You can sell a car in California without a title by using Form REG 227, which asks the DMV to issue a duplicate title and transfer ownership to the buyer in the same transaction. Combined DMV fees run about $43, and the sale is legal and clean as long as you complete the form correctly, meet smog and odometer rules, and file a Release of Liability within five days of handing over the keys.
What REG 227 Does
The REG 227, formally the Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title, replaces the lost, stolen, illegible, or never-received pink slip and transfers the vehicle to the buyer in one filing. There’s no need to get a duplicate title first and then do a separate transfer. The form has numbered sections split between seller, buyer, and, when relevant, lienholder. You fill out Sections 1 through 4; the buyer completes Sections 6 and 7.1California Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Duplicate or Transfer of Title (REG 227)
In Section 1, put your full legal name and California address exactly as they appear on your registration card, plus your driver’s license number, the VIN, the license plate, and the make and year. Small mismatches between your entries and DMV records will get the form rejected, so copy from the registration rather than memory.
Section 3 is the Missing Title Statement. Check the box for lost, stolen, illegible, or never received. Your signature there is a declaration under penalty of perjury that the original is genuinely unavailable, and it indemnifies the DMV Director against loss from issuing the duplicate.1California Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Duplicate or Transfer of Title (REG 227) Once the duplicate issues, the original title is automatically cancelled.
Section 4 records the buyer’s name, sale date, purchase price, and your signature authorizing the transfer. Every entry must be legible with no corrections. White-out or crossed-out fields will bounce the form back at the counter.
Documents to Gather Before the Sale
Have these ready before you meet the buyer:
- The completed REG 227.
- A bill of sale. Form REG 135 is the DMV’s version, showing sale date, price, and a vehicle description that matches the REG 227. Both parties sign it. No notary or witness required.2California State Department of Motor Vehicles. 1.020 Bill of Sale (VC 1652)
- A valid smog certification, if your vehicle isn’t exempt (see below). The smog station transmits the certificate to the DMV electronically, and it’s valid for 90 days.
- An odometer reading and disclosure for any vehicle from model year 2011 or newer.
Most private sales don’t require a notary. The one common exception is a lienholder signature on the REG 227.
If a Lender Was Ever on the Title
If a lender previously held a lien and the loan is paid off, the DMV still shows that financial interest until it’s formally released. Section 5 of the REG 227 needs a notarized signature from the lienholder releasing their interest, or the lender can provide a separate Lien Satisfied/Title Holder Release on Form REG 166.3California Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Transfers and Changes
Some lenders turn this around quickly; others take weeks. Request the release well before you list the vehicle, because without it the DMV will reject the REG 227. Of every problem that stalls a no-title sale, an unreleased lien is the most common.
Smog Check: When You Need One
California generally requires the seller to provide a valid smog certification for a private-party sale, but several categories are exempt:
- Gasoline, hybrid, and alternative-fuel vehicles four model years old or newer (the buyer pays a smog transfer fee instead).
- Gasoline, hybrid, and alternative-fuel vehicles from model year 1975 or older.
- Diesel vehicles from model year 1997 or older.
- Diesel vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 14,000 pounds.
- Electric vehicles.
- Motorcycles.
If your vehicle isn’t on that list, you need a passing inspection before the sale. Most stations charge between $50 and $80; the statewide average is around $64.4Bureau of Automotive Repair. Smog Check Executive Summary Report January 2024 The certificate is good for 90 days from inspection.5Bureau of Automotive Repair. Smog Check: When You Need One and What’s Required
Odometer Disclosure
Federal law requires a mileage disclosure on any transfer unless the vehicle is old enough to be exempt. For vehicles built in model year 2010 or earlier, the exemption arrived 10 years after the model year, so all of those are now exempt. For vehicles built in model year 2011 or later, the exemption doesn’t apply until 20 years after the model year.6eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
For a 2026 sale, that means every 2011 or newer vehicle needs an odometer reading and a certification of its accuracy, entered on the REG 227 or the title itself. Rolling back or misrepresenting mileage is a federal offense, and the national title database (NMVTIS) flags discrepancies when the buyer’s state processes the new title.
The Handoff
On the day of the sale, give the buyer the signed REG 227, the bill of sale, and (if it applies) the smog certification receipt, and take the payment. That closes your side of the physical exchange. The paperwork isn’t done, though: the single most important step happens after the buyer leaves.
File the Release of Liability Within Five Days
California Vehicle Code Section 5900 requires you to notify the DMV of the sale within five calendar days.7California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code Section 5900 You do this by filing a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, Form REG 138. The fastest way is the DMV’s online portal; the vehicle record updates within one business day and no paper copy is needed if you file electronically.8California Department of Motor Vehicles. Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability FAQs Mailing a completed REG 138 to the address on the form also works.
File it the same day as the sale if you can. Once processed, the notice severs your legal connection to the vehicle. Without it, you remain the registered owner in DMV records, and parking tickets, toll violations, and accident liability can still land on you. This is where sellers get burned. Save or print the confirmation page.
What the Sale Costs You
The DMV charges $28 for the duplicate title and $15 for the transfer, $43 in total.9California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees Add the smog inspection if your vehicle needs one. Nothing in state law assigns the duplicate title fee to either party, so who pays it is a matter of negotiation.
Use tax on the purchase price is the buyer’s responsibility, paid at the DMV when they register the vehicle.
What the Buyer Has to Do Next
The buyer has 10 days from the purchase date to visit a DMV office and complete the registration transfer, submitting the REG 227, the bill of sale, and proof of smog (or paying the smog transfer fee for an exempt vehicle).10California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration for a Vehicle Purchased from a Private Party Missing that window triggers late penalties the buyer owes, so it’s worth flagging the deadline to them: a buyer who registers on time keeps the DMV record clean on your end too.
Keep your copies of the REG 227, bill of sale, smog receipt, and the Release of Liability confirmation. If the DMV’s records don’t update or a dispute comes up later, those documents are the evidence that you sold the car properly.