ARTICLE 3. Applications for Original Registration and Title [18085. - 18093.5.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 3.

in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18085. Section 18085.

(a) Application for the original registration of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home required to be registered under this part shall be made to the department upon the appropriate forms approved by the department, and shall be accompanied by the filing fee prescribed by the department. If the application is for the original registration of a manufactured home, mobilehome, or commercial coach, or of a truck camper manufactured on or after January 1, 1986, the application shall include the original manufacturer’s certificate of origin in the form prescribed by Sections 18093 and 18093.5. If the original certificate of origin is not in existence, a duplicate thereof shall be obtained from the manufacturer and submitted with the application for original registration. Any duplicate copy shall be conspicuously marked by the manufacturer as a duplicate copy. (b) The application shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (1) The true name and mailing address of the registered owner, the legal owner, if any, and junior lienholders, if any. (2) The name of the county in which the registered owner resides. (3) The situs address of the manufactured home, mobilehome, or commercial coach, or the residence address of a truck camper owner, or floating home owner to include the county of residence. (4) A description of the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home, including all of the following: (A) The manufacturer’s name and identification number. (B) The date of manufacture. (C) The serial number or numbers. (D) The federal label number or numbers affixed pursuant to the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 5401 et seq.) or department insignia number or numbers affixed pursuant to Section 18026. (E) The date first sold or leased to a purchaser or lessee for purposes other than resale. (F) Any other information as may be reasonably required by the department to enable it to determine whether the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home is lawfully entitled to registration. (c) If the application is for a floating home or a truck camper for which no certificate of origin has been issued pursuant to Section 18093.5, other evidence of ownership may be accepted at the sole discretion of the department in lieu of the manufacturer’s certificate of origin.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18085.5. Section 18085.5.

The department shall not accept an application for the original registration of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home unless the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home at the time of application is within the state or unless the provisions of this part have been complied with.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18086. Section 18086.

The department may accept an application for registration of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper which is not within the state, but which is to be registered to a resident of this state, at the time all documents and fees, as determined by the department in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, are submitted to the department. Any fees submitted pursuant to this section shall not be subject to refund based upon the fact that the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper is not and has not been within this state.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18086.5. Section 18086.5.

(a) In the absence of the regularly required supporting evidence of ownership and upon application for registration or transfer of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home, the department may accept an undertaking or bond which shall be conditioned to protect the department and all officers and employees thereof and any subsequent purchaser of the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home, any person acquiring a lien or security interest thereon, or the successor in interest of that purchaser or that person against any loss or damage on account of any defect in or undisclosed claim upon the right, title, and interest of the applicant or other person in and to the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home. (b) Any interested person shall have a right of action to recover on any bond or undertaking for any breach of the conditions for which the bond was deposited, but the aggregate liability of the surety to all persons shall in no event exceed the amount of the bond. In the event the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home is no longer subject to registration in this state and the currently valid certificate of title is surrendered to the department, the bond or undertaking shall be returned and surrendered at the end of three years or, prior thereto, at the discretion of the department.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18087. Section 18087.

Upon application for registration of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper previously registered outside this state, the application shall be certified by the applicant and shall state that the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper previously has been registered outside this state, the time and place of the last registration of the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper outside this state, the name and address of the governmental officer, agency, or authority making the registration, and any further information relative to its previous registration as may reasonably be required by the department, including the time and place of original registration, if known, and if different from the last foreign registration.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18087.5. Section 18087.5.

(a) The applicant for registration under this part of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper previously registered outside this state shall surrender to the department all unexpired license plates, seals, certificates, or other evidence of foreign registration which are in the applicant’s possession or under the applicant’s control. The department may require a certification from the jurisdiction of last registry when the applicant fails to surrender the last issued unexpired license plates. (b) Upon application made at the time of their surrender to the department and upon payment of a fee of three dollars ($3), the department shall return the unexpired license plates to the official in charge of the registration of manufactured homes, mobilehomes, commercial coaches, or truck campers in the state of issue of the license plates.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18088. Section 18088.

(a) Upon application for registration of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper previously registered outside this state, the department shall grant full faith and credit to the currently valid certificate of title describing the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper, the ownership thereof, and any liens thereon, issued by the state in which the vehicle was last registered, except there shall be a notation upon the certificate of title of any and all liens and encumbrances other than those dependent upon possession. (b) In the absence of knowledge by the department that any certificate of title issued by another state is forged, fraudulent, or void, the acceptance thereof by the department shall be a sufficient determination of the genuineness and regularity of the certificate and of the truth of the recitals therein, and no liability shall be incurred by any officer or employee of the department by reason of so accepting a certificate of title.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18088.5. Section 18088.5.

