If you’re selling a car in Tustin, CA, the local details are few but worth knowing. Tustin has no DMV field office of its own, so the nearest one is in Santa Ana, and licensed Smog Check stations turn up both in Tustin and in the cities around it. Tustin is in Orange County, as are Santa Ana, Irvine and Orange (DOF E-1).

If you’re still paying off the car you want to sell, the first section is for you. The rest covers smog checks, the DMV office and signing the car over.

Can I sell a car I still owe money on?

Yes, but the lender becomes part of the sale. When money is owed, the title names the lienholder (DMV: titles). The DMV’s procedures say the lienholder releases its interest on Line 2 of the title, or with a Lien Satisfied/Legal Owner/Title Holder Release, form REG 166 (DMV manual: transfers).

The DMV’s pages don’t explain how to get a payoff figure or how long a lender takes to release the lien, so those questions go to your lender. If it has since closed, merged or changed its name, the DMV keeps a Financial Institution Locator listing institutions like that.

Our guide to selling a car you still owe money on covers the rest. A lease is a different arrangement: the leasing company sets the payoff and buyout steps, so start with selling a leased car in California.

Smog checks for Tustin sellers

BAR’s Auto Shop Locator lists licensed Smog Check stations with Tustin addresses, and a search around the city returns more in Santa Ana, Orange and Irvine.

The rule doesn’t change from city to city. The Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) says a Smog Check is required before you sell, unless your car is exempt, and that you should give the buyer a copy of the vehicle inspection report (BAR: Smog Check). The DMV puts it as giving the new owner a valid smog certification (DMV smog page). A passing certificate is good for 90 days.

Two exceptions are worth checking before you book:

  • A recent renewal. BAR’s reference guide lists an exception when the car had a Smog Check certificate for its registration renewal and the transfer happens within 90 days of that renewal (BAR reference guide). In that situation, the DMV’s Vehicle Emission System Statement, REG 139, is the statement the seller gives the buyer. It stays with the two of you and isn’t sent to the DMV.
  • A newer or electric car. BAR says gasoline vehicles four model years old or newer don’t need a smog certificate at transfer, and the DMV says the buyer pays a smog transfer fee instead. Electric vehicles are exempt, per BAR.

Other vehicles may be exempt 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 more on each case.

Nearest DMV office: Santa Ana

The DMV’s office locator lists no field office in Tustin. The nearest is the Santa Ana field office, 1330 E First Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701 (office page), which comes first in a locator search for Tustin 92780. The Costa Mesa field office, 650 W 19th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 (office page), is second in the same results.

Check the office page for current hours before you drive over. You may not need to go at all: the release of liability is filed online or by mail.

Signing the car over

At the sale, you sign the title on Line 1 (DMV private-sale page), and a lienholder, if there is one, releases on Line 2 or with REG 166. The odometer has its own signing rule: the DMV’s procedures require original signatures from the seller and the buyer, and a signature by power of attorney isn’t accepted (DMV manual: odometer). Whether your model year needs a disclosure depends on its age, so confirm with the DMV.

Then, within 5 calendar days, file the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (DMV NRL page). Online, it asks for the new owner’s name and address, your plate and the last five digits of the VIN, and the odometer reading at the time of sale. It isn’t a transfer of ownership. The buyer’s own application, using the title you signed, is what removes your name, and the buyer has 10 days to make it (DMV private-sale page).

We work with dealerships in the Tustin area. You describe the car once on the Sell my car page, including whether there’s a loan or a lease on it, and a CarLinks agent follows up by phone or email. If a dealership is interested, the agent handles the price conversation and arranges a visit. The dealership decides after inspecting the car, and you can decline at any stage.

If the buyer is a dealership, ask it which documents to bring. The DMV describes the NRL as the seller’s duty. Also in Orange County: our Huntington Beach guide. For every step in one place, see the California selling checklist, or go straight to telling us about your car.

Sources

Checked October 2026.