In the State of California when you transfer the ownership of a vehicle you have to complete the odometer disclosure statement found on the front of the vehicle’s Certificate of Title or pink slip. It is mandatory to complete the odometer reading for any vehicle that is model year 2011 or newer, self-propelled, and below 16,000 pounds. Even if the State of California doesn’t provide a separate official state-approved form for odometer disclosure you can find one below for your optional use. You can use this separate form to keep a record of the sale for your safety.
Some types of vehicles are exempt from odometer mileage disclosure in the State of California: any vehicle model year 2010 or older and vehicles with an unladen weight of 8,501 pounds or more or a GVW of 16,001 pounds or more. Also vehicles being reported as dismantled (junked), non-motorized vehicles (trailer-type), low-speed vehicles (defined as Low Speed and Neighborhood Electric Vehicles), mopeds or scooters are exempt as well from odometer mileage disclosure. Furthermore golf carts (defined as Golf Carts), new vehicles transferred prior to first retail sale (dealer to dealer) and vehicles sold directly by the manufacturer to a U.S. government agency are also exempt from odometer disclosure.
When you write on the vehicle’s Certificate of title DON’T make any erasure or alteration! Any alteration will void the title and you will need a new one! Secondly use a pen with black or blue ink and not a pencil. Thirdly read carefully all the details and requirements before you start to write on the title.
Please take into consideration that Federal and State law requires the seller to state the mileage upon transfer of a vehicle ownership. Failure to complete or providing a false odometer statement may result in fines and/or imprisonment.
California Odometer Disclosure Statement Form
Below you can find the optional California federal fillable PDF form for your use.
If you decide to fill in the optional federal form you can find instructions below. This Federal Odometer Disclosure Statement form is composed of three sections. Below you’ll see how to complete this odometer statement form:
Section 1
In the first section the seller completes the odometer reading and the vehicle’s details. So first complete the full name of the seller. The seller’s name must be PRINTED. So use here only Capital Letters to write SELLER’S NAME. Then fill in the vehicle’s details starting with the current odometer mileage reading. Please use only digits without tenths. Only if the odometer reading is in excess of the mechanical limits of the odometer check the first corresponding box. And only if this odometer reading it’s not the actual mileage please check the second corresponding box.
Then complete the Make, Body style/type, Year, Model, and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Next fill in last plate State and number:
Section 2
In the second section fill in here first Seller’s or Transferor’s details. So complete here first the seller’s signature and name. Please write SELLER’S NAME using only Capital Letters. Lastly complete the seller’s address, city, state and ZIP code:
Section 3:
In the third section fill in first transferee’s or buyer’s details. So here first complete the buyer’s signature and name. Again please write BUYER’S NAME using only Capital Letters. Next complete here buyer’s address, city, state, and ZIP code. Finally complete the date of this certification:
In the State of California you may want or need to complete this California Odometer Disclosure Statement Form.
If you want to learn how to get an exact odometer reading you can find more details here: Reading the Odometer – How to read an Odometer.
Tip: to complete the California Odometer Disclosure Statement Form on your device (computer / phone / tablet) open this PDF form in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
You may complete this form by hand also. Don’t forget though to use a pen with blue or black ink and not a pencil!
Also it’s a good idea for your safety to complete the form above and to keep it as a record of the vehicle transaction together with of a copy of the assigned Certificate of title (front and back) for a period of five years. This separate form is useful also when you cannot record the odometer reading on the Certificate of Title.
How to complete the California Odometer Disclosure Statement
When you complete the Odometer Reading on the front of the vehicle’s Certificate of Title you need to fill in the following details.
First the current owner(s) of the vehicle fills in the date of this transfer and signs. Then the seller fills in the odometer reading in miles. Please use only digits without tenths. Only if it’s the case the seller can check the first box if the Odometer reading entered is NOT the actual mileage (Odometer Discrepancy). Or the seller can check the second box if the Odometer reading entered is in EXCESS of the odometer’s mechanical limits.
Next the Transferor / Seller fills in the current date of this statement, signs and completes his/her PRINTED NAME. This means to use only Capital Letters to write SELLER’S NAME. This also represents the certification of this odometer statement.
Finally the Transferee / Buyer completes the current date, signs and completes his/her PRINTED NAME. This also represents the acknowledgement of this odometer statement:
Odometer Fraud in California
When someone disconnects or resets the odometer with the intent to change the mileage reading is committing odometer fraud.
If you think you are a victim of odometer fraud please try to find a solution with the seller first. But if you cannot find a solution you can use this form to submit a report to California DMV – Investigations Division.
Find more about the California Department of Motor Vehicles
For more information visit the website of California Department of Motor Vehicles.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles registers vehicles and licenses their drivers. For instance there are approximately 33 million registered vehicles in California with 23 million licensed drivers.