California at a glance
| What | California |
|---|---|
| Form | REG 227, Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title |
| Fee | $28 |
| How long | Usually 15 to 30 days, by mail |
| Faster option | None listed |
| Ways to apply | Online, by mail or in person |
| Who can apply | The registered owner, if no lienholder is on record. |
| ID | The form asks for each owner’s driver license or ID card number. In person, DMV checks your photo license or ID card. |
| Loan on the car | If the car is two model years old or newer, the lienholder has to apply, and no lien release is accepted. If it’s three model years or older and the lender already released the lien, include the lender’s notarized release in Section 5 of REG 227 or a notarized Lien Satisfied form (REG 166). |
Where California’s $28 fee sits among the 50 states and DC
State fee for a duplicate car title in the 50 states and DC: Under $10, 9; $10 to $19.99, 19; $20 to $39.99, 13; $40 to $59.99, 5; $60 or more, 5. California charges $28.
Step by step
Find the VIN
You don’t need the lost title to find the 17-character VIN: it’s on the lower left of the windshield and on your registration card, and it may be on your insurance card. Form REG 227 asks for: license plate number; VIN; year/make; registered owner and co-owner true full name; driver license/ID number and state; residence address and county; mailing address; lienholder name and address; reason: lost, stolen, illegible/mutilated, not received from prior owner, not received from DMV; owner signature, date, phone; lienholder release (notarized), if any.Check for a loan on the car
Lender still on the title and the car is two model years old or newer? The lender has to apply for the replacement, so call it first. Older car and the loan’s paid off? Send the lender’s notarized release in Section 5 of REG 227, or a notarized Lien Satisfied form (REG 166). If the lender holds an electronic title, REG 227 can’t release that lien: once the loan is paid, DMV can issue the title to you automatically.Fill in Form REG 227
The form is the Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title. Notary: Only if there’s a lienholder. Then its release in Section 5 has to be notarized.Send it with the fee
- Online: Start a Replacement Title request in the DMV Virtual Office. A DMV representative reviews it and contacts you to finish.
- By mail: If your name and address match DMV records, mail REG 227 to DMV, PO Box 942869, Sacramento, CA 94269.
- In person: At a DMV field office. If your address doesn’t match DMV records, you have to apply here; bring your registration card or renewal notice and your driver license or ID card.
Good to know in California
- The replacement cancels the original title.
- If you never got the title from DMV, wait 30 days from the issue date before you apply.
- If your registration card says “Nontransferable/No California Title Issued”, you can’t use REG 227. Get the title from the state that last titled the vehicle.
- You don’t have to pay overdue renewal fees or parking tickets first.
Title from another state?
Apply to the state that issued it. Find yours on the lost car title page for every state, or go straight to Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Texas, Washington or Wisconsin.