CaliforniaVehicles: registration fees and penalties.
What it does
Existing law imposes renewal fee penalties for late payment of vehicle registration except in limited specified cases. Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles to waive the registration penalties accrued before the purchase of a vehicle upon payment for the fees for registration due, if the transferee or purchaser was not aware that the fees were unpaid. Existing law also authorizes the department to waive the registration fees that became due before the purchase of the vehicle if the transferee or purchaser was not aware that the fees were unpaid and the license plate assigned to the vehicle displays a validating device issued by the department that contains the year number of the registration year for which the transferee or purchaser is requesting a waiver of fees.
More detail
Existing law further provides that these unpaid fees and penalties are the personal debt of the transferor of the vehicle and may be collected by the department in an appropriate civil action if the department has waived the fees and penalties.
This bill would instead require the department to waive delinquent registration fees and penalties when a transferee or purchaser of a vehicle applies for a transfer of registration if the department determines that the fees became due or the penalties accrued before the purchase of the vehicle. The bill would require the department to create a system to collect these delinquent fees and penalties from the seller or transferor. The bill would repeal the provision authorizing the department to collect the waived fees and penalties in a civil action. These provisions would become operative on January 1, 2030.
Where do you stand?
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed Assembly
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Mar 2Veto sustained.Latest
- Mar 2Stricken from file.
- 2025
- Oct 1In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
- Oct 1Vetoed by the Governor Gavin Newsom.Major
- Sep 10Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.To Governor
- Sep 4In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.Minor
- Vote recorded SB 76 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By Chen. Result: pass.Lower
- Sep 4Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 2906.) Ordered to the Senate.Passed Assembly
- Sep 2Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 29From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 29).Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 20August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- Jul 15From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (July 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Jul 14
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. Result: pass.Lower
- Jun 5Referred to Com. on TRANS.Minor
- May 29In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.Minor
- Vote recorded Special Consent. Result: pass.Upper
- May 29Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1323.) Ordered to the Assembly.Passed Senate
- May 27Ordered to special consent calendar.
- May 23Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Upper
- May 23From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1191.) (May 23).Minor
- May 16Set for hearing May 23.
- Apr 7April 7 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 28Set for hearing April 7.
- Mar 26From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 0. Page 534.) (March 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Mar 25
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 11Set for hearing March 25.
- Jan 29Referred to Com. on TRANS.Minor
- Jan 16From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 15.
- Jan 15Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.Introduced