The Report of Sale — REG 51 — is the document that notifies DMV of a vehicle sale. As we discussed in Section 1 under AB 516, this must be filed electronically. Every vehicle sale requires a Report of Sale, whether it’s a retail sale to a consumer or a wholesale sale to another dealer.
The ROS must be filed promptly. DMV sets specific timeframes for when the Report of Sale must be submitted after the transaction. Failure to file on time can result in penalties and is grounds for enforcement action. The electronic filing system makes timely submission easier than the old paper process, but you still need to have a system in place to ensure every sale is reported.
The information on the ROS must be accurate. The VIN, the selling price, the buyer’s information, the odometer reading, the date of sale — all of it must match the actual transaction. If there’s an error on the ROS after it’s been submitted, there’s a correction process — which we’ll cover in Section 10 — but it’s always better to get it right the first time.
Keep copies of all Reports of Sale in your deal jackets. Even though the filing is electronic, maintain a record in your files for each transaction. This is part of your record-keeping obligation and will be reviewed during DMV audits.