How to Get a Temporary Operating Permit in California

To get a Temporary Operating Permit in California, pay any outstanding registration fees and apply in person at a DMV field office using the Application for Temporary Operating Permit (REG 19F), bringing your ID, proof of ownership, proof of insurance, and, if your case involves emissions, your failed smog inspection report. If your application is approved, you walk out with the permit the same day, valid for 30, 60, or 90 days depending on why you need it.¹

Check That Your Situation Qualifies

A TOP is only available when registration fees have been paid but the DMV cannot yet give you plates, stickers, or a clean smog result. The permit length depends on the reason.

A one-time 30-day permit covers incomplete registration applications: an out-of-state vehicle being registered in California for the first time, a vehicle released from impound after fees are paid, a referral to the CHP for VIN inspection or assignment, a smog delay where you can show a Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) referee appointment card or proof that parts are on order, and certain federal heavy vehicle use tax situations. A DMV office manager can also authorize a 30-day permit at their discretion.¹

A one-time 60-day permit is issued for a failed original or transfer smog inspection (the clock starts on the day of the failed inspection), for commercial vehicles with July 31 expirations that are having trouble with the federal heavy vehicle use tax filing, for revived salvage vehicles that have passed their Vehicle Safety Systems Inspection with current fees paid, and for mailed-in registrations where DMV headquarters still needs to produce specialty plates (disabled person, veteran, environmental, and similar).¹

A one-time 90-day permit is reserved for two narrow situations: registration applications that have been suspended to DMV headquarters for plates and stickers to be produced, and personalized plates being manufactured by headquarters.¹

Biennial Smog Failures Are Their Own Category

If your car fails the biennial smog check required for registration renewal, you can get a separate 60-day TOP so you can drive it for repairs and retesting. The 60 days runs from either your registration expiration date or the date you removed the vehicle from planned nonoperation (PNO), whichever applies. The DMV will only issue one biennial smog TOP per vehicle every two years, and you cannot get one at all unless you can show that the vehicle actually failed its most recent smog inspection.²³

What to Bring

A valid California driver’s license or state ID card.
The vehicle’s VIN, make, model, and year.
Proof of ownership, such as the title or bill of sale.
Current California liability insurance for the vehicle.
The vehicle inspection record showing a failed smog check, if that is why you need the permit.
Payment for all outstanding registration fees, which must be paid before a TOP can be issued.

You will use these documents to complete form REG 19F with the clerk. The permit itself is a two-part form issued with a validating sticker (REG 19S).¹

How to Apply

Take your documents to any California DMV field office and complete the application in person. If approved, you leave with the permit the same visit.

You can also apply through a DMV-licensed business partner instead of going to the DMV yourself. These are auto dealers, registration services, and dismantlers in the Business Partner Automation (BPA) program. They add a service fee on top of DMV fees. Licensed dealers and dismantlers are capped at $29 per transaction type, but licensed registration services and salvage pools have no cap, so ask about the service fee before you commit.⁴

What It Costs

For most TOP categories there is no separate permit fee beyond the registration fees you already owe. The biennial smog TOP is the exception: it costs $50 on top of your registration renewal fees, and that $50 is nonrefundable. The fee can be waived if you present a BAR Letter of Eligibility showing you qualify for the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP). BAR handles eligibility questions at www.bar.ca.gov or 1-866-272-9642.³

Displaying and Using the Permit

Tape the TOP to the lower left or lower right corner of the windshield so it’s visible from outside the vehicle. Attach the REG 19S validating sticker to the permit as directed by the clerk who issues it.

A TOP is not a substitute for permanent registration. It authorizes driving for the purpose tied to the permit, such as getting the vehicle to a smog station, a repair shop, or a DMV office for inspection. It does not cover unrelated everyday use, and it does not authorize out-of-state travel. Driving after the permit expires, or for purposes outside its scope, exposes you to the same penalties as driving an unregistered vehicle, including fines and possible impoundment.

One limit to know before you go: the DMV will not issue a TOP for a vehicle that needs a brake or light certificate. In that situation only a one-day vehicle moving permit is available.¹

If You Don’t Qualify or Your TOP Has Expired

The one-day vehicle moving permit (REG 172) can fill the gap. It’s issued at no charge and authorizes driving for a single day for specific purposes: moving the vehicle between storage locations, driving to or from a repair shop, transporting it for a DMV or CHP inspection, getting a VIN verified, having emissions devices checked, or having the vehicle weighed or inspected for brake and light compliance.⁵

To qualify, the vehicle must have a valid PNO status on record, be exempt from the PNO requirement, or have current fees on deposit. It’s much more restrictive than a TOP, but for a car that used up its biennial smog TOP without passing, the one-day permit is often the only legal way left to get it to a shop.³

1
California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Temporary Operating Permit (TOP) (REG 19F) (VC 4156)
2
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 4156
3
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Temporary Operating Permits
4
California DMV. Business Partner Program
5
California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Moving Permit (REG 172)(VC 4002)