The short answer
| Item | California answer |
|---|---|
| Transfer fee | $15 on every change of registered ownership (Vehicle Code §9255). There's no separate "new title" fee on a normal transfer. |
| Use tax | The sales and use tax rate for the buyer's registration address: the 7.25% statewide base plus any district taxes. There's no single statewide combined rate. Trade-ins never reduce it. |
| Smog | The seller hands over a valid smog certificate. Cars four or fewer model years old skip the inspection and the buyer pays an $8 smog transfer fee instead. |
| Plates | Standard plates stay with the car. No plate transfer fee on a private sale. |
| Deadlines | Buyer: 10 days to apply (§5902). Seller: 5 days to file the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (§5900). |
| Late penalties | A flat $28 transfer penalty once the fee is unpaid 30 days after the transfer, plus a use tax penalty of 10% of the use tax due. |
| Typical total | $20,000 private-party car, three model years old, at the 7.25% base rate: $1,473 (worked example below). |
Worked example: $20,000 private-party car
The car is three model years old, so it needs no smog inspection and the $8 smog transfer fee applies instead. Its registration is paid and not due. The example uses the illustrative 7.25% statewide base rate. Most addresses pay more because district taxes are added on top.
- Transfer fee: $15
- Use tax: 7.25% × $20,000 = $1,450
- Smog transfer fee: $8
Total: $15 + $1,450 + $8 = $1,473.
If the buyer is late: add the $28 transfer penalty and a $145 use tax penalty (10% of $1,450), for $1,646.
If registration falls due at the same visit, the yearly fees are paid on top: registration $73, CHP fee $34, Transportation Improvement Fee $33–$231 by value, Vehicle License Fee 0.65% of the depreciated value, $121 Road Improvement Fee on 2020 and newer zero-emission vehicles, $20 smog abatement on newer cars, and county fees that vary. Use the California calculator for those.
The $15 transfer fee
California charges $15 each time a car changes registered owner (Vehicle Code §9255). There's no separate fee for the new title on a normal transfer. Two other DMV charges sometimes get added to totals online but don't apply to a normal transfer: a title-only application ($28) and a substitute or duplicate title ($28). You only pay the duplicate fee if the title is lost.
Use tax: no single rate, and no trade-in deduction
The DMV collects use tax when you transfer the car. It's charged on the total purchase price: cash, checks, any loan or debt you take over, and the fair market value of anything traded or bartered for the car.
- The rate: the sales and use tax rate for the buyer's registration address. The statewide base is 7.25%. District taxes of 0.10% to 2.00% each, sometimes more than one, are added on top, and they change quarterly. Look up your address on the CDTFA rate page.
- Trade-ins: they never reduce California tax. That's true at a dealer, in a private sale and on a straight swap.
- A low price: if the price on the paperwork looks off, explain it on a Statement of Facts (REG 256). Otherwise the tax is assessed on the higher amount.
Deadlines: two different clocks
The buyer has 10 days to send in the signed-over title with the transfer fee and apply (§5902). The seller has 5 days to file the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (REG 138, or online) (§5900). The seller's notice only ends the seller's liability for the car. It doesn't transfer the title.
Some pages say you have 30 days. That's the day the penalty starts, not the deadline.
Late penalties
The transfer fee is late if it isn't paid within 10 days. Once it's still unpaid 30 days after the transfer, a $28 transfer penalty applies. The DMV's practical advice: pay within 30 days and you avoid it. The penalty is flat. It doesn't grow by the month, and it applies only to the last transfer.
A late transfer also brings a use tax penalty of 10% of the use tax due.
Older published copies of Vehicle Code §9553.7 still show $15 for this penalty. The $28 above is the amount on the DMV's current fee schedule, and it's what the DMV charges.
An expired registration has its own, separate set of penalties that rise over time. See expired registration in California.
Smog: who needs a check
The seller must give the buyer a valid smog certificate, good for 90 days. This applies to most gasoline cars from 1976 on and diesels from 1998 on with a GVWR of 14,000 lbs or less (§24007(b)(2)).
- Cars four or fewer model years old: no inspection at transfer. The buyer pays an $8 smog transfer fee instead (§4000.1). The "eight model years" figure on other pages is the exemption for renewals, which is a different rule.
- Also exempt: gasoline cars 1975 and older, diesels 1997 and older or heavier than the limit, electric vehicles, motorcycles, and family transfers (see below).
- Inspection price: not available. Smog stations set their own prices and the state doesn't publish one.
Plates
Standard plates stay with the car and pass to the buyer. There's no plate transfer fee on a private-party sale. Special interest and personalized plates stay with their owner, who keeps or reassigns them (REG 17). Replacement standard plates cost $28.
Gifts and family transfers
Use tax and smog have different family rules, so check each one separately.
