A California DMV power of attorney lets a vehicle or vessel owner name someone else, called the attorney-in-fact, to sign transfer paperwork for them. The DMV’s form is the Power of Attorney (REG 260), a free one-page download. The one thing it can’t do is sign an odometer disclosure: on a model year 2011 or newer vehicle, the seller and buyer must sign that part themselves.
How to Fill Out the California DMV Power of Attorney (REG 260)
The form appoints the attorney-in-fact “to complete all necessary documents, as needed, to transfer ownership as required by law” for one vehicle or vessel, such as releasing ownership on the title or a bill of sale.
- Download the REG 260. It’s a one-page PDF with a copy for your records.
- Describe the vehicle or vessel: the VIN or hull ID, year, make, model and plate or CF number, plus the engine number for a motorcycle.
- Name the owner and the attorney-in-fact, who can be a person or a business. A business’s name must appear with its countersignature.
- Sign and date it in ink, adding your city, state, ZIP code and driver’s license, ID card or dealer number. There’s room for two owners.
- Send it with the paperwork the attorney-in-fact signs, and keep the bottom copy.
What a Power of Attorney Can’t Do at the DMV
- Sign the odometer disclosure. The seller and buyer sign it themselves; when the title lists several owners, one seller’s and one buyer’s signatures are enough.
- Sign a Statement of Facts (REG 256) about something only the owner knows, except to explain what happened to a lost title on an Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227).
- Be passed on. The attorney-in-fact can’t reassign the authority to someone else.
- Act for an estate. It can’t appoint an attorney-in-fact for an executor or administrator.
- Take over all of a trustee’s duties. A trustee can delegate only through a restricted power of attorney limited to one trust asset or one transaction.
When You Also Need a REG 262
The Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form (REG 262) is mainly an odometer disclosure. It’s needed when the title has no space for the mileage, when the title isn’t available at the sale or a REG 227 is part of the transfer, when the title’s disclosure has an error, or when one application covers more than one transfer. Its optional Section 5 is a power of attorney, used when an attorney-in-fact signs the title for anything other than the odometer disclosure. Fill it out in ink with the complete VIN; a mistake in the odometer section means a new form plus a Statement of Facts (REG 256).
Odometer disclosure applies to model year 2011 and newer vehicles until they’re 20 model years old; 2010 and older models no longer need one. California no longer prints a secure power of attorney (SPOA), the form designed for odometer disclosure, but the DMV still accepts California SPOAs in limited cases, such as when the title wasn’t available at the time of sale.
Which Form to Use
| Situation | What to use |
|---|---|
| You’re selling but can’t sign the title yourself | A REG 260 naming the person who will sign; you still sign any odometer disclosure yourself |
| The title has no space for the mileage | Section 3 of a REG 262, signed by the buyer and seller |
| The title is lost, stolen or damaged | An Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227), plus a REG 262 for the odometer disclosure |
| A trust owns the vehicle | A restricted power of attorney limited to that one asset or transaction |
Where to Get and Submit the Forms
The REG 260, REG 227, Bill of Sale (REG 135) and Statement of Facts (REG 256) are PDFs on the DMV website. The REG 262 is printed on security paper, so it comes only from a DMV field office, and only the original is accepted. Mail the power of attorney with the transfer paperwork to DMV, PO Box 942869, Sacramento, CA 94269, or take everything to an office; our list of California DMV offices shows each office’s days and closures, and our appointment guide explains walk-ins. For the rest of the transfer, including the smog certification, the 10-day deadline and the fees, see our guide to registering a car in California.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The REG 260 has no notary section. The owner signs it in ink, declaring under penalty of perjury that it’s true and correct.
Yes. The DMV accepts photocopies and fax copies of a signed REG 260 or general power of attorney. A REG 262, by contrast, is accepted only as the original.
Yes. The DMV accepts a restricted power of attorney limited to one type of transaction, which must identify the vehicle by its VIN or hull ID, and a general power of attorney covering unlimited transactions, which doesn’t need to. The same limits apply, including the odometer rule.
In a private sale, write the current mileage on the title or a REG 262 and explain on a Statement of Facts (REG 256) why the seller’s disclosure couldn’t be obtained. This option doesn’t apply to dealer sales.
Conclusion
For most California vehicle sales, the free REG 260 is all you need to let someone else sign the title: identify the vehicle, sign in ink and send the form with the transfer paperwork. Pick up a REG 262 at a DMV office when the mileage needs its own form, and plan for the owner to sign the odometer disclosure personally on any model year 2011 or newer vehicle.
Add Comment