What REG 138 Actually Does
REG 138 is the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability. You file it after you sell, trade in, gift, or otherwise get rid of a vehicle or vessel, and it does one specific job: it tells DMV the date you stopped owning it, so tickets, tolls, and lawsuits tied to the vehicle after that date land on the new owner instead of you.
It’s not a title transfer, a bill of sale, or paperwork the buyer files for you. It’s your own notice, and filing it is on you.
The 5-Day Deadline You Can’t Skip
California law gives you five calendar days from the sale, transfer, or lease return to file this notice. That’s not a suggestion, it’s written directly on the form, and it’s short on purpose. DMV wants a record of when your responsibility for the vehicle ended before problems show up.
Five days is tight if you’re relying on mail. Filing online is faster and confirms same-day, which is why DMV pushes that option first.
Filing Online vs. Mailing DMV REG 138
You have two ways to submit this notice, and they aren’t equally reliable.
- File online at dmv.ca.gov. You get a receipt right away, proof the notice went through. DMV generally updates the record within one business day.
- Mail the paper form. Detach the top card, keep the bottom part for your records, and mail the top card to the address printed on it. You won’t get any confirmation that DMV received or processed it, which is the tradeoff for going this route.
Either way, don’t hand the form to the buyer and assume they’ll mail it for you. If they never submit it, DMV has no record that you sold the vehicle, and you’re still the one who might hear about it later.
Filling Out the Form
The form asks for the same handful of details whether you file online or on paper.
- Vehicle or vessel description. License plate or CF number, make, year, model, and the VIN or hull number.
- New owner’s name and address. Print it exactly as the buyer gave it to you. A typo here is one of the most common reasons DMV can’t match the record.
- Odometer reading. Whole miles, no tenths.
- Date of sale, transfer, or lease return. This is the date your liability protection starts from, so get it right.
- Selling price. Enter the actual amount. If you gave the vehicle away, enter 0.
- Your name, address, and signature. Print your information as the seller, then sign under the certification.
The form itself warns that illegible or incomplete information means DMV won’t update or retain it at all, and you won’t be told that it failed. Print clearly, in capital letters, with black or blue ink if you’re filling out the paper version.
This Form Doesn’t Transfer the Title
Filing REG 138 protects you, but it doesn’t move ownership. Your name stays on DMV’s record until the buyer separately applies for transfer using the signed title you gave them. Two different actions, two different forms, and only one of them is yours to file.
That’s a common point of confusion. People assume that once they’ve reported the sale, DMV automatically updates everything else. It doesn’t. The buyer still has their own paperwork to finish on their end.
Still Getting Registration Renewal Notices? Here’s Why
If renewal reminders keep arriving for a car you no longer own, it usually means one of two things: either your NRL was never filed or was filed with an error DMV couldn’t match, or the buyer hasn’t completed their transfer of title yet, which keeps some records pointing back to the sale history.
Check whether your notice actually went through. If you filed by mail and never confirmed it, or you’re not sure the details matched, file again online, where you’ll get an immediate receipt.
Selling to a Dealer, Trading In, or Giving It Away
You still need to file this notice even if you traded the vehicle in at a dealership or handed it off as a gift. A dealer taking a trade-in isn’t automatically reporting anything to DMV on your behalf, and a gift is still a transfer of ownership under this form’s definition. For a gift, enter 0 as the selling price and fill in the rest normally.
What Happens If You Don’t File CA DMV REG 138
Nothing stops you from filing late, but the risk grows the longer you wait. Until DMV has this notice on record, you’re still the listed owner, which means parking tickets, red light camera citations, toll violations, or even a civil claim from an accident could come back to your name. Collection notices for these can show up months or years after the sale, which is exactly why keeping proof you filed matters as much as filing on time.
Keep Proof You Filed
Save your online confirmation or, if you mailed it, the bottom portion of the form you kept for your records. If a citation or collection notice ever lands on your desk for a vehicle you no longer own, that proof is what gets it dismissed. Don’t ignore a notice like that just because you know you sold the car, respond and show you filed on time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does REG 138 transfer the title to the new owner?
It only reports that you sold or gave away the vehicle, so liability shifts to the new owner. The buyer still has to apply for title transfer separately using the signed title.
What happens if I don’t file the release of liability form in time?
There’s no separate fine printed on the form for filing late, but until DMV has it on record, you’re still the vehicle’s listed owner. That means tickets or violations from after the sale can still come back to you, so file as soon as you can even if you’ve missed the 5-day window.
Can the buyer file REG 138 for me?
They can, but you shouldn’t count on it. This notice protects you, not them, so if they forget or never send it, you’re the one left exposed. Filing it yourself, ideally online, is the safer move.
Do I need to file REG 138 if I gave my car away as a gift?
Yes. A gift still counts as a transfer of ownership. Enter 0 for the selling price and fill in the new owner’s information the same as you would for a sale.
Why do I keep getting registration renewal notices for a car I already sold?
Usually the notice was never filed, was filed with a detail DMV couldn’t match, or the buyer hasn’t finished their own title transfer yet. File the notice online to get an immediate confirmation and rule out the first two causes.