California DMV REG 230 is the longstanding shorthand for the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, the form you file with the DMV within five calendar days of selling, gifting, or otherwise transferring a vehicle. The paper version currently issued by the DMV is numbered REG 138, but the function is the same: it tells the state you no longer own the vehicle so later parking tickets, toll violations, red-light citations, and accidents aren’t charged to you. The fastest way to file is online through the DMV’s NRL portal at dmv.ca.gov.
What the Form Actually Does
Under California Vehicle Code Section 5602, once you’ve completed a legitimate sale and either properly endorsed the title or filed the transfer notice with the DMV, you are no longer treated as the vehicle’s owner for civil or criminal liability purposes.1California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 5602 – Procedure to Transfer Toll cameras, parking enforcement, and red-light systems all pull from DMV records. Until the notice is on file, those records still list you, and every automated citation runs to your name and address. Contesting tickets after the fact takes far more time than the two minutes it takes to file.
When You Need to File
Any transfer of ownership triggers the requirement. That covers private-party sales, dealership trade-ins (the dealer files its own notice under Vehicle Code 5901, but your own filing adds a layer of protection), gifts to a family member or friend, charitable donations, and a co-owner relinquishing interest in the vehicle.
The five-day clock runs from the date you hand over possession of the vehicle, not the date you agree on a price or sign a contract.2California Legislative Information. California Code, Vehicle Code VEH 5900
Information to Gather Before You File
Have all of this in front of you before you start. Missing fields will stall the submission.
- License plate number, copied exactly as it appears on the plate.
- Vehicle identification number. The online portal usually asks for the last five digits of the VIN; the full number is on the plate at the base of the windshield and on the registration card.
- Year, make, and model as they appear on the registration card.
- Odometer reading at the moment you hand over the vehicle. California Vehicle Code Section 5900(b) requires you to report this figure, and you must flag it if you know the odometer is inaccurate or has been replaced.2California Legislative Information. California Code, Vehicle Code VEH 5900
- Buyer’s full legal name and address. Incomplete buyer information is the most common reason the DMV cannot process a filing.
- Date of sale or transfer. This becomes the legal cutoff for your responsibility.
- Sale price. Gifts are entered as $0.
Snap a photo of the odometer and the buyer’s driver license at the time of sale. Both cost nothing and can resolve disputes months later if the buyer denies the transaction or claims different mileage.
Filing Online
Go to the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability page on the DMV website, which leads you into the filing application.3California DMV. Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability The direct URL for the filing form is dmv.ca.gov/nrl/nrlApplication.do.
Enter the vehicle information, buyer details, odometer reading, sale date, and sale price. The system generates a confirmation receipt once you submit. Print or save that receipt. Keep it for several years, because toll and parking disputes can surface long after the sale.
Online filing processes almost immediately, so the automated citation systems that query the DMV database will start pointing at the new owner rather than you.
Filing by Mail
If you prefer paper, pick up a REG 138 form at any DMV field office or use the notice section printed on the back of your California Certificate of Title. Fill in the same data points, then mail the completed form to:
DMV
PO Box 942869
Sacramento, CA 942694California DMV. Title Transfers and Changes
Mailed forms do not produce an instant confirmation. Use certified mail or a tracked service so you have proof of the postmark date. The five-day deadline is met as long as the form is placed in the U.S. mail within five calendar days of the transfer; it does not need to arrive at the DMV within that window.1California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 5602 – Procedure to Transfer
If You Already Missed the Five-Day Window
File anyway. California does not impose a separate monetary penalty specifically for a late Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, but every day it goes unfiled is a day you remain the registered owner in the DMV’s system. Any citation, toll, or towing charge generated during that gap will land on you. If a ticket for something the buyer did has already arrived, a filed notice (even a late one) combined with supporting documentation — a bill of sale, a photo of the signed title, messages confirming the sale — gives you a basis to contest the charge.
The online portal accepts filings regardless of how much time has passed since the sale. Filing late is far better than never filing at all.