How to Fill Out the California REG 397: Signatures, Fees, and Deadline

The California REG 397 is the Application for Registration of a New Vehicle, and a licensed California dealer completes and submits it to the DMV whenever a new car, truck, motorcycle, or trailer is sold at retail. The dealer has 20 days from the sale date to file the form, every supporting document, and all fees owed.¹ You don’t fill the form out yourself, but you sign it, and what the dealer enters determines your registration costs, who holds your title, and whether your temporary plates stay valid. Reviewing each field before you drive off the lot is the easiest way to prevent weeks of back-and-forth later.

What the Dealer Enters on the Form

The top of the REG 397 identifies the vehicle. The dealer enters the 17-digit VIN, the make, year model, body type, and motive power (gasoline, diesel, electric, hybrid, and so on). Pickup trucks also require the gross vehicle weight rating. Commercial vehicles and trailers need the number of axles and the unladen weight. Camp trailers, trailer coaches, and motorhomes require length and width in inches. Motorcycles get a separate engine or additional identification number field; electric motorcycles use the motor’s serial number in place of a traditional engine number.²

The “Sold to” section captures your true full legal name as it should appear on the title, your California driver license or ID number, your residence or business address, and a separate mailing address if different. If more than one person is on the registration, every owner’s name, signature, and DL/ID number goes on the form. The dealer also records your county of residence, which drives certain county-specific fees added to your bill.²

If you financed the car, the lienholder’s name and address go in the legal owner section. Dealers participating in the DMV’s Electronic Lien and Title (ELT) program also enter the lender’s ELT identification number. With no loan, the dealer writes “None.” Getting this right matters: with ELT, the DMV sends the lender an electronic title notification instead of mailing a paper certificate; lenders not enrolled in ELT get a paper title by mail.³

The Certificate of Cost section is where the dealer enters the full purchase price to the buyer, excluding sales tax, license fees, and financing costs. This number drives the Vehicle License Fee, set at 0.65 percent of purchase price, and the Transportation Improvement Fee tier, which runs from $33 for vehicles under $5,000 to $231 for vehicles valued at $60,000 or more.⁴ The form also records the date the vehicle was first sold and the date you first operated it; those can differ when a contract is signed before delivery.

Directly below sits the Odometer Disclosure Statement: the mileage reading at sale, plus signatures and printed names of buyer and seller. Federal law requires a written mileage disclosure on every vehicle transfer.⁵ On a new vehicle, the odometer usually reads under 300 miles.

Signatures and the Smog Certification

The dealer’s certification section doubles as a smog compliance statement. For new vehicles sold by a licensed California dealer, the dealer’s signature on the REG 397 stands in for a separate smog certification, because new vehicles already carry an EPA emissions certification label applied at the factory.²⁶

Two signatures close out the form. The dealer’s authorized representative certifies the sale complies with state regulations. You sign to confirm your personal information and the odometer reading. Both signatures are declarations under penalty of perjury. Before you sign, check that your name, address, and DL number are correct and that the purchase price matches your contract. A wrong digit in the VIN, a mismatched price, or a missing signature is the usual reason a title gets held up at the DMV.

Temporary License Plates

California replaced the old paper windshield permits with temporary license plates generated through the DMV’s electronic reporting system. After the dealer enters the sale data, the system produces a temporary plate showing the report-of-sale number, an expiration date, and a scannable barcode.⁷ The dealer installs the temporary plate before delivery. It is valid for 90 days from the purchase date. Toll systems, parking enforcement, and law enforcement scanners read these plates, so the vehicle is traceable from day one. Altering the expiration date is a serious offense under California law.

Fees the Dealer Collects With the Form

The dealer collects all registration-related fees from you at the time of sale and submits them with the REG 397. For a typical new passenger vehicle, the components are:

Base registration fee: $76, which includes a $3 Alternative Fuel/Technology fee.⁴
Vehicle License Fee: 0.65 percent of the purchase price. On a $35,000 car, that comes to $227.50.
Transportation Improvement Fee: $33 to $231, depending on the vehicle’s value.
California Highway Patrol fee: $34.
County and district fees, which vary by county.

The dealer may also charge a document processing fee. California caps that fee at $85 for dealers with a private industry partner agreement with the DMV, and $70 for dealers without one.⁸ The document fee covers the dealer’s cost of preparing and submitting the REG 397 and related paperwork.

The 20-Day Submission Deadline

The dealer must file the completed REG 397, all supporting documents, and every fee due within 20 days of the sale date for a new vehicle. That window is shorter than the 30 days dealers get for used vehicles. If the dealer misses the deadline, penalties accrue, and California law prohibits the dealer from passing those late-filing penalties on to you.¹ The DMV may add an administrative service fee on top. When a dealer processes several new-vehicle sales at once, a Multiple Vehicle Report of Sale (REG 397A) can be used, but the same 20-day deadline applies.²

What Arrives After the DMV Processes the Form

Once the DMV processes the REG 397 and confirms all fees are paid, it initiates the California Certificate of Title and prints your permanent license plates. Titles generally arrive by mail within 15 to 30 days.⁹ If you financed and the lender is enrolled in ELT, the DMV holds the title electronically and sends the lender a digital notification instead of mailing a paper certificate. Your registration card and permanent metal plates arrive separately.

If your temporary plate is nearing its 90-day expiration without permanent plates in hand, check the status through the DMV website or visit a local office. Delays almost always trace back to an error on the REG 397: a mismatched VIN digit, a missing signature, or a purchase price that doesn’t align with the fees collected.

VLF and Your Federal Tax Return

The Vehicle License Fee portion of your registration may be deductible on your federal return as a personal property tax. The IRS allows deductions for registration fees that are based on a vehicle’s value and imposed annually, and California’s VLF meets both tests because it is calculated as a percentage of purchase price. Flat charges like the base registration fee, the CHP fee, and county fees are not deductible. If you itemize on Schedule A, only the VLF portion qualifies, not the total amount shown on your registration notice.⁴

1
California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 4456 – Evidences of Registration
2
California DMV. New Vehicle Sales by a California Dealer
3
California DMV. Electronic Lien and Title Program
4
California DMV. Registration Fees
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. Disclosure Requirements on Transfer of Motor Vehicles
6
eCFR. 40 CFR 86.1807-01 – Vehicle Labeling
7
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 4456.2
8
California DMV. Dealer’s Document Preparation and Electronic Filing Service Fee
9
California DMV. Title Transfers and Changes