Registering a Specially Constructed Vehicle

To register a specially constructed vehicle (including a kit commercial vehicle), you will need:

• A completed Application for Title or Registration (REG 343) form.
• A vehicle verification by an authorized DMV employee.
  • Bring your vehicle to a DMV office for verification.
• A completed Statement of Construction (REG 5036) form.
• Bills of sale and/or receipts for major component parts (the engine, frame, transmission, and body).
• If the vehicle is a trailer constructed from a purchased kit, please present the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin or a receipt or invoice identifying the kit purchased.
• Official Brake and Light Adjustment Certificates
  or electronic Vehicle Safety Systems Inspection (VSSI) certificates.
• A weight certificate from a California Certified Public Weighmaster, if the vehicle is a pickup or truck.
• A smog certification.
• Registration fees.
• Visit a DMV office to begin the application process.

A SPCNS vehicle does not refer to a vehicle that has been repaired or restored using replacement parts, or to a vehicle modified from its original design.

Example: A Volkswagen “Beetle” with modified fenders, engine compartment lid, and front end is not considered a specially constructed vehicle because it is still recognizable as a Volkswagen “Beetle”.

Altered Vehicles

If you change or alter your vehicle’s body and spend more than $2,000 or more on the alterations, or if your alterations place the vehicle in a different weight classification, you must report these alterations to DMV.

To report alterations, you will need:

• The vehicle’s California Certificate of Title.
• A vehicle verification by an authorized DMV employee completed after the alteration is completed.
  • Bring your vehicle to a DMV office for verification.
• A completed Statement of Facts, Vehicle Body Change Statement (REG 256) form.
• A weight certificate from a California Certified Public Weighmaster.
• Evidence of purchase of (or ownership of) the added parts.
  • This can include bills of sale, invoices, or sales slips.
  • If you placed a body on the vehicle which you removed from another vehicle that you own, please provide the license plate number or vehicle identification number for the other vehicle.
• Additional fees that may be due if the vehicle falls into a higher weight classification.