If a certificate of title issued by another state shows any lien or encumbrance upon the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper therein described, the department, upon registering the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper in this state and upon issuing a certificate of title, shall include therein the name of the legal owner and lienholders, if any, unless documents submitted with the foreign certificates of title establish that the lien or encumbrance has been fully satisfied.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18089. Section 18089.

In the event application is made in this state for registration of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home and the department is not satisfied as to the ownership of the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home or the existence of foreign liens thereon, then the department may register the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home and issue a registration card with distinctive markings, but shall withhold issuance of a California certificate of title, unless the applicant presents documents sufficient to reasonably satisfy the department of the applicant’s ownership of the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home and the absence of any liens thereon or posts a bond pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 18086.5.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18089.5. Section 18089.5.

In the event the department refuses to grant an application for registration in this state of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home previously registered in another state, the department shall immediately return to the applicant all documents submitted by the applicant with the application.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18090. Section 18090.

The department shall forthwith mail a notice of the filing of any application for registration of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper previously registered outside this state upon written request of the governmental officer, agency, or authority which made the last registration of the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper outside this state. The notice shall contain the same data as required on the application filed with the department. This section shall not apply to manufactured homes, mobilehomes, commercial coaches, or truck campers last registered in a foreign province or country.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18090.5. Section 18090.5.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 18089, the department, upon the original registration of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home, shall establish a permanent title record for the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home and shall issue a certificate of title to the legal owner and a registration card to the registered owner. (b) The department shall designate on the permanent title record as the legal owner the holder, if any, of the perfected security interest in the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home. If there is more than one perfected security interest, the holder of the security interest designated in the application for the original registration as the legal owner shall be the legal owner. (c) The department shall designate on the permanent title record as junior lienholders those holders, if any, of perfected security interests in the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home other than the legal owner. If there is more than one junior lienholder, they shall be listed on the permanent title record in the same order as is designated in the application for the original registration. A copy of the registration card shall be sent to each junior lienholder and the creditor identified on the manufacturer’s certificate of origin. (d) If an application for registration specifies more than one secured creditor and the department is unable to determine from the application which creditor is to be the legal owner, or the seniority order in which junior lienholders are to be designated, the department shall so notify the applicant for registration and all secured creditors and shall withhold registration or transfer of registration until the department receives the designation. (e) The certificate of title and the registration card issued pursuant to this section shall show the name and address of all registered owners, the legal owner, if any, and all junior lienholders, if any, with the junior lienholders listed in the same order as designated on the permanent title record.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18090.6. Section 18090.6.

The department may, in lieu of delivery by first-class mail, electronically transmit or receive, or both, a certificate of title pursuant to this part when the department determines that the electronic transmittal or receipt of a certificate of title is economically and technologically feasible and the appropriate state control agencies approve this determination. In making the determination that it is technologically feasible to electronically transmit and receive a certificate of title, the department shall ensure that the system for electronic transmittal and receipt is reasonably safe and secure against fraud and intrusion by unauthorized persons.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18090.7. Section 18090.7.

(a) In order to continue improving the quality of products and services to its customers in the registration and titling of personal property within its authority, the department, pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 19130) of Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Division 5 of Title 2 of the Government Code, may establish electronic programs to facilitate improved business practices between the department and qualified private industry partners. The programs may include, but are not limited to, programs for the electronic processing of ownership and title documents for manufactured homes, mobilehomes, commercial coaches, truck campers, and floating homes, and the payment of related fees. (b) The director may establish, by regulation, the maximum amount of a fee that a qualified private industry partner may charge its customers to provide the services authorized under subdivision (a). (c) The department may establish, by regulation, a transaction fee that it may charge a qualified private industry partner to pay the costs for the information and services that the department provides to the partner in support of the processing and payment programs authorized under subdivision (a). The transaction fee may not exceed the amount necessary to cover the costs incurred by the department in carrying out this section and Section 18090.6. The transaction fee may be passed to the customer by the private industry partner, but in no event shall the total charge to a customer exceed the amount established by the director under subdivision (b). (d) As used in this section, “qualified private industry partner” includes the following entities engaged in the business, or an associated business, of the purchase, sale, or transfer of manufactured homes, mobilehomes, commercial coaches, truck campers, or floating homes: financial institutions, electronic data processing vendors, information technology contractors, and escrow and title companies.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18091. Section 18091.

The certificate of title issued by the department shall contain, but not be limited to, all of the following: (a) Information substantially similar to that required on the registration application as provided in Section 18085. (b) Provision for transfer of the title or interest of a registered owner, legal owner, or junior lienholder, as applicable. (c) Provision for application for transfer of registration by the transferee. (d) A statement to the effect that the certificate of title may not reflect all liens filed with the department against the title and that current title status may be confirmed through the department.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18091.5. Section 18091.5.

