How to File the California REG 102 Planned Nonoperation (PNO) Form

California’s REG 102 form, the Planned Non-Operation (PNO) certification, tells the DMV that your vehicle will stay off every public road for the coming registration year, which suspends your obligation to pay full registration fees or carry liability insurance on it. The fastest way to file is online through the DMV’s Virtual Field Office; you can also mail the paper form. Either route costs $28, and the filing window runs from 60 days before your registration expires to 90 days after.¹

When You Need to File

California Vehicle Code Section 4604 requires you to file a PNO certification before your registration expiration date if you don’t plan to renew.² Skip the filing and skip renewal, and the DMV treats the vehicle as delinquent, with late penalties accruing as though you meant to drive it.

The condition attached to PNO status is strict. The vehicle cannot be driven, towed, or parked on any public road for the duration. No quick errand runs. No overnight street parking. If the vehicle touches a public highway at any point during PNO status, the DMV treats the status as invalid and bills you for full registration fees plus penalties for that year.¹ Long-term storage, extended repairs, a project car, or a long trip out of state are all common reasons to file. You don’t need to justify a reason; you need the vehicle to stay on private property.

Filing Window and Fee

The DMV accepts PNO filings from 60 days before your registration expiration date through 90 days after it. Miss that 150-day window and PNO is off the table for the year, leaving full registration as the only option.¹

Filed on or before the expiration date, the fee is a flat $28 with no penalties.³ Once PNO is on file it stays there indefinitely, with no annual renewal notices and no action required from you until you decide to put the car back on the road.¹

Late Penalties

Filing during the 90-day grace period after expiration still works, but late fees stack quickly on a tiered schedule:⁴

1–10 days late: $10 registration late fee, $10 CHP late fee, plus 10 percent of the vehicle license fee
11–30 days late: $15 registration late fee, $15 CHP late fee, plus 20 percent of the vehicle license fee
31–90 days late: $30 registration late fee, $30 CHP late fee, plus 60 percent of the vehicle license fee

A modest vehicle license fee can push the total from $28 to well over $100 when the filing lands two or three months late. Filing before the expiration date avoids it entirely.

How to File Online

The Virtual Field Office on dmv.ca.gov is the fastest route. Have two things ready before you start: your license plate number and the last five digits of your Vehicle Identification Number. Both are on your most recent registration card.¹ The system walks through a short set of screens, collects the $28 fee electronically, and confirms the filing on the spot. No mail wait, no office visit.

How to File the Paper REG 102 by Mail

If you’d rather use paper, download the REG 102 from the DMV website or use the form that came with your registration renewal notice. The paper version asks for slightly different information than the online portal.

You’ll fill in:

License plate number and vehicle make
The last three digits of the VIN, not the full seventeen characters
Mailing address with city, state, and ZIP
Storage location where the vehicle will be kept
Non-operation dates (from and to)
Daytime phone number
Your signature and the date

The signature line carries a penalty-of-perjury declaration; you’re certifying under oath that the vehicle will stay off public roads.² Check every field against your registration card before mailing. A mismatched plate number or VIN sends the form back unprocessed, and you burn time inside your filing window.

Mail the completed form with a $28 check to:

Department of Motor Vehicles
P.O. Box 942869
Sacramento, CA 94269-0001

Paper filings take several weeks to process. If your window is tight, file online instead.

PNO Is Not the Same as an Affidavit of Non-Use

These two forms handle different situations, and people mix them up. A PNO replaces your registration renewal when the registration is expiring and you don’t want to renew. An Affidavit of Non-Use (REG 5090) is for a vehicle that still has current registration but where you want to drop insurance coverage temporarily; it tells the DMV not to suspend the registration for lack of insurance while the car sits. If you filed an affidavit and the registration later comes due, you still have to file for PNO at that point or pay to renew.¹

Moving a PNO Vehicle Legally

A car in PNO status cannot legally touch a public road, which becomes a problem when it needs a smog check, a repair, or a move between storage locations. The DMV issues a free one-day moving permit for these situations. Approved purposes include:⁵

Moving between storage locations
Driving to or from a repair shop
Getting a smog inspection
DMV or CHP vehicle inspection
VIN verification or assignment
Weighing the vehicle

You choose the moving date when the permit is issued, and it has to fall within 60 days of issue. A DMV office, CHP office, Auto Club location, or authorized business partner can issue and endorse the permit. There’s no fee.

Putting the Vehicle Back on the Road

When you’re ready to drive again, you pay full registration fees for the current year. As long as the PNO was properly on file, the DMV does not add delinquent penalties; you pay the standard renewal amount.² Registration cost depends on the vehicle’s value, type, weight, and your county, so the DMV’s online fee calculator gives you the exact figure.³

Most vehicles also need a current smog certification before the DMV will finalize renewal. If the car has been sitting for years, plan for a smog inspection and possibly the repairs needed to pass one.⁶ The free one-day moving permit gets the vehicle to a smog station legally. Any outstanding parking tickets tied to the vehicle also have to be cleared before the DMV processes the renewal.

Selling a Vehicle That’s in PNO

You can sell a PNO vehicle, but as the seller you have to file a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability within five calendar days of the sale, either online or on the paper REG 138. The NRL protects you from liability for parking violations, traffic tickets, and lawsuits involving the vehicle after the sale date; online filings usually update the DMV record within one business day.⁷ PNO status doesn’t transfer as a benefit to the buyer; the new owner pays full registration to put the car back on the road.¹

1
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Planned Nonoperation Filing
2
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code Section 4604
3
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees
4
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Penalties
5
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Temporary Operating Permits
6
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Renew Your Vehicle’s Registration
7
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability