Registry entry

California Vehicle Title Transfer and Replacement (Form REG 227)

Transfer a vehicle's Certificate of Title from a seller to a new owner, and/or obtain a replacement title, using the data model of DMV Form REG 227 (Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title). REG 227 is used whenever the original paper title is unavailable to complete the transfer by endorsing its back (lost, stolen, illegible/mutilated, or never received from the prior owner or from DMV). It covers two paths selected by transactionType: a pure replacement-title request (the current owner only), or a transfer of title with replacement (the seller releases ownership and the new owner registers). This document models the individual-to-individual case: the registered/new owner sections (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7). Out of scope: the notarized legal-owner (lienholder) lien-release path (form Section 5, which cannot be used for non-ELT participants with vehicles 2 model years old or newer), the dealer's-release path (Section 8), vessels and vessel-specific fields (hull identification number, CF number, vessel-mooring location), and the Statement of Facts (REG 256) required for a qualified-relative transfer's use-tax exemption. It does not submit the application; the live California DMV source is always authoritative (see VERIFICATION.md).

Registry entry

us/ca/dmv/vehicle-title-transfer

Jurisdiction
United States · California (subnational)
Version
1.0.0
Verification
draft
Authority
California Department of Motor Vehicles

GovSchema spec v0.2

Authoritative source Form REG 227 (Rev. 9/2021)

Machine access

Schema document
registry/us/ca/dmv/vehicle-title-transfer/1.0.0/schema.jsonapplication/schema+json
Verification record
registry/us/ca/dmv/vehicle-title-transfer/1.0.0/VERIFICATION.mdtext/markdown
Registry catalog
registry/index.jsonone record per schema id

Field reference

60 fields across 8 steps, read from the published schema.json — names, types, requiredness, and validation as the document states them. The live government form remains the authoritative source.

Type of transaction

  • transactionType enum required

    replacement_only = Replacement Title (complete sections/fields for the current owner only). transfer_with_replacement = Transfer of Title with Replacement (the seller releases ownership and the new owner registers; complete transfer within 10 days of taking possession of the vehicle). Determines which of the newOwner*/releasingOwner* fields below are required.

    enum: replacement_only | transfer_with_replacement

Vehicle identification

  • licensePlateNumber string required

    The vessel CF number field on the same line is out of scope; this document covers vehicles only.

    length: 0–20
  • vehicleIdentificationNumber string required

    The hull identification number field on the same line (for vessels) is out of scope.

    length: 1–17
  • vehicleYearAndMake string required

    Free text as printed on the form's single combined blank, e.g. "2019 Honda". The vessel-builder alternative on the same line is out of scope.

    length: 0–60

Registered owner(s) of record

  • registeredOwnerName string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Print name as it appears on the Title/Registration: last, first, middle, suffix (or a business name/lessor).

    length: 1–160
  • registeredOwnerLicenseNumber string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data.

    length: 0–20
  • registeredOwnerLicenseState string required

    Two-letter USPS state abbreviation.

    pattern
  • coOwnerName string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Only if the vehicle has a co-owner of record.

    length: 0–160
  • coOwnerLicenseNumber string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required when coOwnerName is given.

    length: 0–20
  • coOwnerLicenseState string optional

    Required when coOwnerName is given. Two-letter USPS state abbreviation.

    pattern
  • ownerPhysicalAddressLine1 string required

    Include street, avenue, etc., and apartment/space/suite number.

    length: 1–120
  • ownerPhysicalAddressCity string required

    The city of the owner's physical residence or business address.

    length: 1–80
  • ownerPhysicalAddressState string required

    Two-letter USPS state abbreviation.

    pattern
  • ownerPhysicalAddressZipCode string required

    5-digit or ZIP+4 U.S. format, e.g. 95814 or 95814-1234.

    pattern
  • ownerCountyOfResidence string required

    A single California county name.

    length: 0–60
  • ownerMailingAddressLine1 string optional

    Optional; used for mailing purposes only.