- Use tax: exempt when the seller is the buyer's parent, grandparent, child, grandchild or spouse (registered domestic partners included). A brother or sister counts only if both siblings are minors. Step-relations, in-laws and adult siblings don't qualify (Revenue and Taxation Code §6285).
- A genuine gift from anyone is also free of use tax. Write "gift" on the title where the price goes and file REG 256. A trade, or a transfer under a contract, isn't a gift.
- Smog: the family exemption is wider. Brothers and sisters of any age qualify.
Both exemptions are claimed on REG 256, in different sections of the same form. More detail: how to gift a car in California.
Forms
- The signed-over Certificate of Title ("pink slip"), with the odometer disclosure.
- REG 256, Statement of Facts: use tax and smog exemptions, and price explanations.
- REG 138: the seller's Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability.
- REG 135: bill of sale.
- REG 227: if the title is lost or there's no paper title.
Other states
Title transfer guides for other states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, New York and Washington.
What this guide doesn't cover
Dealer sales, cars coming from another state, salvage and rebuilt titles, commercial vehicles and county fees. The California calculator covers registration and the yearly fees.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a title transfer in California?
The transfer fee is $15. Use tax at the rate for the buyer's address comes on top, plus $8 if the car is four or fewer model years old. A $20,000 private-party car at the 7.25% base rate comes to $1,473.
How long do I have to transfer a title in California?
10 days to apply. Day 30 is when the $28 transfer penalty starts. Pages that say "30 days" are giving the penalty date as the deadline.
Does the seller or buyer pay for the smog check?
The seller must provide the smog certificate. The buyer pays the $8 smog transfer fee, but only when the car is four or fewer model years old and so needs no inspection.
Do I need a smog check to transfer a title in California?
Usually the seller must provide one. Cars four or fewer model years old, 1975 and older gasoline cars, electric vehicles, motorcycles and family transfers don't need one.
Do I pay use tax on a gifted car in California?
No, if it's a genuine gift: write "gift" on the title in place of a price and file REG 256. Transfers from a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild or spouse are also exempt. Siblings count only if both are minors.
Can I deduct my trade-in in California?
No. California never allows a trade-in deduction, at a dealer or in a private sale.
See title transfer fees for all 50 states
Calculate your California fees
Example for a $30,000 car. Enter your own price to update it.
- Registration feeCA DMV · checked Oct 15, 2026$73.00
- Alternative fuel/technology feePart of the DMV's $76 registration fee$3.00
- CHP feeCA DMV · checked Oct 15, 2026$34.00
- Vehicle License Fee0.65% of valueCA DMV · checked Oct 15, 2026$195.00
- Transportation Improvement FeeValue $25,000 – $34,999CA DMV · checked Oct 15, 2026$132.00
- Smog abatement feeInstead of a smog check, first 8 yearsCA DMV · checked Oct 15, 2026$20.00
- County / district feesVaries by countyCA DMV · checked Oct 15, 2026not available
- Sales tax7.25% of priceCDTFA · checked Oct 17, 2026$2,175.00
Total excludes items marked "not available".
What you'll pay later
Renewal at today's rates: $457.00/yr + items not available
5-year total: not shown, because the Vehicle License Fee and Transportation Improvement Fee follow the car's value.
Estimate only, at today's rates for the same car.
Rates and sources for every fee are on the California car registration fee calculator page.
- California Vehicle Code §5900 (seller's Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability within 5 days) – leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- California Vehicle Code §5902 (buyer applies for the transfer within 10 days) – leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- California Vehicle Code §9255 ($15 transfer fee) – leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- California Vehicle Code §9553 (transfer fee delinquent after 10 days; penalties in §§9552–9554) – leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- California Vehicle Code §24007 (seller provides a valid smog certificate) – leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- California Vehicle Code §4000.1 (smog transfer exemption for cars four or fewer model years old; $8 smog transfer fee) – leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- California Revenue and Taxation Code §6285 (use tax exemption for transfers between close family) – leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- CA DMV – Title transfers and changes
- CA DMV – Registration for a vehicle purchased from a private party (10 days)
- CA DMV – Registration fees (transfer $15, smog transfer $8, registration, CHP, TIF, VLF, RIF, smog abatement)
- CA DMV – Smog inspections (who needs a check, exemptions)
- CA DMV – Statement of Facts (REG 256): use tax and smog exemptions, price explanations
- CDTFA – Tax guide for purchasers of vehicles, vessels and aircraft (use tax on the total purchase price; no trade-in deduction)
- CDTFA – City and county sales and use tax rates (base 7.25% plus district taxes)
- CA DMV – Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual, Appendix 1F: Fees ($15 transfer, $28 transfer penalty, $28 title-only and duplicate)
- CA DMV – Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual: Basic transfer requirements
- CDTFA – Exemptions and exclusions FAQ (family transfers, gifts)
General information, not tax or legal advice. Fees and tax rules change; confirm with the agency listed before you pay.
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