Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual

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Section 3 of 38

Chapter 2: General Information – Licensees

2.060 Registration Services

Chapter 2 General Information — Licensees

2.060 Registration Services (VC §505.2)

A registration service is a person engaged in the business of soliciting or receiving any application for registration, renewal of registration, or transfer of registration or ownership of a vehicle subject to registration under the VC, or transmitting or presenting any of those documents to DMV, when compensation is solicited or received for the service. Registration service includes, but is not limited to, a person who for compensation processes registration documents, conducts lien sales, or processes vehicle dismantling documents.

No person shall act as a registration service, without a valid license or temporary permit issued by DMV (VC §11400).

Registration service does not include a:

  • Person performing registration service on a vehicle acquired by that person for their own personal use or for use in the regular course of that person’s business.
  • Person who solicits applications for or sells for compensation, nonresident permits for the operation of vehicles within this state. An employee of one or more dealers or dismantlers, or a combination thereof, who performs registration services for vehicles acquired by, consigned to, or sold by the employing dealers or dismantlers.
  • Motor club, as defined in California Insurance Code §12142.
  • Common carrier acting in the regular course of its business in transmitting applications.

Transactions submitted by a registration service to DMV, except those submitted with the Transmittal of Registration Applications (FO 247) form and lien sale applications, must include the registration service’s occupational license (OL) number on the face of the top document of each transaction (CCR §450.32).