    length: 0–120
  • ownerMailingAddressCity string optional

    Required when ownerMailingAddressLine1 is given.

    length: 0–80
  • ownerMailingAddressState string optional

    Required when ownerMailingAddressLine1 is given. Two-letter USPS state abbreviation.

    pattern
  • ownerMailingAddressZipCode string optional

    Required when ownerMailingAddressLine1 is given.

    pattern

Missing title statement

  • missingTitleReason enum required

    Check one box. illegible_mutilated requires attaching the old title. not_received_from_dmv allows 30 days from the issue date before applying. WARNING: issuance of a replacement title cancels the original title. If the address on file differs from DMV's records, the application must be filed in person with proof of ownership and identification, and a CHP vehicle verification is required if the title was replaced within the last 90 days.

    enum: lost | stolen | illegible_mutilated | not_received_from_prior_owner | not_received_from_dmv
  • ownerCertificationName string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. The owner certifies, under penalty of perjury under California law, that the missing-title statement is true and correct, and agrees to indemnify the Director of Motor Vehicles for any loss from issuing the replacement title.

    length: 1–160
  • ownerCertificationDate date required

    YYYY-MM-DD.

  • ownerCertificationPhone string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. In international E.164 format, e.g. +19165551234.

    pattern

Registered owner's release of ownership (transfer only)

  • releasingOwnerName string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement. The registered owner releases interest in the vehicle. If co-owners are joined by "AND" on DMV records, each co-owner must separately sign/release (out of scope for this flat single-signer field; see GSP-0009). A company/business signer's printed name must include the business name and an authorized representative's countersignature, e.g. "ABC CO., by JOHN SMITH".

    length: 0–160
  • releasingOwnerDate date optional

    Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement. YYYY-MM-DD.

  • releasingOwnerPhone string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement. In international E.164 format.

    pattern

New registered owner (transfer only)

  • acquisitionDate date optional

    Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement. YYYY-MM-DD.

  • acquisitionType enum optional

    Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement. If purchase, give purchasePrice. If gift or trade, give marketValue instead. If acquired from a qualifying relative (parent/child, grandparent/grandchild, spouse, domestic partner, or minor sibling related by blood or adoption), a separate Statement of Facts (REG 256) for the use-tax exemption must also be submitted — out of scope for this document.

    enum: purchase | gift | trade
  • purchasePrice number optional

    Required when acquisitionType is purchase. U.S. dollars.

    range: 0–∞
  • marketValue number optional

    Required when acquisitionType is gift or trade. U.S. dollars.

    range: 0–∞
  • newOwnerName string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement. Print true full name as shown on driver license/ID card: last, first, middle, suffix (or a business name/lessor).

    length: 0–160
  • newOwnerLicenseNumber string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement.

    length: 0–20
  • newOwnerLicenseState string optional

    Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement. Two-letter USPS state abbreviation.

    pattern
  • newCoOwnerName string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. The form provides two co-owner/lessee name lines in Section 6 in addition to the primary new owner; only if the new registration will have a co-owner or lessee. If given, also give newCoOwnershipType. For a second co-owner/lessee, see secondNewCoOwnerName.

    length: 0–160
  • newCoOwnershipType enum optional

    Required when newCoOwnerName is given. Co-owners joined by "and" each require their own signature to later sell, gift, or transfer the vehicle; co-owners joined by "or" require only one owner's signature.

    enum: and | or
  • secondNewCoOwnerName string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. The form's second co-owner/lessee name line in Section 6. Only if the new registration will have a second co-owner or lessee beyond the one recorded in newCoOwnerName. If given, also give secondNewCoOwnershipType.

    length: 0–160
  • secondNewCoOwnershipType enum optional

    Required when secondNewCoOwnerName is given. Co-owners joined by "and" each require their own signature to later sell, gift, or transfer the vehicle; co-owners joined by "or" require only one owner's signature.

    enum: and | or
  • newOwnerPhysicalAddressLine1 string optional

    Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement.

