed on?
Aluminum composite for anything permanent outdoors: it does not rust, does not dent easily and holds its face through years of sun. Corrugated plastic is the cheaper choice for a lot being restriped, a temporary arrangement, or a property that expects to change tow vendors and reprint.