The registration card for a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home shall contain all of the following: (a) The date issued. (b) The information required by Section 18085 in the application for registration. (c) The registration number assigned to the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home. (d) The date of expiration, where applicable. (e) Any other information as the department prescribes by regulation. The department may modify the form, arrangement, and information appearing on the registration card and may provide for standardization and abbreviations whenever the efficiency of the department will be promoted thereby, except that general delivery or post office boxes shall not be permitted as the address of the registered owner unless there is no other address.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18092. Section 18092.

(a) Every manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home subject to registration shall be issued a registration decal. The design of the decal shall be determined by the director and the decal shall be issued by the department. The decal shall be at least 2 1 2 inches high and 2 1 2 inches wide. (b) The decals shall be applied to the outside of the mobilehome or commercial coach in a location within 15 inches of the lower front right-hand side which is clearly visible and these decals shall be maintained in a condition so as to be clearly legible. The decals shall be applied to the lower rear left-hand side of the truck camper. For a floating home, the decal shall be applied in an area six inches from the main entry door on the side opposite the hinged side of the door at a point not less than two feet from either the top or bottom of the door and on the outside surface. (c) The director, after consultation with county assessors, shall prescribe a registration decal for manufactured homes and mobilehomes subject to registration which clearly indicates, by color or otherwise, whether or not the manufactured home or mobilehome is subject to annual registration with the department or is subject to local property taxation.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18092.5. Section 18092.5.

The department may refuse registration or the renewal or transfer of registration of a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home in the following instances: (a) If the department is not satisfied that the applicant is entitled thereto under this part. (b) If the applicant has failed to furnish the department with information required in the application or reasonable additional information required by the department.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18092.7. Section 18092.7.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b) and Section 18116.1, the department shall withhold the registration or transfer of registration of any manufactured home, mobilehome, or floating home which is subject to local property taxation, other than a new manufactured home, mobilehome, or floating home for which application is being made for an original registration, until the applicant presents a tax clearance certificate or a conditional tax clearance certificate issued pursuant to Section 2189.8 or 5832 of the Revenue and Taxation Code by the tax collector of the county where the manufactured home, mobilehome, or floating home is located. Any conditional tax clearance certificate presented shall indicate that the tax liability has been satisfied pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (m) of Section 18035. (b) In lieu of the tax clearance certificate or conditional tax clearance certificate required by subdivision (a), the department may accept a certification signed by the escrow officer under penalty of perjury that the tax collector of the county where the manufactured home is located has failed to respond to the written demand for a conditional tax clearance certificate as prescribed by subdivision (m) of Section 18035.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18093. Section 18093.

(a) At the time of release of a new manufactured home, mobilehome, or commercial coach to any person, the manufacturer shall prepare a certificate of origin, in quadruplicate, on numbered forms prepared by the department which shall contain all of the following: (1) The name and address of the manufacturer or fabricator. (2) The manufacturer’s identification number. (3) The trade name of the manufactured home, mobilehome, or commercial coach. (4) The model name or number of the manufactured home, mobilehome, or commercial coach. (5) The shipping weight of the unit or separate sections of the unit in the case of multisection manufactured homes, mobilehomes, or commercial coaches. (6) The length and width of the unit or separate sections of the unit in the case of multisection manufactured homes, mobilehomes, or commercial coaches. (7) The serial number of the unit or separate sections of the unit in the case of multisection manufactured homes, mobilehomes, or commercial coaches. (8) The date of manufacture. (9) The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development label number or department insignia number affixed to the unit or separate sections of the unit in the case of multisection manufactured homes, mobilehomes, or commercial coaches, as applicable. (10) The date that the ownership was transferred from the manufacturer or fabricator and to whom the ownership is transferred. (11) A certification of facts signed by a responsible agent of the manufacturer or fabricator. (12) The name and business address of any person known to the manufacturer or fabricator who, as to the purchaser, has a purchase money security interest in the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, or truck camper as contemplated by Section 9103 of the Commercial Code. (13) Any other information as the department may reasonably require. (b) The manufacturer or fabricator shall forward the original and duplicate copies of the certificate of origin by first-class mail as follows: (1) The original shall be forwarded to the purchase money creditor unless there is none in which event the original shall be forwarded to the purchaser. (2) The first copy shall be forwarded to the department at the address printed on the form. (3) The second copy shall accompany the manufactured home, mobilehome, or commercial coach to its destination. (4) The third copy shall be retained by the manufacturer or fabricator for its permanent records. (c) The department may establish regulations for the distribution, maintenance, accessibility, and surrender of certificates of origin required by this section.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18093.5. Section 18093.5.

The manufacturer of a truck camper, the owner or purchaser of which chooses to register it pursuant to Section 18075.7, shall prepare a certificate of origin containing all of the information required by Section 18093 and provide the purchaser with an original copy.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026