    length: 0–120
  • newOwnerPhysicalAddressCity string optional

    Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement.

    length: 0–80
  • newOwnerPhysicalAddressState string optional

    Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement. Two-letter USPS state abbreviation.

    pattern
  • newOwnerPhysicalAddressZipCode string optional

    Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement.

    pattern
  • newOwnerCountyOfResidence string optional

    Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement.

    length: 0–60
  • newOwnerMailingAddressLine1 string optional

    Optional; used for mailing purposes only.

    length: 0–120
  • newOwnerMailingAddressCity string optional

    Required when newOwnerMailingAddressLine1 is given.

    length: 0–80
  • newOwnerMailingAddressState string optional

    Required when newOwnerMailingAddressLine1 is given. Two-letter USPS state abbreviation.

    pattern
  • newOwnerMailingAddressZipCode string optional

    Required when newOwnerMailingAddressLine1 is given.

    pattern
  • newLesseeAddress string optional

    Only applicable when the new registration is a lease (a lessee is named in newOwnerName, newCoOwnerName, or secondNewCoOwnerName). Free text; distinct from newOwnerPhysicalAddressLine1 and newOwnerMailingAddressLine1.

    length: 0–160
  • newOwnerCertificationDate date optional

    Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement. The new owner certifies, under penalty of perjury under California law, that the mailing address is valid and existing, and consents to service of process at that address per Vehicle Code section 1808.21.

  • newOwnerPhone string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required when transactionType is transfer_with_replacement. In international E.164 format.

    pattern

Verification record

This file is the source-review record for this document version, per the manual-source-review-v1 practice. It documents the provenance of the published fields and flow, records a mock-data test run of the field set, and states the current verification claim honestly.

Current claim

  • status: draft
  • verification.method: manual-source-review-v1
  • verification.lastVerifiedAt: 2026-07-01

The document was derived from and cross-checked against the official sources below, but the full field-by-field comparison the practice requires (confirming every published field, type, requiredness, and constraint against the live form — manual-source-review-v1 → Procedure step 2) has not yet been independently re-verified by a second reviewer. It therefore remains draft, not verified. Consumers SHOULD treat this as an accurate, source-grounded structural reference, not a load-bearing description of the live process.

Why this candidate was added (phase 2 of the GOV-282 brief)

GOV-282 names "DMV (Tag, Title, Registration, Drivers License, IDL, and CDL)" as one of five focus verticals. Before this document, the registry covered only "Registration" (us/ca/dmv/vehicle-registration-renewal) and "Drivers License" (us/ca/dmv/drivers-license-renewal), both renewal-only, and had no candidate at all — not even in discovery/catalog.json's backlog — for Title, CDL, or IDL. This document closes the "Title" gap: it was added directly as a new catalog candidate and authored to published in the same cycle, mirroring how us/ca/sos/corporation-formation-arts-gs opened the "Incorporation" gap in the prior cycle. CDL and IDL remain open for a future cycle.

Sources examined

  • Document (id, version): us/ca/dmv/vehicle-title-transfer / 1.0.0
  • Spec version: GovSchema 0.2.0
  • Authority: California Department of Motor Vehicles (CA DMV)
  • Primary source URL: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/titles/title-transfers-and-changes/
  • Official form id: Form REG 227 (Rev. 9/2021)
  • Form PDF: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/uploads/2021/11/REG-227-R9-2021-AS-WWW.pdf — fetched directly with a plain curl request; unlike the bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov forms used for the sibling LLC-1/ARTS-GS documents, this dmv.ca.gov-hosted PDF returned 200 with no CDN block. Parsed with the pdf-parse npm package (PDFParse.getText()); all 8 sections across both pages were recovered as plain text and transcribed field-by-field from that output. Fix-up re-review (GOV-301, this cycle): the AcroForm's encrypted field/annotation layer itself was additionally decoded with pdfjs-dist (page.getAnnotations()), which enumerates every named form widget with its page position — a stronger cross-check than the plain-text transcription alone, since it surfaces fields whose labels don't line-wrap adjacent to their input box in the flattened text. This caught two gaps (below).
  • Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual, Chapter 20 (Replacements and Substitutes), "Application for Duplicate or Transfer of Title (REG 227)" section: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/duplicates-and-substitutes/application-for-duplicate-or-transfer-of-title-reg-227/ — used to confirm the two-path structure (replacement-only vs. transfer-with-replacement) and which sections each path uses; the field-level detail itself was transcribed from the form PDF, not this handbook page.
  • Retrieved / reviewed: 2026-07-01
  • Reviewer: GovSchema Engineering (initial authoring source-review)

