This guide is for selling a car in Redding, CA, in Shasta County, not Redding, Iowa. California’s rules apply statewide, so much of what follows holds anywhere in the state. The local parts are the DMV office, where to find a smog check and how CarLinks works around Redding.

Shasta County has three incorporated cities, according to the California Department of Finance: Anderson, Redding and Shasta Lake (DOF E-1). If you live in Anderson or Shasta Lake, elsewhere in Shasta County, the statewide steps below are the same for you.

One DMV field office for Redding

Search the DMV’s office locator for Redding and one field office comes back: the Redding field office at 2135 Civic Center Drive, Redding, CA 96001 (office page). Opening hours and wait times change, so check its page before you visit.

For a seller, the most important DMV step doesn’t require a trip there. The Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability can be filed online, and the DMV says the vehicle record is updated within 1 business day of an online filing (DMV NRL page).

Can I sell my car if I’m still leasing it?

Start with the leasing company, not a buyer. The DMV’s procedures say every leased-vehicle transfer needs the lessor’s release on Line 1 of the California Certificate of Title, and the lessee’s signature alone isn’t accepted (DMV manual: leased vehicles). The leasing company sets the payoff and buyout steps, so call it before you agree anything. Our guide to selling a leased car in California lists the questions worth asking.

A loan works differently, but the lender named on the title is still part of the sale. See selling a car you still owe money on for that case.

Smog checks in Redding

BAR’s Auto Shop Locator lists licensed Smog Check stations with Redding addresses. Pick “Smog Check Inspection” as the service to see them.

Shasta County appears on the DMV’s list of counties where you need a smog inspection when you renew your vehicle registration (DMV smog page). Don’t take that as the selling rule, though. For a sale, the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) says Smog Check certification is required in all program areas when a vehicle changes ownership, with the exception of gasoline vehicles four or less model years old (BAR reference guide).

So in Redding, as anywhere in California, the seller normally provides the certification: the DMV says to give the new owner a valid one when you sell. BAR says it’s valid for 90 days (BAR: Smog Check). Where the car is a gasoline vehicle four model years old or newer, BAR says no smog certificate is needed at transfer, and the DMV says the buyer pays a smog transfer fee instead. Electric vehicles are exempt, according to BAR. Other vehicles may be too, depending on fuel type, weight and age, so check the DMV smog page and confirm with the DMV for your vehicle. Our smog certificate guide has the full picture.

Paperwork at the sale

Sign the title on Line 1 as the seller (DMV private-sale page). Can’t find it? The DMV says to complete an Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227) first (DMV title page).

Record the mileage on the title, or on form REG 262 if the title has nowhere to write it. The DMV’s 2021 memo says an odometer disclosure is required for model year 2011 and newer until the vehicle is 20 model years old (DMV memo), and it encourages a mileage disclosure for every vehicle whatever its year. Confirm your model year with the DMV.

A bill of sale isn’t always required. The DMV requires one when the person selling isn’t the owner named on the title, signed by both of them (DMV private-sale page). Its Bill of Sale form, REG 135, records the price and the date, so it’s a handy record either way.

After the sale: online or by mail

You have 5 calendar days to notify the DMV once the car is sold. Online, you’ll need the buyer’s name and address, your plate number with the last five digits of the VIN, and the odometer reading, and you’ll get a confirmation to save (DMV NRL page).

By mail, you send form REG 138 to the DMV, but no notification confirms it was received. Either way, keep a copy for yourself: the form warns that collection notices can turn up months or years after a sale.

We work with dealerships in the Redding area. Tell us about your car on the Sell my car page and a CarLinks agent will be in touch by phone or email. If a dealership is interested, your agent handles the price conversation and arranges a visit. After inspecting the car, the dealership decides whether to buy, and you decide whether to accept. There’s no obligation, and CarLinks doesn’t buy the car itself. If the buyer is a dealership, ask it what to bring, including whether it needs a smog certificate.

If you’re in Fresno County, our Clovis guide covers the local details there. For the statewide steps in one place, see the California selling checklist. Ready? Tell us about your car.

Sources

Checked October 2026.