Selling Car in California
Since there is no central law making authority in the United States regulating traffic, driving and registration of vehicles laws, therefore each state has its own laws on all matters related to automobiles. The United States has one of the highest numbers of vehicles per 1,000 people and therefore there are millions of vehicles on the roads at one given time. These vehicles need to be registered under the local state’s laws for them to be driven legally and safely. Motor registration laws, all over the country, are enacted to keep records on the cars’ road-worthy status. These laws stop those vehicles from coming on the roads which are not fit to be driven and which can pose serious risk to others on the roads. Like other states, the state of California, too, has its own motor vehicle registration laws, governing buying, selling and others aspects of motor vehicles. This is necessary given that the state has the highest numbers of vehicles in the country.
Selling a car in California
Just like any other state in the Union, cars can be bought and sold legally in California. A person selling or transferring his/her car with California registration must notify the local DMV office within 5 days. He/she needs to complete the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability form (REG 138) and submit it with the DMV. The form can be downloaded online, filled and mailed to the DMV or can be obtained by calling 1-800-777-0133.
Selling your car in California
It is important to fulfill the aforesaid legal obligation as it would absolve you of criminal or civil liability arising out of traffic accident, abandonment or parking related offences after the transfer date. This however is not the complete transfer of ownership. That would happen only when the DMV has received a completed application for transfer of ownership and payment of fees from the new owner.
Before you decide to file the form online make sure that you have the following information on you:
- New owner’s name and address
- Last 5-digits of the vehicle identification number (VIN)
- License plate number
Can you give me some information on CA DMV important notice of liability?
In the state of California the Department of Motor Vehicles must be notified within five days of selling or transferring a vehicle. You will have to fill out and submit the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL) form. You can do so by utilizing the online services. Alternatively, you can download the form REG 138 and send it to the DMV by post.
