DMV Release of Liability (NRL): How to File It

A DMV release of liability is the notice a seller files after selling, gifting, or otherwise handing over a vehicle. Most sellers can file it online with the DMV, and we say so up front. The notice protects you from parking violations, traffic violations, and civil claims tied to the vehicle after the sale date. Our North Hollywood office helps when the online form will not accept your entry, when the sale was months ago, or when a transfer still needs sorting out.

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369 Registration Services is a private registration service licensed by the California DMV. We are not the DMV or a branch of the DMV. You can complete these transactions directly with the California DMV without paying our service fee.

What this service covers

The Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, or NRL, is a short report to the DMV: plate number, VIN, buyer's name plus address, odometer reading, plus the date of sale. Vehicle Code section 5900 gives the seller 5 calendar days to file it. Once the DMV has it, responsibility for parking violations, traffic violations, and civil litigation after the sale date shifts to the buyer under section 5602. It does not transfer ownership. The buyer still has to complete the title transfer and pay the DMV's fees before your name comes off the record.

Who needs it

Anyone who sold a car, truck, or motorcycle to a private buyer
Owners who gave a vehicle to a family member
Sellers who still get renewal notices or tickets for a vehicle they no longer own
Lessees who transferred a leased vehicle
Businesses selling a company vehicle

What to bring to your appointment

Sourced from the DMV's requirements. Bring originals where the DMV asks for them. We confirm the exact list when we set your time.

What to bring: Release of Liability

Vehicle license plate number
Entered without symbols. Also used to sign in to the DMV's online NRL.
Vehicle identification number (VIN)
The online form asks for the last five digits.
Vehicle make and model year
Buyer's name and address
Enter unknown if you truly do not have it, but the DMV may not be able to update the record.
Odometer reading on the date of sale
The form asks whether the mileage is actual, exceeds mechanical limits, or is not the actual mileage.
Date of sale
Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (REG 138)
Paper option only. Send it to the DMV address printed on the form. Keep a photocopy.

Based on DMV requirements as published on dmv.ca.gov, checked 2026-10-12. The DMV may ask for more depending on your vehicle. We confirm your exact list when we set your appointment.

When you might need this service

You just sold a vehicle: file online first

If the sale was recent, go straight to the DMV's online NRL. You need the plate number, the last five digits of the VIN, the buyer's name plus address, the odometer reading, plus the sale date. The DMV updates the record within one business day and gives you a confirmation page to print.

The online form rejects your plate or VIN

A no match error means the plate or VIN you typed does not line up with the DMV record. The DMV says to recheck your entries, then call 1-800-777-0133 if it continues. We can also check your registration card with you, then prepare the paper form (REG 138) for mailing.

Tickets or renewal notices keep coming after a sale

That usually means the DMV never received your notice, or it was incomplete or unreadable. The fix is to file another NRL, not to resend an online confirmation page. The DMV also notes that renewal notices go out more than 60 days before expiration, so one may cross with a notice you just filed.

The buyer never transferred the title

An NRL does not take your name off the vehicle record. Only the buyer's transfer application does that. If the buyer has stalled, we can walk through what the title transfer requires so you know what to ask of them. If the vehicle is instead sitting unused in your own name, planned nonoperation may be the filing you need.

How it works with us

Try the DMV's online form first
Most sellers finish there. If it goes through, print the confirmation and you are done. Call us if the form rejects your entry, the sale is old, or there is a bigger ownership problem behind it.
Tell us what happened
Describe the sale: the date, what you know about the buyer, and whether you still get mail for the vehicle. We confirm what to bring, usually your registration card, and a time at our North Hollywood office.
We prepare the notice with you
We complete the REG 138, or the online entry, with the exact plate, VIN, odometer, and buyer details. Then we check for what the DMV says makes a notice fail: missing or unreadable information.
We handle the paperwork for the transaction
We handle the paperwork for the notice. If the cause turns out to be a stalled title transfer, we explain what the buyer still owes the DMV so you can follow up with them.

Fees

DMV fees are set by the State of California, not by us. Only the DMV decides the final total, which depends on your vehicle, the transaction, and any penalties already on the record.

The DMV's NRL page does not list a fee for filing a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, online or by mail. (DMV source, checked 2026-10-12)
Requesting a copy of a notice you already filed takes a Request for Record Information (INF 70) and the fee shown on that form, mailed to the DMV. (DMV source, checked 2026-10-12)

Our service charge

Every transaction is different, so our service charge depends on the paperwork your case needs. Tell us about it when you call or send a request and we will explain our charge before you decide to proceed. DMV fees, taxes, and penalties are separate.

DMV fee calculator

How California registration fees add up

Common issues and special cases

You filed late, or not at all

The law says 5 calendar days. If you missed it, file anyway. The DMV's page lists no penalty for a late notice, though a court decides whether you complied with the law in any dispute.

A business is the buyer or the seller

The online form works for businesses too. For a company buyer the DMV's instruction is to type the business name where a last name would go, spilling into the first name box if it runs long.

Someone else is filing for you

The DMV allows another person to file the notice on your behalf, but you stay responsible for anything missing. That is the basis for our help: we prepare it with you, in your name.

Questions about release of liability

Where do I find the DMV release of liability form?

The paper version is the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (REG 138), posted on the DMV site as a PDF. The online version lives on the DMV's NRL page under the Start NRL button. Both ask for the same information.

Can I file the release of liability with the DMV online?

Yes. The DMV's online NRL updates the vehicle record within one business day. You get a confirmation to print, with no paper copy to mail afterward.

Does the release of liability take my name off the vehicle?

No. It records that you reported the sale. Your name stays on the record until the buyer submits the transfer application with the title you signed, and the DMV's fees.

What if I do not know the buyer's name?

The DMV lets you enter unknown in the buyer's name and address fields. It also warns that missing details may keep the record from updating, which can cost you the liability protection. Bring whatever you have, a bill of sale, a text message, a receipt, and we help you fill in as much as possible.

I lost the title before the sale. Which comes first?

The buyer needs a signed title, or a REG 227 signed by you, to complete the transfer. Our duplicate title page covers that application. File the release of liability as soon as the vehicle changes hands, no matter where the title stands.

Ready to set an appointment?

Call or send a request. We will confirm what to bring and a time that works.