A California trailer bill of sale is a signed document recording the private-party sale of a trailer, and the DMV publishes form REG 135 for the purpose. You are not required to use that specific form. Any written bill of sale works as long as it names both parties, describes the trailer accurately, states the price, and carries both signatures. It is only one piece of the transfer, though. To actually move ownership, it has to travel with the signed title, hit the DMV within set deadlines, and be backed up by a release of liability the seller files separately.
What the Bill of Sale Must Include
REG 135 is available only as a download from the DMV website; field offices do not stock paper copies.1California DMV. California Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Bill of Sale California does not require the bill of sale to be notarized or witnessed.
Whether you use REG 135 or your own document, include:
- Full legal names and current residential addresses for the buyer and the seller.
- The trailer’s year, make, model, and VIN. Copy the VIN directly from the trailer plate or the title. Trailer VINs are sometimes stamped in awkward spots, and transcription errors here are the most common cause of a rejected transfer.
- The exact sale price in dollars. The buyer’s use tax is calculated from this figure, so rounding or estimating creates billing problems later.
- The date possession changed hands. This date starts the clock on both filing deadlines below.
- Signatures from both parties. The buyer should check that the seller’s signature matches the name shown on the current registration.
If anything on the bill of sale conflicts with the title, the DMV may reject or delay the transfer.
Documents That Go With It
The bill of sale by itself does not transfer ownership. The seller also has to sign the California Certificate of Title in the release section, and that endorsed title is what legally moves the trailer to the new owner.2California DMV. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Basic Transfer Requirements Without that signature, the DMV will not process the transfer.
If the title is unavailable, out of signature space, or has an error in the odometer section, you also need a Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form (REG 262). It covers odometer disclosure, includes a power of attorney section when the registered owner cannot sign in person, and substitutes for the title release signature when necessary.3California DMV. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form REG 262 REG 262 is printed on security paper, so you have to get it from a DMV office or a licensed registration service rather than download it.
Trailers are exempt from California’s smog check requirement, so no smog certificate is needed.
The Seller’s 5-Day Release of Liability
California law requires the seller to file a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL) within five calendar days of the sale.4California Department of Motor Vehicles. Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability Skip this step or submit incomplete information and the DMV cannot update the vehicle record, which means you remain the registered owner on paper. Parking tickets, toll violations, and liability tied to the trailer after the sale all land on the old owner.
The fastest route is the DMV’s online NRL portal. Have the license plate number, VIN, buyer’s name and address, sale date, and odometer reading ready. If a registration renewal notice shows up later for a trailer you already sold, the NRL probably never got through. File it again.
The Buyer’s 10-Day Filing
Once the buyer has the endorsed title and the bill of sale, California Vehicle Code 5902 gives them 10 days to submit the title and transfer fee to the DMV. Miss that window and a $15 late penalty is added on top of the transfer fee.5California Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees
You can file in person at a DMV field office or digitally through the DMV’s Virtual Field Office.6California Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Virtual Field Office If you upload scans, make sure signatures and VINs are legible, since blurry images get kicked back. Keep copies of the signed bill of sale and the title endorsement as proof of ownership until the new registration card and title arrive in the mail.
What the Buyer Pays
The base title transfer fee is $15.5California Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees On top of that, the buyer owes California use tax at the combined sales tax rate for the address where the trailer is registered, which in most California counties lands somewhere between about 7.25% and 10.25%.7California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Tax Guide for Purchasers of Vehicles The tax is calculated from the sale price written on the bill of sale, which is why that number has to be accurate. Understating the price to lower tax is illegal, and the DMV can challenge a declared price that looks unreasonable for the trailer’s market value.
A Transportation Improvement Fee (TIF) may also apply, ranging from $33 for trailers valued under $5,000 up to $231 for those valued at $60,000 or more.5California Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees
Permanent Trailer Identification Changes the Fees
Most California trailers are not on annual registration. They sit under the Permanent Trailer Identification (PTI) program, which covers standard trailers, semitrailers, logging dollies, and pole dollies. Trailer coaches and park trailers are excluded and keep standard registration.8California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code VEH 5014.1
When a PTI trailer changes hands, the new owner pays a $7 transfer fee for a new identification certificate, and the PTI plate stays with the trailer. A $10 service fee is due every five years to keep the record active. These amounts are separate from the $15 title transfer fee and the use tax.8California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code VEH 5014.1
If the Trailer Will Sit Unused
If the trailer will not be driven, towed, stored, or parked on any public road for the full registration year, the owner can file for Planned Non-Operation (PNO) status instead of renewing.9California Department of Motor Vehicles. Planned Nonoperation Filing The fee is $15, and PNO has to be filed before the current registration expires.10California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 4604 If registration has already lapsed, a 90-day grace period applies, but only if the trailer has not been on a public road since the registration expired.11California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 4604.5 When you want to use the trailer again, renew the registration and pay the current fees before putting it back on the road.