Finishing a San Diego County car sale: what still carries your name

Day one to day five: the DMV report and the plates

California gives you 5 calendar days from the day you sell the car and hand it over to tell the DMV. The online Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability asks for the buyer's name and address, the plate, the last five digits of the VIN and the odometer reading, so note them before the buyer leaves. An online filing updates the record within 1 business day and gives you a confirmation to save; the release of liability guide covers it in detail.

The report protects you, but the car stays in your name. The DMV is plain about it: "Only the buyer's application for transfer, using the endorsed title received from you, can remove your name from the vehicle record."

Standard California plates stay on the car. Disabled person, special interest and personalized plates belong to the plate owner, and the DMV says the seller must remove them, or use a REG 17 to leave special interest or personalized plates with the buyer.

Source: DMV: Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability; DMV: How to change vehicle ownership (HTVR 32); DMV: License plates.

Insurance: the DMV report first, the cancellation second

California requires insurance on every vehicle driven or parked on its roads, insurers report policies to the DMV electronically, and a vehicle with no proof of insurance on file has its registration suspended. The DMV's insurance page puts the cancellation rule this way: to prevent a suspension, "you must notify DMV before you cancel your insurance".

No DMV page says how an NRL fits that rule, so take the safe order: file the NRL, save the confirmation, then call your agent or insurer to drop the sold car. The California Department of Insurance tells drivers to let their agent, broker or insurer know when they sell a car.

Keep the policy in force until the buyer has the car and the keys.

Source: DMV: Insurance requirements; California Department of Insurance: Auto insurance basics.

FasTrak on SR-125 and the I-15 Express Lanes

SANDAG runs tolling on the I-15 Express Lanes, 20 miles between SR 78 in Escondido and SR 163 in San Diego, and on the SR 125 Toll Road, 10 miles from SR 54 in Spring Valley to SR 905 in Otay Mesa. One SANDAG FasTrak account covers both.

Tolls can post to that account from a registered plate, not only a transponder, and under the 2026 terms the account holder agrees to pay all tolls, penalties and fees charged to the account. They also tell you to notify customer service promptly when a plate on the account changes. After a sale, drop the sold car's plate through the online account, or call SANDAG FasTrak at 888.889.1515.

If you close the account, return every transponder to the customer service center at 1129 La Media Road, San Diego, within 30 days, or SANDAG charges a $35 deposit for each. Charges not questioned within 30 days of a statement count as accepted, so check the first statement after the sale.

Source: SANDAG: FasTrak; SANDAG FasTrak terms and conditions (2026).

A toll violation for a car you already sold

SANDAG's terms explain why a violation can find you after the sale: "Toll evasion notices are sent to the address of the registered vehicle owner associated with the license plate on file" with the DMV, and that is your address until the buyer's transfer goes through. As of the 2026 terms, the statutory penalties run as high as $100, $250 and $500 for a first, second and third violation in one calendar year.

For SANDAG's own past-owner steps, follow the instructions on the notice or its FasTrak account site, and have your NRL confirmation and bill of sale ready as proof of the sale date. SANDAG's 2024 statements said the SR 125 system's DMV hold for unpaid tolls had not been turned on and was being evaluated; no newer SANDAG page says whether it is on.

Sellers from Perris to Temecula who used the 15 Express Lanes deal with the Riverside County Transportation Commission, as Riverside Express, not SANDAG. Its FAQ tells sellers to remove the old vehicle and deactivate its sticker transponder, which cannot move to another car. A past owner answers a notice with its Affidavit of Non-liability, sent with proof of the sale filed with the DMV. As of that FAQ, an unpaid Delinquent Notice can be placed on the registration as a DMV hold, with a $3 fee added to each violation on hold.

Source: SANDAG FasTrak terms and conditions (2026); SANDAG news release, April 26, 2024; SANDAG Independent Performance Auditor release, March 25, 2024; Riverside Express: 15 Express FAQs; Riverside Express: Affidavit of Non-Liability (PDF).

Parking tickets dated after the handover

A ticket is handled by the agency that issued it, so read the agency name first; the Port of San Diego asks drivers to check the Issuing Agency at the top of the ticket.

For a City of San Diego ticket written after the sale, the City says to "Complete the affidavit of non-liability provided on the back of the Notice of Parking Violation" and mail it with proof of sale to Parking Administration/Sold Vehicle, P.O. Box 129038, San Diego, CA 92112-9038. To appeal instead, an Administrative Review must be postmarked within 21 calendar days of the ticket, or 14 calendar days after a delinquency notice is mailed, and costs nothing. A hearing comes next, with the ticket amount deposited. The last step is San Diego Superior Court: $25.00, within 30 days of personal service or 35 days of mailing of the hearing decision.

Port of San Diego waterfront tickets must be paid or contested within 21 calendar days. For other cities, follow the instructions printed on the ticket.

The City of San Diego turns unpaid tickets into a lien against the registration, with added fees and penalties, and the DMV cannot clear a ticket without the agency's release or payment.

Source: City of San Diego: Parking citations; City of San Diego: Appeal a parking citation; Port of San Diego: Parking citations; San Diego Superior Court: MO-048; DMV manual 10.110: Parking/toll violations on record.

Registration fees: when the DMV refunds them and when it does not

Registration you paid before the sale stays with the car. The DMV says no refund is due then, because the fees are tied to the vehicle, not its owner.

Renewal fees paid after the sale can be refunded. You send an Application for Refund (ADM 399) with a signed REG 138 or the online NRL confirmation page, plus the registration card and unused sticker, or a Statement of Facts (REG 256) explaining why you lack them. The DMV says it replies in about 30 days with a refund or a request for more information, and it accepts the ADM 399 within three years of the payment. Treat it as a request; the DMV decides.

Renewal notices print more than 60 days before a registration expires, so one can cross your NRL in the mail. If one arrives later, the DMV says your NRL may be missing or incomplete, and you file another. If you filed online, keep the confirmation as your proof.

Source: DMV: Payments and refunds; DMV: Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability.

What to keep, and for how long

Every route above runs on proof of the sale date, so keep one folder:

• The NRL confirmation, printed, or a photocopy of the REG 138 you mailed; the DMV tells you to keep either one.
• A dated bill of sale with the buyer's name and the odometer reading. The City of San Diego and Riverside Express affidavits both ask for proof of sale.
• A note or screenshot of the FasTrak plate change or closure, and the day you returned any transponder.
• The date you cancelled the insurance.

No agency page here sets a retention period for sellers. Two numbers help: the DMV takes refund applications for three years after a payment, and handwritten City of San Diego tickets can take several weeks to reach its system. Three years is a sensible floor, longer for any open notice. If you lose the NRL proof, the DMV's INF 70 form gets a copy for a fee.

Source: DMV: Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability; DMV: Payments and refunds; City of San Diego: Parking FAQs; City of San Diego: Parking citations; Riverside Express: Affidavit of Non-Liability (PDF).

Still on day one of the five?

If the DMV report is still ahead of you, the release of liability guide walks through the online form and the paper REG 138. If you have not handed a car over yet, put what is wrong with it and what its title shows into a request on the Sell My Car SoCali request page, or call (657) 699-0008.