California · Rules
Owning a car comes with deadlines: register it, insure it, report a sale. Missing one can cost fines or your license, however well you drive.
Tags show the kind of rule and whether it’s a written-test point or matters on the drive test (our tagging). Each rule links to its official source.
Any vehicle you use in California must be registered here, and it must meet state requirements, including emission controls, to qualify.
New York differs: New York requires a safety inspection every year at a licensed station (yellow-and-black sign); most gasoline cars also get an emissions check, except those under 2 or 26+ model years old. New York rule
You must transfer a vehicle you buy into your name within 10 days of the purchase.
After selling a vehicle, notify DMV within 5 days by filing a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability.
New California residents, or people who start a job here, must register an out-of-state vehicle within 20 days.
3 of our 8 practice questions for this chapter, with explanations. The rest are in the app.
Answer: B. 10 days
When you buy a vehicle, you must put it in your name within 10 days, so DMV’s records show who owns it. The seller has an even shorter deadline: 5 days to notify DMV of the sale.
California Driver Handbook: Vehicle Registration Requirements
Answer: A. Notify DMV within 5 days by filing a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability
When you sell a vehicle, notify DMV within five days by filing a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability. As the name says, it releases you from responsibility for the car once it’s sold.
California Driver Handbook: Vehicle Registration Requirements
Answer: C. Within 20 days
You have 20 days to register an out-of-state vehicle after you become a California resident or take a job here. This is so the car is on record in the state where you now drive. To qualify, the car must meet California’s requirements, including emission controls.
California Driver Handbook: Vehicle Registration Requirements
5 more practice questions for this chapterKeep practicing in Roadfeel
Restated in our own words from the California Driver Handbook (DL 600, rev. 6/2025) and dmv.ca.gov. The handbook is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0, which bars commercial reuse, so we don’t reproduce it; we quote short phrases and link to it.