Towing Issues: Car w/expired registration towed from assigned space in townhome, unregistered vehicles, tow company

Question
From Maryland:   I live in a townhome complex which has assigned spaces (house numbers are painted on the parking spaces).  I left in June for an assignment overseas that got extended till the end of October.  The car's registrtion expired at the end of Sept. and the car was towed from its marked space on Oct. 18th.  the towing company said they have a contract with the Homeowner's association to tow any cars with expired registration.  Is this legal?  Is there any recourse for being reimbursed for expenses?  My neighbor who is a policeman seems to think that this is not legal.

Answer
This is really out of my area of expertise, California. But most cities and states have laws that a motor vehicle must be licensed and registered to remain ON THE STREETS. But your vehicle was towed from Private Property. By WHOM? I am presuming your landlord or homeowners association called the tow truck. Was the car really dirty? Were one or more tires flat or almost flat? If so and you live in a community (gated) with Homeowners Association Rules and Regulations against unsightly vehicles or unregistered vehicles they usually have a provision authorizing the vehicle to be towed. In California the tow company cannot simply enter on private property and tow a vehicle. They must be called by someone with authority. I suggest you ask your HOA manager if they called the tow company or gave them written authority to tow your vehicle. Ask them to give you a copy of the HOA rules against unsightly or unregistered vehicles authorizing such vehicles to be towed. If they did not authorize the tow or have rules authorizing such tows then you should check your local ordinances and State vehicle code for rules similar to those in California. You can see these on my Blog at sftow.blogspot.com