Not a time-versioned (edition) form

A title transfer/replacement is a one-time event tied to a specific vehicle transaction, not filed "for" a recurring tax/award year — applying the GSP-0005 §2 coexistence test, there is no scenario where two editions of the REG 227 data model need to coexist for the same applicant. This document is therefore authored at the plain (non-edition) registry path, registry/us/ca/dmv/vehicle-title-transfer/1.0.0/. A future REG 227 revision that changes the field set ships as a new version, not an edition.

Scope decisions

Form REG 227 has 8 sections; this document models a subset chosen to cover the individual-to-individual case cleanly, and states the rest as explicitly out of scope in the schema description rather than silently omitting them:

  • Modeled: the vehicle-identification line; Section 1 (registered owner(s) of record); Section 2 (existing legal owner/lienholder, if any); Section 3 (missing-title statement and owner certification); Section 4 (registered owner's release of ownership, transfer path only); Section 6 (new registered owner(s), transfer path only); Section 7 (new legal owner/lienholder, transfer path only).
  • Out of scope — Section 5 (legal owner of record release, notarized). This is a distinct path where the lienholder itself (not the registered owner) releases its lien directly on this form; the form states it "cannot be used for non-ELT participants with vehicles 2 model years old or newer" and requires a notary block this document does not model.
  • Out of scope — Section 8 (dealer's release of acquired vehicle). Dealer-only fields (dealership name, dealer/salesperson numbers, R/S number) that do not apply to an individual seller.
  • Out of scope — vessel fields. The form is shared between vehicles and vessels (CF number, hull identification number, vessel-mooring address); this document is scoped to vehicles only, consistent with the sibling vehicle-registration-renewal and drivers-license-renewal documents.
  • Out of scope — Statement of Facts (REG 256). Referenced by Section 6 for the use-tax exemption on a qualifying-relative transfer; a separate form, not modeled here.

