Clearing a California title problem before you sell in San Diego County

The pink slip is lost, stolen or torn

California's Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title, the REG 227, does two jobs. Fill in Sections 1 to 3 and the DMV prints a new title. Fill in Sections 1 to 4 as the seller, let the buyer finish Sections 6 and 7, and the same sheet carries the sale.

Three points on the form matter:

• A replacement cancels the original, so a pink slip found later is void.
• If your address differs from the DMV's record, you must apply in person with proof of ownership, such as the registration card, and your driver license or ID card.
• If a title the DMV issued never reached you, the form says to allow 30 days from its issue date.

The owners need no notary; the DMV's title page says "If the vehicle has a legal owner/lienholder, then section 5 of the REG 227 needs to be notarized." The replacement title fee, due when a REG 227 is used, was $28 on the DMV fee table as of November 8, 2026. If the sale needs an odometer disclosure and a REG 227 is used, the how-to page also requires a REG 262; the DMV mails one if you call 1-800-777-0133.

Source: DMV: REG 227; DMV: Title Transfers and Changes; DMV: How To Change Vehicle Ownership; DMV: Registration Fees.

A bank or credit union is still on the title

In a private sale or loan payoff, the DMV says the seller and lienholder sign the title and the buyer files it. The lender's release takes one of two shapes.

• A paper title. The lienholder signs and dates the front of the title. If the title is lost and a REG 227 is used, the lender releases on the REG 227 or on a notarized Lien Satisfied/Title Holder Release, the REG 166. On a car two model years old or newer, only a title releases the lien, so a lost one is replaced through the lender.
• An electronic title. Under the Electronic Lien and Title program the record lives on the DMV database and you hold only a registration card. Once you pay off the lien, the DMV mails you a paper title with no lender on it.

Lost the title after the lender released it? For a car three model years or older the manual asks for the lender's notarized release on a REG 227 or a notarized lien satisfied. If the lender closed or merged, check the DMV's list of lenders that went out of business. When a bank or other lender cannot be reached, manual section 23.050 asks for a returned, unopened certified letter and a REG 256 stating the car's retail value and your efforts, and DMV headquarters looks for a successor. A private-person lienholder who cannot be found adds a motor vehicle bond for the car's value.

Source: DMV: Title Transfers and Changes; DMV: How To Change Vehicle Ownership; DMV: REG 166; DMV manual 1.050: Electronic Lien and Title; DMV: REG 227; DMV manual 20.020: titles lost after release; DMV manual 23.050: unavailable legal owners.

The owner on the title has died

California lets an heir move a car without probate through the Affidavit for Transfer without Probate, the REG 5, which goes in with a copy of the death certificate. The heir swears that no probate is open, that unsecured creditors are paid, and that "at least 40 days have elapsed since the death of the decedent." The form, revised 12/2024, caps the value of the decedent's California property, less some assets it excludes, at $166,250 for a death before April 1, 2022 and $184,500 for a death on or after it. The DMV's how-to page still prints $150,000, so go by the form you sign. A REG 5 works only for a car titled in California.

Other routes in the DMV manual:

• Co-owners joined by OR. A surviving co-owner's signature on the title releases every owner's interest unless Tenants in Common or COMPRO follows the names.
• Co-owners joined by AND. Ownership passes to the survivor, but the deceased owner's share must be released by an heir with a REG 5, an administrator with Letters of Administration or an executor with Letters Testamentary. A survivor who is also the heir may file the REG 5 and signs the title twice.
• A transfer on death beneficiary. If the title names a TOD beneficiary, that person signs the owner's name, countersigns line 1 and files a REG 256 giving the date and place of death. Selling on to a buyer means two transfer fees.

Source: DMV: REG 5; DMV: Title Transfers and Changes; DMV: How To Change Vehicle Ownership; DMV manual 11.065: estates; DMV manual 1.035: co-owners; DMV manual 11.170: TOD beneficiary.

Two names on the title: AND, OR or a slash

The word joining the owners' names on the face of the title decides who signs. Co-owners can be joined by and, and/or, or or; where an application gave no connector, the DMV printed a slash, and a slash counts as and.

• AND, or a slash. The REG 227 puts it in capitals: "The signature of EACH owner is required if co-owners are joined by AND (shown by / on DMV records)."
• OR, or and/or. One owner's signature is enough to transfer the car.

Example from those rules: a title reading ANA RUIZ/LEO RUIZ needs both signatures, while ANA RUIZ OR LEO RUIZ needs one. If an AND owner has died, use the routes above.

Source: DMV manual 1.035: co-owners; DMV: REG 227; DMV: How To Change Vehicle Ownership.

A name that does not match, a relative's title, or another state's title

Your name changed or is spelled wrong. An owner applying in person must show the name exactly as it appears on the driver license or ID card. A name change or correction goes on the title or a REG 227 with the Name Statement of a REG 256; no fee is due solely for it, though a replacement title fee can apply. A mistake written onto the title is explained on a REG 101 by the person whose name is wrong.

The title is in a relative's name. The DMV calls the registered owner the seller, even when the car is a gift, so the relative named on the title signs as seller. If that relative signs it over to you first, each sale made before the DMV is told costs its own transfer fee.

A title from another state. If your registration card reads Nontransferable/No California Title Issued, a REG 227 will not help. The DMV's answer is "You must obtain a title from the state where the vehicle was last titled." If that state cannot issue one, the DMV wants proof of that, and a bond may be required. A buyer registering a car on another state's title goes in person for a VIN verification, surrenders that title and, for most vehicles, brings a California-certified smog check.

Source: DMV manual 1.145: true full name; DMV manual 22.030: owner name changes; DMV: How To Change Vehicle Ownership; DMV: REG 227; DMV: Title Transfers and Changes; DMV: out-of-state title checklist.

Where to take title paperwork in San Diego County

A title fix goes to a San Diego County DMV field office whose own page lists Title Transfers, or by mail to DMV, PO Box 942869, Sacramento, CA 94269. The addresses of those offices are in the seller paperwork guide. Two details matter for a title problem. The San Diego Clairemont office on Derrick Drive has been shut since 5 p.m. on November 3, 2026, after a water leak, with no reopening date given. And in southwest Riverside County, Murrieta Express lists Duplicate Title of Ownership but no title transfers, so a sale's paperwork goes to the Temecula office on Diaz Road instead.

Thinking of selling to Sell My Car SoCali instead? Describe the title in a request on the request page: the owners' names and the word between them, any lender, and whether you hold the title, a REG 227 or only a registration card. A person calls back, or you can call (657) 699-0008.

Source: DMV: San Diego office; DMV: San Diego Clairemont office; DMV: Clairemont closure, Nov. 3, 2026; DMV: San Ysidro office; DMV: Chula Vista office; DMV: El Cajon office; DMV: Poway office; DMV: San Marcos office; DMV: Oceanside office; DMV: Temecula office; DMV: Murrieta Express office; DMV: Title Transfers and Changes.

Title sorted: what to read next

With the title cleared, the seller paperwork guide covers the rest of a California sale, and the release of liability guide explains the five-day notice you file once the car is gone. To talk about your own title, call (657) 699-0008.