Motorcycle Keys for Tow Yards and Lien Sale Bikes

Quick answerA motorcycle held on a towing or storage lien still belongs to its registered owner until a valid lien sale is completed, so the paperwork decides who can ask for a key and when. After the sale, the lien sale certification (REG 168A or REG 168) and the documents handed over with it tie the buyer to the VIN. This page summarizes the DMV's published lien sale procedure and the records California law makes a locksmith keep. This is general information, not legal advice.

California lien sale basics

DMV describes a lien sale as the way a person who repairs, supplies materials for, tows or stores a vehicle recovers unpaid charges. Three points from DMV's own pages frame everything else. The lienholder must have physical possession of the vehicle to conduct a lien sale. For a public agency or private property impound, the lien arises when the vehicle is towed. And before starting, the lienholder has to decide whether the vehicle is valued at $4,000 or less or over $4,000, because each level has its own procedure and forms.

DMV also lists who cannot use the process. Salvage pools cannot conduct a lien sale to obtain title, and a repair shop must be registered with the Bureau of Automotive Repair to use a lien sale for repair charges. Civil Code 3072 adds that a lien sale is void if the lienholder does not comply with the lien sale chapter.

The two procedures side by side

The table follows DMV's Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual.

Step	Valued $4,000 or less (Civil Code 3072)	Valued over $4,000 (Civil Code 3071)
DMV authorization	Not required to conduct the sale	Required: apply on the REG 656 within 30 days of the lien arising
Owner information	Request the vehicle record by VIN on the INF 1126, within 15 days of the lien arising for a towing or storage lien	DMV notifies the owners and interested parties by certified mail
Notice of pending sale	REG 668 mailed to the registered owner, legal owner, interested parties and DMV, at least 31 and no more than 41 days before the sale	REG 280 sent by certified mail at least 20 days before the sale, plus a newspaper advertisement
Opposition	Owner has 10 days from mailing to return the Declaration of Opposition	Owner has 10 days from mailing of the DMV notice
After the sale	No redemption period. The buyer may take possession immediately	The owner may redeem the vehicle for 10 days after the sale
Certification given to buyer	REG 168A	REG 168

Motorcycle details that matter

Civil Code 3072 requires the notice of pending lien sale to describe the vehicle, and for a motorcycle it also requires the engine number. DMV requires the record request to be made by VIN, not by plate, and says a vehicle with a missing VIN has to be referred to the CHP first. On a motorcycle the VIN is on the frame at the steering head, where it can be hidden by cables or damaged in a crash, so read it from the frame and not from a plate or an old registration card.

After either kind of sale, the person conducting it must remove and destroy the license plates and submit the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability to DMV within five days.

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Who can ask for a key, and when

California Penal Code 466.6 requires anyone who makes a vehicle ignition key other than by duplicating an existing key to record the identity and ID number of the person the key is made for, the vehicle's registration details and VIN, and that person's signature, on a work order kept for two years. Business and Professions Code 6980.55 has a matching record requirement for locksmiths, and our proof of ownership guide lists the full record.

Timing matters because of what a lien is. Until a valid sale is completed, the registered owner still owns the motorcycle, can oppose the sale, and can pay the charges and take the bike back. On a vehicle valued over $4,000 the owner can also redeem it for 10 days after the sale, and DMV checks that this period has passed before it accepts the buyer's application. The straightforward time for key work is after the sale is final, with the certification in hand. If you want keys made earlier, expect a locksmith to ask what authority you hold beyond possession, and take advice from your own counsel or lien sale service.

Documents that show authority

These are the documents the DMV procedure itself produces. Expect to be asked for the ones that fit who is asking and at what stage.

Buyer after a sale at $4,000 or less: the REG 168A, the DMV printout of the vehicle record, the certified mailing or certificate of mailing receipts, and DMV's authorization to continue if the sale was opposed. DMV's manual lists these as what the lienholder gives the buyer
Buyer after a sale over $4,000: the completed REG 168, the mailing receipts, and DMV's authorization to conduct the sale
Yard that kept the bike because no one bid: DMV says the lienholder completes the certification as both seller and buyer
Registered owner collecting an impounded bike with no key: photo ID and registration or title in that person's name, as with any owner. Civil Code 3068.1 lists the documents a yard may accept for release
In every case: photo ID of the person signing the work order, and the bike on site so the frame VIN can be compared with the paperwork

What the key work involves on a stored bike

We are mobile and work only on motorcycles and scooters, in San Diego County, Ventura County, Santa Barbara and Goleta, so the work is done in your yard. Once the paperwork is checked, a key is made to the ignition from its code or from the lock, tried in the seat, fuel cap and steering lock, and programmed if the bike has an immobilizer. A forced ignition is repaired or replaced first. Some keyless and European systems need factory software or original codes and have to go through that brand's dealer, so give the year, make and model when you call.

Quick questions

Is a tow yard the owner of a bike it is holding on a lien?

No. DMV describes the lien as a way to recover unpaid charges, and the registered owner can oppose the sale or pay and collect the bike. Ownership passes through a completed lien sale and its certification.

Which form shows a lien sale was completed?

The Certification of Lien Sale: REG 168A for a vehicle valued at $4,000 or less and REG 168 for one valued over $4,000 or from a self-service storage facility.

Can the buyer take a lien sale bike the same day?

For a vehicle valued at $4,000 or less, DMV says there is no redemption period and the buyer may take possession immediately. Over $4,000, the owner has a 10-day redemption period after the sale.

An owner came to collect an impounded bike but lost the key. Can you help them?

Yes, with the owner's photo ID and registration or title, as with any owner. The key is made at the yard once the yard has released the bike to them or agrees to the work being done on site.

Services that can help

Keep reading

Auction or Salvage Motorcycle With No Keys: What to ExpectA motorcycle from Copart, IAA or a lien sale can get new keys once you hold paperwork that ties you to the VIN: a title or Salvage Certificate endorsed to you, or the lien sale certification packet, plus a bill of sale and your photo ID.
Proof of Ownership for a Motorcycle Key in CaliforniaA legitimate California locksmith will ask for photo ID plus the motorcycle's registration or title before making a key, because state law requires locksmiths to record your ID, the bike's VIN and registration details, and your signature for every vehicle key they originate.
Lost Keys and Lost Title or Registration in CaliforniaIf the registration and title are gone along with the keys, replace the paperwork first.
Bought a Used Motorcycle With No Key? Here's What to DoA used or auction motorcycle without keys can usually get new ones, but plan on the full all-keys-lost process and bring the signed title or other transfer paperwork plus photo ID, since a locksmith or dealer has to tie you to the VIN.
Motorcycle Keys for Dealers and Used Bike LotsA trade-in or auction bike that arrives with one key or none can have keys made at your lot, and on many immobilizer models the new keys can be programmed there too.

Where we work

Sources

Page last updated November 14, 2026.