To fill out a California vehicle title, the seller signs the “Signature of Registered Owner(s)” line exactly as their name appears on the front, enters the sale date, purchase price, and odometer reading in ink, and the buyer prints their full legal name, address, and California driver’s license number in the buyer section and signs. Every field must be completed in ink with no white-out, correction tape, or write-overs, because any alteration can void the document.
What follows walks through each section in the order you’ll actually fill it in, plus the two deadlines that bookend the transfer.
What to Have in Front of You Before You Write
Gather everything before you pick up a pen. Filling in blanks from memory is how titles get voided.
- The 17-character Vehicle Identification Number from the dashboard near the windshield or the driver’s door jamb.
- The current license plate number.
- The odometer reading in whole miles, with no tenths.
- The sale date and agreed purchase price.
- Full legal names and current addresses for every seller and buyer.
- California driver’s license or ID card numbers for everyone who will sign.
Write slowly. Press firmly. If you notice yourself reaching for correction tape, stop.
The Seller’s Section
Sign the “Signature of Registered Owner(s)” line exactly as your name is printed on the front of the title. If your legal name has changed since the title was issued, sign the old name and your current name.
When two or more owners are listed with “and” or a slash between the names, every owner must sign. If “or” appears between the names, only one owner’s signature is needed.
In the seller’s assignment section, enter the sale date and the purchase price. If you’re giving the vehicle away, write “GIFT” where the price would go.
The Odometer Disclosure
Federal law requires an odometer disclosure on every transfer of a vehicle less than 20 model years old, which as of January 1, 2021 covers model year 2011 and newer vehicles.1National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements Record the current mileage as whole miles and check one of three boxes: actual mileage, not actual mileage, or mileage exceeding the odometer’s mechanical limits.
Both seller and buyer must provide original ink signatures on the odometer disclosure. Power of attorney signatures are not accepted here. When multiple owners appear on the title, at least one seller and one buyer must sign, and all printed names and signatures must be completed by hand in ink.2California Department of Motor Vehicles. 5.025 Disclosure Requirements
Any error in the odometer section voids the entire odometer disclosure. To salvage the transfer without ordering a replacement title, complete a Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form (REG 262) with the correct reading and attach a Statement of Facts (REG 256) explaining why a separate disclosure is included.3California Department of Motor Vehicles. 5.075 Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form REG 262
The Buyer’s Section
After the seller has signed, print your full legal name and current address in the designated buyer section, and add your California driver’s license or ID card number where indicated. Sign and date on the appropriate line, in ink.
If two people are buying the vehicle together, the word you put between the names controls how future sales work. “And” between the names means both owners must sign to transfer the vehicle later. “Or” means either owner can sell or transfer it independently. Decide before you write.
If There’s a Lien on the Title
If money is still owed on the vehicle, a lienholder is listed as the legal owner and must release that interest before the title can transfer. The release comes either as the lienholder’s signature on the title itself or as a separate Lien Satisfied/Title Holder Release form (REG 166).4California DMV. Title Transfers and Changes
Many California lienholders participate in the Electronic Lien and Title (ELT) program. When a loan is paid off under ELT, the lienholder sends a digital release to the DMV and a paper title is mailed to the registered owner automatically.5California Department of Motor Vehicles. Electronic Lien and Title Program If you’re buying, confirm the lien has been released before any money changes hands.
If You Make a Mistake
Do not use white-out, correction tape, or write over an error. Any alteration can void the title.
If the title is damaged, lost, or made unusable by errors elsewhere on the document, the registered owner (or the legal owner, if a lienholder is on record) applies for a replacement using the Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227).4California DMV. Title Transfers and Changes If the mistake is only in the odometer section, the REG 262 and REG 256 route described above keeps the transfer alive without ordering a new title.
What the Seller Does Right After Signing
Filling out the title is not the seller’s last step. California law requires you to notify the DMV within five calendar days of selling or transferring a vehicle.6California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 5900 This is the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL), and you can file it online, by mail, or in person.
Until the DMV receives your NRL, you remain the registered owner on record. Parking tickets, red-light camera citations, and toll violations run up by the new owner land on you. Once the NRL is processed, liability shifts to the buyer as of the sale date, and the DMV stops sending you registration renewal notices for that vehicle.7California DMV. Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability The NRL does not transfer ownership on its own; the buyer still has to submit the title. It just closes the gap between handing over the keys and the buyer filing the paperwork.
What the Buyer Does Right After Signing
The buyer must submit the completed title to the California DMV within 10 days of the purchase date.8California Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Transfer You can submit in person at any DMV office or by mail, along with the smog certificate if one is required, and payment for fees and use tax. Late submissions trigger penalties calculated as a percentage of the vehicle license fee, and the amount grows the longer you wait.9California DMV. Penalties
A private party buyer generally needs a smog certificate dated within 90 days of the sale, and the seller is responsible for providing it.10Bureau of Automotive Repair. Smog Check: When You Need One and What’s Required Newer vehicles, electric vehicles, some older diesels, and transfers between immediate family members are exempt from the inspection itself, though newer gasoline, hybrid, and alternative-fuel vehicles still owe an $8 smog transfer fee.11California DMV. Registration Fees If a smog check is required for your transaction, don’t accept a signed title without confirming the certificate is current.
One note on the “GIFT” entry: if the vehicle is a gift, or the transfer is between spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, or siblings, use tax is waived when you include a Statement of Facts (REG 256) with the paperwork identifying the gift or the family relationship.12California Department of Motor Vehicles. 4.035 Transactions Not Subject to Use Tax The family exemption does not apply if the seller is in the business of selling vehicles.