Three deadlines shape a car sale in Santa Monica, CA, and two of them are yours: a smog certificate that lasts 90 days, a 5-day window to tell the DMV once the car is sold, and the buyer’s 10 days to transfer the title. This guide takes them in order, with the local offices and stations that go with each one.

Santa Monica is in Los Angeles County, as are Culver City and the city of Los Angeles (DOF E-1). Both of those come up in the local DMV and smog station searches below.

Deadline one: the 90-day smog certificate

Do you need a smog check to sell a car in Santa Monica? In most cases, yes. The DMV says a seller needs to give the new owner a valid smog certification (DMV smog page), and the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) says to hand the buyer a copy of the vehicle inspection report (BAR: Smog Check).

According to BAR, the certificate is sent to the DMV electronically and stays valid for 90 days. That’s the first clock: get the check too early, and a slow sale can outlast it.

Finding a station is the easy part. BAR’s Auto Shop Locator lists licensed Smog Check stations with Santa Monica addresses, and searching around the city also picks up stations with Los Angeles and Culver City addresses. BAR also lets anyone look up a vehicle’s inspection history online, which helps if you can’t remember when your car last passed.

Not every car needs a certificate. BAR says gasoline vehicles four model years old or newer don’t need one at transfer, and the DMV says the new owner pays a smog transfer fee instead. Electric vehicles are on BAR’s exempt list. Others can be exempt depending on fuel type, weight and age, so check the DMV smog page for your vehicle and confirm with the DMV. More in our smog certificate guide.

At the handover: title, mileage and a bill of sale

Sign the title on Line 1 as the seller (DMV private-sale page). The DMV’s procedures say a transfer shows the purchase price, or the word “Gift” or “Trade”, along with each new owner’s name, address and driver’s license or ID number (DMV manual: transfers).

Write down the odometer reading as well. It goes on the title, or on form REG 262 when the title has no line for it, and you’ll need it again for the release of liability. Whether a formal odometer disclosure applies depends on the model year, so confirm that with the DMV.

A bill of sale is worth having. The DMV requires one when the seller isn’t the owner named on the title (DMV private-sale page), and its Bill of Sale form, REG 135, records the vehicle, both parties, the date and the price. The DMV’s procedures accept any bill of sale that identifies the vehicle, and it doesn’t have to be notarized (DMV manual: bill of sale).

Still paying off the car? A lender on the title changes the order of things; see selling a car you still owe money on. With a lease, the leasing company sets the payoff and buyout steps, so begin there and with our guide to selling a leased car in California.

Deadline two: 5 days to file your NRL

After the sale, California law requires you to notify the DMV within 5 calendar days. The form is the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, or NRL (DMV NRL page). Filing online gives you a confirmation to save, and the DMV says the vehicle record is updated within 1 business day. The paper version, REG 138, can go by mail instead, but no notification is sent to confirm it arrived.

Why it matters: once the DMV has received your NRL, liability for parking violations, traffic violations or civil litigation after the date of sale becomes the buyer’s responsibility. A court still decides whether you complied with the law.

Deadline three: the buyer’s 10 days, and the Santa Monica DMV

The buyer then has 10 days to transfer ownership (DMV private-sale page). That application, using the title you signed, is what removes your name from the vehicle record; your NRL doesn’t.

When someone does need an office, the Santa Monica field office is at 2235 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404 (office page). It’s first in a DMV locator search for Santa Monica 90401. The Culver City field office, at 11400 W Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90066 (office page), is listed second and appears under nearby wait times on the Santa Monica page. Hours and waits change, so check before you go.

Selling to a dealership in the Santa Monica area

If a private sale sounds like a lot of moving parts, we work with dealerships in the Santa Monica area. Share your car’s details on our Sell my car page and a CarLinks agent will contact you. If a dealership is interested, your agent handles the price conversation and arranges a visit, and the dealership inspects the car and makes its own decision about buying. CarLinks doesn’t make offers or promise a sale, and you’re free to say no. If the buyer is a dealership, ask it what to bring, including whether it needs a smog certificate.

In Ventura County? Our Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley guides cover those cities. The full statewide list is in the California selling checklist. When you’re ready, tell us about your car.

Sources

Checked October 2026.