Selling a car in Riverside County: the California paperwork, line by line

What you sign on the front of a California title

The seller's part is on the front of the California Certificate of Title. The registered owner signs and dates line 1a, and a second owner uses line 1b. The DMV's registration manual says owners joined by AND, or by a slash, must each sign, while owners joined by OR or AND/OR need only one signature. A lienholder still on the title releases its interest on line 2 or on a REG 166, though REG 166 does not work on a car two model years old or newer.

Below the signature lines sits the odometer box. You write the mileage, sign, date and hand-print your name in ink, and the buyer signs to acknowledge the reading. The manual accepts no power of attorney signature here and wants the original, not a photocopy; with several owners on the title, one seller's signature is enough.

Standard plates stay on the car. The DMV says a seller must remove personalized, special interest and disabled person plates.

Source: DMV manual: basic transfer requirements; DMV: how to change vehicle ownership (HTVR 32); DMV manual: odometer disclosure requirements; DMV: REG 166 form.

The odometer statement and the 20-year federal rule

The DMV's manual says a transfer on or after January 1, 2021 needs the odometer disclosed when the car is under 20 model years old. The federal exemption in 49 CFR 580.17 sets the line by model year. It covers a vehicle "manufactured in or after the 2011 model year that is transferred at least 20 years after January 1 of the calendar year corresponding to its designated model year" and another paragraph frees model year 2010 and older cars after ten years, which all of them have now passed.

So for a 2026 sale, a 2010 or older car needs no mileage statement and a 2011 or newer car needs one, unless it is rated over 16,000 pounds. The DMV's standard checklist still uses the older under-10-years wording; follow the federal rule.

No space on the title, or a REG 227 in place of it? The reading goes on REG 262. If you leave the box blank and the buyer cannot find you later, the buyer discloses the mileage on the title or a REG 262 and explains why on a REG 256.

Source: eCFR: 49 CFR 580.17 exemptions; DMV manual: odometer disclosure requirements; DMV: standard title transfer checklist.

No title, or a resale on it: REG 227 and REG 262

Lost the pink slip? The DMV's title page says to complete REG 227 first. To sell without the old title, you fill in Sections 1 to 4 and the buyer completes Sections 6 and 7. A replacement cancels the original title, and an address that differs from DMV records means filing in person. A lender releases in Section 5, which must be notarized. A financed car two model years old or newer cannot use REG 227, and the form cannot release an electronic lien.

REG 262, the Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment form, is needed from each seller when a car has been sold more than once on the same title, or when the mileage must be disclosed and a REG 227 is in use. It is not online. The title page says to "call the DMV's automated voice system at 1-800-777-0133 to have a form mailed to you" and the standard checklist says to request it by mail or in person.

Source: DMV: title transfers and changes; DMV: REG 227 form; DMV: how to change vehicle ownership (HTVR 32); DMV manual: basic transfer requirements; DMV: standard title transfer checklist.

The bill of sale (REG 135) and what it records

The DMV's title page lists REG 135 among the forms a transfer may need, not on its basic list, and its standard checklist names it for recording the price and the date. The registration manual says "any bill of sale that identifies the vehicle/vessel is acceptable" and that none needs a notary or witness.

REG 135 prints twice on one page, so each side keeps a copy. It records the VIN, year model, make and plate; both printed names; the sale date and price, or a gift value and your relationship; and the seller's signature under penalty of perjury. The buyer only prints a name and address. The manual says it comes from the DMV website only.

Keep it out of your release filing. The ownership guide says attachments to a REG 138 are not reviewed, kept or returned.

Source: DMV manual: bill of sale; DMV: REG 135 form; DMV: standard title transfer checklist; DMV: title transfers and changes; DMV: how to change vehicle ownership (HTVR 32).

Smog, the release, and the buyer's 10 days

Smog. The DMV says a seller must give the new owner a valid smog certification; for a gasoline, hybrid or alternative-fuel car four or fewer model years old, BAR waives the sale check and the buyer pays a smog transfer fee instead. Which fuel types and family transfers are exempt is in the smog check guide.

Release of liability. The DMV gives you 5 calendar days, counted from the sale or transfer, to report it, and an online filing updates the record within one business day. It ends your responsibility for later violations but does not transfer ownership; the release of liability guide has the details.