What was confirmed against the source

  • Form identity and purpose. Form REG 227 is the Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title, used whenever the original Certificate of Title cannot be used to complete a transfer by endorsing its back. Confirmed against the form's own title block and the Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual page.
  • Two-path structure. transactionType (replacement_only / transfer_with_replacement) mirrors the form's own header instruction ("Replacement Title (Complete Sections 1-3)" / "Transfer of Title with Replacement (Seller completes Sections 1-4, New Owner completes Sections 6 and 7, as needed)"), transcribed verbatim from the decoded PDF text.
  • Section 1/2 field set. Registered owner and co-owner name/license/address fields, and the existing-lienholder fields ("Do not enter name of owners above"), transcribed directly from the decoded text.
  • Section 3 missing-title statement. The five-option reason enum (lost, stolen, illegible/mutilated, not received from prior owner, not received from DMV), the replacement-cancels-original-title warning, the in-person-filing requirement when the address on file differs, and the 90-day CHP vehicle-verification trigger are recorded in missingTitleReason's description, transcribed from the form text.
  • Section 4/6/7 transfer fields. The 10-day transfer deadline, the purchase/gift/trade acquisition-type branch with its price-vs.-market-value requirement, the AND/OR co-owner joinder rule, the qualifying-relative Statement-of-Facts cross-reference, the "write None if no new lienholder" instruction, and the Vehicle Code §1808.21 service-of-process consent are all recorded in the relevant field descriptions, transcribed from the form text.
  • Section 6 has two co-owner/lessee slots, not one (fix-up, GOV-301). The AcroForm field layer shows a primary new-owner name/DL block plus two separate "TRUE FULL NAME OF CO-OWNER OR LESSEE" name/DL/AND-OR-checkbox groups (6 Name First-1 with And Box.0/And Box1.0, and 6 Name Last-2 with And Box.1/And Box1.1) — confirmed against the raw widget rects, which place the two groups on adjacent lines directly under the primary new owner. schema.json now models both: newCoOwnerName/newCoOwnershipType (first slot) and secondNewCoOwnerName/secondNewCoOwnershipType (second slot).
  • Section 6 has a standalone lessee-address field (fix-up, GOV-301). A full-width text field labeled "LESSEE ADDRESS (IF DIFFERENT FROM ADDRESS ABOVE)" (AcroForm field Lessee address, if different from address above) sits between the new-owner mailing address block and the vessel/trailer location line; it is distinct from both the physical and mailing addresses already modeled. Added as newLesseeAddress.
  • Section 7 has an ELT # field (fix-up, GOV-301). The AcroForm shows a three-widget "ELECTRONIC LIENHOLDER ID NO. ELT#" field (7 ELT #.0/7 ELT #.1.0/7 ELT #.1.1) on the same line as the new lienholder name, with the instruction "Attention ELT Legal Owners: ELT # must be shown and the name and address must be entered exactly as shown on the ELT listing." Added as newLienholderElectronicLienId, required (per the form text) only when the named new lienholder is an ELT participant.

Mock-data test run

Per the issue's phase-4 instruction to test-run the schema with valid mock data, a representative filled-out application was authored and checked field-by-field against every type/required/validation constraint in schema.json (string length, regex pattern, enum membership, numeric minimum, date format, and the conditional-field notes called out in field descriptions):

``json { "transactionType": "transfer_with_replacement", "licensePlateNumber": "8ABC123", "vehicleIdentificationNumber": "1HGCM82633A123456", "vehicleYearAndMake": "2019 Honda", "registeredOwnerName": "Torres, Maria, Alejandra", "registeredOwnerLicenseNumber": "D1234567", "registeredOwnerLicenseState": "CA", "ownerPhysicalAddressLine1": "482 Harbor View Drive, Suite 210", "ownerPhysicalAddressCity": "San Diego", "ownerPhysicalAddressState": "CA", "ownerPhysicalAddressZipCode": "92101", "ownerCountyOfResidence": "San Diego", "missingTitleReason": "lost", "ownerCertificationName": "Maria Alejandra Torres", "ownerCertificationDate": "2026-08-01", "ownerCertificationPhone": "+16195550142", "releasingOwnerName": "Maria Alejandra Torres", "releasingOwnerDate": "2026-08-01", "releasingOwnerPhone": "+16195550142", "acquisitionDate": "2026-07-28", "acquisitionType": "purchase", "purchasePrice": 18500, "newOwnerName": "Chen, David, Wei", "newOwnerLicenseNumber": "D7654321", "newOwnerLicenseState": "CA", "newOwnerPhysicalAddressLine1": "900 Bay Street", "newOwnerPhysicalAddressCity": "San Diego", "newOwnerPhysicalAddressState": "CA", "newOwnerPhysicalAddressZipCode": "92109", "newOwnerCountyOfResidence": "San Diego", "newOwnerCertificationDate": "2026-08-01", "newOwnerPhone": "+16195550199", "newLienholderName": "None" } ``

