List a car FOR CALIFORNIA PRIVATE CAR SELLERS
Set your own asking price, show buyers the real condition and handle the California paperwork with confidence. Here is what the California DMV expects from a private seller.
Free until sold. No automatic renewal. CarTruvo is a marketplace: you and your buyer arrange inspection, payment and transfer directly.
BEFORE THE KEYS CHANGE HANDS
Sign the title on the seller line (line 1) and hand it to the buyer, who submits it to the DMV. Record the odometer reading and sale details as the title directs. If the title is lost, you must first get a replacement using form REG 227. The DMV pages we reviewed do not call for notarization of a seller's signature on an ordinary title.
Official source ↗A separate bill of sale is not required when the title is properly signed, but both sides may want to complete one and keep a copy. The DMV publishes an optional Bill of Sale (REG 135), and any bill of sale that identifies the vehicle is acceptable. It does not need to be notarized or witnessed.
Official source ↗In general, license plates stay with the vehicle they were issued to, so standard plates normally stay on the car. Personalized, special recognition and special interest plates are different: they can be moved to another vehicle if the owner asks and pays the fees. If you have those, remove them before the buyer takes the car.
Official source ↗File a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL, form REG 138) within 5 calendar days of the sale. You need the plate number, last five digits of the VIN, the buyer's name and address, the odometer reading and the sale date. Once the DMV records it, parking tickets, traffic violations and civil claims after the sale shift to the buyer. Save your online confirmation or a photocopy of the paper form.
Official source ↗The seller must give the buyer a valid Smog Check certification. For a private sale it must have passed within the last 90 days, and you should hand the buyer a copy of the vehicle inspection report. Exempt: gas, hybrid or alternative-fuel vehicles four model years old or newer (the buyer pays a smog transfer fee), gas 1975 and older, diesel 1997 and older, electric vehicles, and transfers between immediate family.
Official source ↗If a bank or lender is listed as legal owner, the lienholder holds the title, so pay off the loan first and get the title or a Lien Satisfied/Title Holder Release (REG 166) from the lender. The DMV also has a tool to find a lender that has closed or merged.
Official source ↗Odometer disclosure is required on transfer for vehicles less than 20 model years old (rule in effect for transfers since January 1, 2021). Older vehicles are exempt from the written disclosure, though the DMV encourages disclosure anyway. Photocopied disclosures are not acceptable on the original.
Official source ↗Official sources checked October 30, 2026. This is a planning guide for an ordinary private sale, not legal advice or an official form. Follow the current instructions from the California DMV for your vehicle, especially for lost titles, several owners, out-of-state buyers or a car that is not fully paid off.
City guides add local details such as emissions testing and safe places to meet a buyer.
START WITH THREE DETAILS
Start with your year, make and model. We’ll carry these details into your listing after you create an account or sign in.
Save a draft and finish when you’re ready. Free publication, photos, messages and offers. See features & pricing.
A private sale lets you choose the asking price and the buyer, but you handle questions, viewings and paperwork. An outright offer from a dealer or online buyer is usually quicker but often lower. Compare a real written offer with what you would keep from a private sale before deciding.
Sign the title on the seller line (line 1) and hand it to the buyer, who submits it to the DMV. Record the odometer reading and sale details as the title directs. If the title is lost, you must first get a replacement using form REG 227. The DMV pages we reviewed do not call for notarization of a seller's signature on an ordinary title.
In general, license plates stay with the vehicle they were issued to, so standard plates normally stay on the car. Personalized, special recognition and special interest plates are different: they can be moved to another vehicle if the owner asks and pays the fees. If you have those, remove them before the buyer takes the car.
File a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL, form REG 138) within 5 calendar days of the sale. You need the plate number, last five digits of the VIN, the buyer's name and address, the odometer reading and the sale date. Once the DMV records it, parking tickets, traffic violations and civil claims after the sale shift to the buyer. Save your online confirmation or a photocopy of the paper form.
A separate bill of sale is not required when the title is properly signed, but both sides may want to complete one and keep a copy. The DMV publishes an optional Bill of Sale (REG 135), and any bill of sale that identifies the vehicle is acceptable. It does not need to be notarized or witnessed.
The seller must give the buyer a valid Smog Check certification. For a private sale it must have passed within the last 90 days, and you should hand the buyer a copy of the vehicle inspection report. Exempt: gas, hybrid or alternative-fuel vehicles four model years old or newer (the buyer pays a smog transfer fee), gas 1975 and older, diesel 1997 and older, electric vehicles, and transfers between immediate family.