How it works. Pick the state and whether you're the buyer or the seller. You get the steps in order, whether your signature needs a notary, the paperwork to bring, and the buyer's deadline, each marked as the state's own rule or as good practice.
Make your checklist
Buying a car: California
Notary: not confirmed
- Your signature
- No official page we opened says whether this signature has to be notarized here. Ask the agency before signing, or sign in front of a notary to be safe.
- Deadline
- The buyer has 10 days after buying to transfer ownership. Due by Friday, December 11, 2026.
- Paperwork
- Bill of sale: sometimes
- The original title, signed over
- Odometer entry or disclosure
- The agency's title application, proof of insurance and ID
Your steps
- Check the title against the car and the sellerGood practice
The VIN on the title should match the car, and the seller's ID should match the owner's name on the title. Ask about any lien listed on it. - Watch the title get signedFrom the state's page
Seller: The DMV's private-sale steps are that the seller signs the title and the buyer submits it, with no notary step. Buyer: the pages we read don't say whether your signature needs a notary."Private sale / loan payoff: Seller/lienholder signs title. Buyer submits to DMV."
- Get a bill of saleFrom the state's page
A Bill of Sale (REG 135) is one of the forms that may be needed for a transfer."These forms may be required when transferring ownership of a vehicle or vessel."
- Check the mileage entryFrom the state's page
The buyer brings a record of the odometer mileage for a vehicle less than 10 years old."A record of the odometer mileage"
- Insure the car before you drive itGood practice
Most states require insurance to register. Arrange it before driving away. - Title it in your name in timeFrom the state's page
The buyer has 10 days after buying to transfer ownership. For a sale on Tuesday, December 1, 2026, that's by Friday, December 11, 2026."Buyers have 10 days after purchasing the vehicle to transfer ownership."
- Plates and feesNot confirmed
Not confirmed whether the plates come with the car.
Official source: California DMV · More on this state
Before the money changes hands
Meet in daylight somewhere public, or at the bank or tag office where the payment can be checked. Count cash or confirm a cashier's check with the issuing bank before signing anything. The seller signs only when payment is final; the buyer pays only when the title is in hand with no open lien.
Every state on one page: car title notarization by state. For the full private-sale walkthrough, see the title transfer guide.
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Checked November 2026 against the official pages linked in each checklist. Forms, fees and deadlines change, a county office can add its own steps, and gifts, estates, liens and out-of-state titles follow other rules; the agency or an attorney can tell you how a rule applies to your sale. MCC Solutions is not affiliated with any motor vehicle agency.
Questions about the checklist
Which state's rules apply?
Usually the state that issued the title governs how it's signed over, and the buyer's home state governs titling and registration. When the two differ, read both: a title from a notary state still needs its notary even if the buyer lives somewhere that doesn't ask for one.
What does 'Not confirmed' mean in my checklist?
That step's rule wasn't stated on the official pages we could open for that state. The checklist still gives the safe default, and the agency link at the bottom is where to confirm it.
How is the due date worked out?
From the sale date you enter, using the state's own count. Calendar-day rules count every day; business-day rules skip weekends but not holidays, so a holiday can make the true deadline a day later, never earlier.
Can I sign the title before meeting the buyer?
Don't. In states that require a notary, the signature has to be made in front of the notary. Everywhere, a pre-signed open title invites fraud, and corrections or cross-outs can void it.
Does this page save what I enter?
No. The state, role and date travel in the page address only, so a link such as ?state=oh&role=seller opens the same checklist, and it works without JavaScript.