How Do You Replace a Lost Car Title in California?

The California rule in one table

What makes California different

California runs the lienholder rule by vehicle age, and the newer-vehicle rule surprises people. For most vehicles, the legal owner of record signs the release on REG 227, notarized, or files a REG 166 lien-satisfied document instead. For a vehicle two model years old or newer, neither document is acceptable: the legal owner of record must apply for the replacement title itself. If you are still paying off a nearly new car and the title is gone, the application goes through the lienholder, not around it.

The second California difference is that one form does two jobs. REG 227 replaces a title and, with the transfer sections endorsed, transfers one. A duplicate-only filing reissues the title to the same owner. If ownership is changing at the same time, the same form carries the transfer, plus the 15 dollar transfer fee. Do not file a duplicate and then a separate transfer when one REG 227 covers both.

The process, step by step

1. Complete form REG 227. Show the registered owner and legal owner or lienholder names of record, and complete and sign the Section 3 Missing Title Statement for your case: lost, stolen, mutilated or illegible, or not received.
2. Handle the lienholder signature by vehicle age. For most vehicles, get the legal owner releasing signature notarized, or submit a REG 166 lien-satisfied document instead. For a vehicle two model years old or newer, have the legal owner of record apply for the replacement title.
3. File by mail or in person at a DMV field office, and pay 28 dollars. Add 15 dollars if you want Special Rush Title Processing.
4. Use the new certificate once it arrives, and do not sign over the old one. A replacement supersedes the paper it replaces in practice, so the new certificate is the one to keep and to sign if you later sell.

If the owner is changing, file a transfer instead: How to Transfer a Car Title in California. If the owner stays the same and only the sticker is expiring, renew instead: How to Renew Vehicle Registration in California.

Duplicate titles in the other states

Every state replaces a lost title, but the form, the fee, and the lienholder rule change at the state line. See How to Replace a Lost Car Title in Texas and How to Replace a Lost Car Title in Florida. For all seven states side by side, see the Duplicate Title Replacement by State directory. If the owner is changing rather than the paper, you need a transfer, not a duplicate. See Car Title Transfer, Renewal, or Duplicate: Which One Do You Need to tell the three apart.

Source

Form, fees, lienholder rule, and case coverage on this page come from the DMV: California DMV Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual, duplicate titles, notarized lienholder signatures for duplicate certificates of title, and the fee appendix. Facts verified 2026-10-25.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your state agency.