Selling a car in San Francisco: every form, signature and deadline

What to have in hand before you meet the buyer

• The title. The California Certificate of Title, the pink slip, in your name. Missing? See REG 227 below.
• A smog certificate, if the car needs one.
• The odometer reading on the day of sale. It goes on the title and on the online release form.
• The buyer's name and address. Your release filing needs both, so get them in writing before the keys change hands.

Also check the registration card for a lienholder. If a lender is still shown as legal owner, the DMV manual says it must release its interest on line 2 of the title or on a REG 166 form. For a California-titled car two model years old or newer, the manual accepts no separate lien release; the lender must request a replacement title. Clear an unpaid loan before you set a sale date.

Source: DMV: Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability; DMV manual: basic transfer requirements.

Signing the California title: line 1, line 2 and co-owners

The DMV's Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual sets out how a title is endorsed for a sale. Line 1 is where the registered owner or owners of record release their interest. Line 2 belongs to the lienholder. With no lienholder on record, the manual lets the DMV accept a sole owner's signature on line 2 instead.

For co-owners, check how the names are joined:

• AND, or a slash (/) between names: every owner signs. The REG 227 form puts it plainly: "The signature of EACH owner is required if co-owners are joined by AND (shown by / on DMV records)."
• OR, or AND/OR: either owner may sign alone.
• JTRS (joint tenants with right of survivorship): each owner signs.
• A business: the business name plus a countersignature by an authorized representative.

Source: DMV manual: basic transfer requirements; DMV: REG 227 form (PDF); DMV: title transfers and changes.

No title to sign: when REG 227 takes its place

REG 227 is the form California uses when there is no title to sign. The DMV title transfer page says that if the title is missing, you must complete a REG 227 first. A box at the top picks the job, and the transfer-with-replacement box lets one form do both: you fill in the seller's sections, the new owner fills in theirs, and the sale goes ahead without waiting for a new pink slip.

Your part includes a statement, signed under penalty of perjury, saying why the title is gone, and a release of ownership where the same AND rule applies. The form warns that a replacement title cancels the original. A changed address, a lender on record, an electronic lien title and a Nontransferable registration card each change the route; title problems takes those cases one at a time.

Source: DMV: title transfers and changes; DMV: REG 227 form (PDF).

The REG 135 bill of sale and the odometer line

The DMV standard title transfer checklist names the Bill of Sale (REG 135) as the record of the purchase price and date. The procedures manual adds that any bill of sale identifying the vehicle is acceptable, and that a bill of sale is "Not required to be notarized or witnessed." REG 135 asks for the VIN, the plate, both names, the price and your signature under penalty of perjury. Its lower half is marked to cut off and save; keep it.

The odometer rule changed for transfers from 2021, and the DMV checklist PDF still prints the older 10-year cutoff. Under the current federal rule, a car from model year 2011 on is exempt only at 20 years, and the regulation gives this example: "For vehicle transfers occurring during calendar year 2031, model year 2011 or older vehicles are exempt." So in a 2026 sale, model year 2010 and older cars are exempt, and 2011 and newer need a disclosure. In California the mileage goes on a complying title or on a REG 262, a DMV form you request by phone or get at an office.

Source: DMV: standard title transfer checklist (PDF); DMV manual: bill of sale; DMV: REG 135 bill of sale (PDF); eCFR: 49 CFR 580.17 exemptions; DMV manual: odometer disclosure requirements; DMV manual: basic transfer requirements; DMV: title transfers and changes.

Smog certificate, the 5-day release and the plates

The smog certificate is yours to hand over. The DMV says a seller must give the new owner a valid smog certification, and its checklist says most vehicles over four years old need one from the last 90 days. Under four years old, no inspection is needed; the buyer pays a smog transfer fee. The smog check guide covers exemptions and failed tests.

Then file the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability. The DMV counts 5 calendar days from the date you sell and deliver the car. It does not transfer the car; only the buyer's application with your signed title takes your name off the record. The release of liability guide walks through it.

Leave the plates on the car; the DMV plates page says ordinary plates generally stay with the vehicle. Special plates are the exception. Personalized environmental, special recognition and special interest plates can move to your next car for a fee if you ask the DMV, so settle that before the sale.

Source: DMV: smog inspections; DMV: standard title transfer checklist (PDF); DMV: Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability; DMV: license plates.

What the buyer files, pays and by when

The buyer takes the signed title, the smog certificate and any other forms to a DMV office, or mails them to DMV, PO Box 942869, Sacramento, CA 94269. The DMV title page says any change in ownership must be reported within 10 days. The procedures manual says the transfer fee must be paid within 30 days of the transfer date to avoid a late penalty.

As of the DMV registration fees page on October 29, 2026, the transfer fee (VC 9255) is $15, and the late penalty is another $15. Registration fees can come due too if the registration has expired or nearly has.

Use tax is also the buyer's, figured on the purchase price. For a buyer who lives in San Francisco, the CDTFA rate table effective October 1, 2026 lists 8.625%. Worked example: on a $6,000 private sale, that comes to $517.50. A buyer from elsewhere pays the rate where they live.

Source: DMV: title transfers and changes; DMV manual: basic transfer requirements; DMV: registration fees; DMV: standard title transfer checklist (PDF); CDTFA: city and county tax rates.

The Fell Street office, online steps, and the order of a sale

The DMV's San Francisco field office stands at 1377 Fell Street, San Francisco, CA 94117, and the DMV says it has a self-serve kiosk. Its page also lists a DMV kiosk in the Safeway at 2300 16th St. and DMV business partners in the city, which may add their own fees. The release is online, and the buyer can mail the transfer. A REG 227 with a changed address needs the counter; book an appointment.

A San Francisco sale on one screen:

1. Find the title, or start a REG 227. Check for a lienholder.
2. Get the smog certificate unless the car is under four years old or otherwise exempt.
3. Fill in a REG 135 with the price and the buyer's name and address.
4. Sign line 1, every owner if the names are joined by AND, and write the mileage for a 2011 or newer car.
5. Hand over the title, smog certificate and keys. The plates stay on.
6. File the release online within 5 days and save the confirmation.
7. The buyer transfers within 10 days and pays the fee and the use tax.

Selling through the partner buyer? Its driver completes the title transfer paperwork at pickup; the 5-day release is still yours. See how the offer works.

Source: DMV: San Francisco field office; DMV: title transfers and changes; DMV: REG 227 form (PDF); The buyer: selling and free pickup.

Pick up the next form

Once the title is signed, the filing that protects you is the 5-day release of liability. If the paperwork has a snag, such as a lost title or a lender still listed, start with title problems. For a question about a San Francisco sale, call (628) 333-6040.