The buyer. A change of ownership must be reported within 10 days, at a DMV office or by mail. As of the DMV fee table updated October 14, 2026, the transfer fee is $15, a $15 penalty applies when it is paid more than 30 days after the sale, and the smog transfer fee is $8. Use tax follows the buyer's city and county of residence; where to sell works through the numbers.

Source: DMV: smog inspections; DMV: Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability; DMV: title transfers and changes; DMV: registration fees; DMV manual: basic transfer requirements; DMV: how to change vehicle ownership (HTVR 32); BAR: Smog Check.

Riverside County's ten DMV field offices, kiosks and partners

The DMV's statewide office list has ten field offices in Riverside County and none in Corona, Moreno Valley, Perris, Lake Elsinore, Menifee or Banning, where the West Ramsey Street office closed for good on February 17, 2023, over structural damage.

• Riverside: 6280 Brockton Avenue, Riverside
• Riverside East: 6425 Sycamore Canyon Blvd, Riverside
• Norco: 3201 Horseless Carriage Drive, Norco
• Hemet: 1200 S State St, Hemet
• Temecula: 27851 Diaz Road, Temecula
• Murrieta Express: 27890 Clinton Keith Road, Suite F, Murrieta (no appointments, cards only, no Title Transfers on its service list)
• Indio: 44480 Jackson St, Indio
• Palm Desert: 74-740 Technology Drive, Palm Desert
• Palm Springs: 950 N Farrell Drive, Palm Springs
• Blythe: 430 S Broadway, Blythe

Every office page except Temecula, Palm Springs and Blythe says it has a self-serve kiosk. Grocery kiosks include Superior Grocers and Food 4 Less in Moreno Valley, Vons on McKinley in Corona, Ralphs in Menifee and Albertsons in Lake Elsinore. The DMV says kiosks handle certain registration services and records, varying by location; none of these office pages says a kiosk takes a title transfer or an NRL.

DMV partners are businesses the DMV authorizes for some registration work, and they may add fees; the AAA branches in Hemet, Palm Springs and La Quinta serve members only. Online, you can file the NRL, and the DMV Virtual Office takes replacement title requests.

Source: DMV: Riverside field office; DMV: Riverside East field office; DMV: Norco field office; DMV: Hemet field office; DMV: Temecula field office; DMV: Murrieta Express field office; DMV: Indio field office; DMV: Palm Desert field office; DMV: Palm Springs field office; DMV: Blythe field office; DMV: Banning office closure; DMV: Virtual Office.

A Riverside County sale in eight steps

1. Find the title. If it is lost, start REG 227.
2. Read the owner line. AND or a slash means every owner signs; a lender needs a line 2 release or a REG 166.
3. Order REG 262 by phone for a resale on the same title, or for REG 227 on a 2011 or newer car.
4. Get the smog certificate unless an exemption fits.
5. Fill in REG 135 with the buyer at the handover.
6. Sign line 1, write the mileage and print your name in ink.
7. Hand over the title, the certificate and the keys. Photograph every signed page.
8. File the NRL within 5 calendar days. The buyer reports the transfer within 10 days.

Would you rather sell to Sell My Car Riverside County than to a private buyer? Steps 1 and 2 tell you what to put in the request: say on the request form whose names the title shows and whether AND or OR joins them, whether a lender is still listed, and whether the pink slip is lost, or call (951) 404-1640 with the title in your hand; after a written request, a person phones you to go over it. Step 8 stays yours whoever buys the car. The DMV puts the 5-day notice on the person who sells, says the online NRL works when the buyer is a business, and adds that filing an NRL does not by itself transfer ownership; the new owner still has to complete the transfer and pay the fees.

Source: DMV: title transfers and changes; DMV: how to change vehicle ownership (HTVR 32); DMV: Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability; DMV: Virtual Office.

Pick the page for your situation

If the title is lost, shows a lender or names an owner who has died, the title problems guide takes each case in turn. Once the car is gone, file your release of liability. Questions about a sale? Call (951) 404-1640.

Which California forms does your sale need?

Answer six yes-or-no questions about your car and title. The list that comes back starts with the steps every California seller takes, then adds each DMV form your answers call for, with a link to the form or the DMV page that explains it.

Source: DMV title transfers and changes; DMV ownership guide (HTVR 32); DMV manual 11.015; 49 CFR 580.17; BAR Smog Check. Each form below links to its own DMV page. The list covers private sales only and prints no fees.