This models Maria Alejandra Torres — the same individual used in the us/ca/sos/business-entity-llc-formation, us/ca/sos/corporation-formation-arts-gs, and us/irs/employer-identification-number-ss4 mock scenarios — selling her lost title vehicle to a new individual owner with a purchase (no existing or new lienholder), the most common individual-to-individual scenario. The scenario exercises the transactionType: transfer_with_replacement conditional group (releasing-owner and new-owner fields) and the acquisitionType: purchase → purchasePrice pair, while omitting the optional co-owner and mailing-address fields and the existing-lienholder section. A one-off Node script (node:fs + a hand-rolled per-field validator, not committed to the repo) confirmed every populated field satisfies its type and validation constraint and that no required field was left unset:

`` PASS — mock individual-to-individual vehicle title transfer (with replacement) satisfies the schema field-level constraints. ``

Both registry validators were re-run against the schema document itself (not the mock data) after the GOV-301 fix-up (new secondNewCoOwnerName, secondNewCoOwnershipType, newLesseeAddress, newLienholderElectronicLienId fields) and still pass:

``` $ node tools/validate.mjs registry/us/ca/dmv/vehicle-title-transfer/1.0.0/schema.json ok registry/us/ca/dmv/vehicle-title-transfer/1.0.0/schema.json

$ cd tools && node validate-ajv.mjs ../registry/us/ca/dmv/vehicle-title-transfer/1.0.0/schema.json ok registry/us/ca/dmv/vehicle-title-transfer/1.0.0/schema.json [v0.2] ```

All four new fields are optional, so the mock-data scenario above (which does not populate them) remains valid as-is; they were checked structurally instead — secondNewCoOwnerName/newLesseeAddress against their maxLength: 160 constraint, secondNewCoOwnershipType against its and/or enum, and newLienholderElectronicLienId against its maxLength: 20 constraint — by confirming each accepts a representative value (e.g. a second co-owner "Chen, Wei" with "and", and an ELT id "1234567") and that schema.json still validates against the meta-schema with them present.

What is NOT yet independently verified

  • Fees. Unlike the LLC-1/ARTS-GS forms, REG 227 does not print a fee amount on the form itself; this document deliberately does not assert a specific fee figure. A reviewer should confirm the current title-transfer/duplicate-title fee schedule against DMV's published fee calculator and, if worth recording, add it to the document description with its own citation.
  • The replacement_only path's exact required-field subset. The form states "Replacement Title (Complete Sections 1-3)" for that path; this document models Sections 1-3 as always collectible and gates only the Section 4/6/7 transfer-path fields on transactionType, which is a reasonable flattening but not a verified per-path requiredness table.
  • The online/in-person channel split. The form notes an in-person filing requirement when the address on file differs from DMV records (with a CHP vehicle-verification trigger within 90 days of a prior replacement); this is recorded as a process fact in missingTitleReason's description, not modeled as a routing field.
  • Constraint patterns (ZIP code, VIN length, E.164 phone) are reasonable encodings, not citations of a published DMV validation rule.
  • Downstream/related processes (dealer-facilitated transfers, use-tax exemption via REG 256, ELT lienholder releases, vessel titling) are out of scope; see "Scope decisions" above.

Path to a verified claim (next step)

To advance this document to status: verified, a reviewer applies manual-source-review-v1 (Procedure step 2 field-by-field comparison, step 3 flow comparison) against the live Form REG 227 (Rev. 9/2021) PDF (or a newer revision, if one has since been published), confirms the sources are still authoritative, resolves any discrepancy by shipping a new schema version (immutability — VERSIONING §3, practice Procedure step 5), and records the outcome here plus sets status: verified with a current verification.lastVerifiedAt / nextReviewBy. This v1.0.0 record stays as the authoring provenance.

Re-verification

Per the practice's Cadence, nextReviewBy is set to 2027-01-01 (6 months). Re-check the source on or before that date, on any source.url change, or when the California DMV publishes a new Form REG 227 revision.

View the raw record (VERIFICATION.md)

Version history

  • 1.0.0 draft latest this page has verification record schema.json

Independent and non-affiliated

GovSchema is an independent, open-source project. This reference is not produced, reviewed, or endorsed by California Department of Motor Vehicles or any government. The authoritative source is always the live government form and its official instructions.