Reviewed and updated October 12, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every fact on this page was read from the California DMV's own pages that day, and the DMV page each fact came from is linked where it appears.
How a Californian takes a vehicle off the road without paying registration: planned nonoperation, the 60-day and 90-day filing windows, the $28 fee, the penalties when the window is missed, the one-day moving permit, the vehicles that cannot use it, and the affidavit of non-use that lets a currently registered vehicle drop its insurance without a registration suspension. Renewal itself is on the registration renewal guide, the suspension for a lapse in insurance on the insurance guide.
In this guide: What planned nonoperation means, The filing windows and the fee, No grace period: the penalties, Driving a PNO vehicle again, Vehicles exempt from the status, and vehicles that cannot use it, The affidavit of non-use: insurance off while the registration is current, Questions about planned nonoperation in California
What planned nonoperation means
Planned nonoperation (PNO) means the vehicle will not be driven, towed, stored or parked on public roads or highways for the entire registration year, per the DMV's planned nonoperation page. The renewal notice has a box for it; without a notice, a Certificate of Non-Operation/Planned Non-Operation Certification (REG 102) is mailed with a check, and the filing can also be made online with the plate number and the last five digits of the VIN, after confirming the address on the notice is current (an address change must finish processing before the filing). Once on the record, the status stays until the owner wants to register the vehicle; the registration expiration date remains the same and no response is required in later years. If the vehicle is operated or parked where it may be cited at any time, the DMV says full registration fees and penalties for that year become due.
The filing windows and the fee
The DMV accepts registration fees or a PNO filing up to 60 days before the registration expires, and accepts a PNO up to 90 days after the expiration date as long as the vehicle has not been driven, towed, stored or parked on a public road, but with penalties. An off-highway vehicle must file before its expiration date or the option is forfeited and registration fees with penalties are due. The DMV's registration fee schedule lists the PNO fee at $28 for all vehicles including OHVs, paid with the filing; the renewal notice shows the amount based on the filing date. When a vehicle with special interest plates goes on PNO, the owner must pay the annual retention fee to keep priority to the plate, or the configuration may go to someone else, a rule the license plates guide covers.
No grace period: the penalties
California has no grace period, in the DMV's capitals. An owner who lacks a document such as a smog certification or proof of insurance should pay the fees on or before the expiration date; the DMV issues a receipt showing what is still needed, which does not authorize driving but avoids penalties. A renewal fee or PNO fee paid after the expiration date carries penalties in addition to the regular fee, and a late PNO is penalized on the full registration renewal amount. The DMV's penalties page sets them as a percentage of the vehicle license fee and weight fee plus flat late fees:
| Paid late by | Share of the vehicle license fee and weight fee added | Registration late fee | CHP late fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 10 days | 10 percent | $10 | $10 |
| 11 to 30 days | 20 percent | $15 | $15 |
| 31 days to one year | 60 percent | $30 on the penalties page | $30 on the penalties page, $34 on the fee schedule |
| More than one year, up to two | 80 percent | $50 on the penalties page | $50 on the penalties page, $56 on the fee schedule |
| More than two years | 160 percent | $100 | $100 |
The DMV's registration fees page gives the CHP late fees for 31 days to one year and for one to two years as $34 and $56 and its penalties page as $30 and $50; both DMV figures are given. A vehicle never registered in California that is registered late is penalized 40 percent of the license and weight fees in the first year, 80 percent up to two years and 160 percent beyond. The full fee schedule is on the California DMV fees page. The DMV also says that an owner who does not receive a billing notice about 60 days before the expiration date should contact customer service or use its fee calculator to find out the fees.
Driving a PNO vehicle again
For regular use, the full registration renewal fees, including full or prorated weight fees for a commercial vehicle, must be paid before the vehicle is operated, or penalties may be assessed; renewal online or by mail is on the renewal guide. For one day, a Vehicle Moving Permit (REG 172) from a DMV office, with no renewal fees, allows moving the vehicle from its storage place to a new one, to repairs or alteration, to a vehicle or smog inspection, to be weighed, to be completed if it is under construction, or to its permanent wrecking or dismantling. A vehicle coming off PNO that fails its biennial smog inspection can get a 60-day temporary operating permit, which the replacement and permits guide describes. When a vehicle on PNO is sold, the buyer becomes responsible for past due fees and penalties on transfer unless the registration is current or the PNO is on file, in which case the fees must be paid before the vehicle is operated.
Vehicles exempt from the status, and vehicles that cannot use it
The DMV lists the vehicles exempt from reporting operational status: historical vehicles, horseless carriages and special interest vehicles that are part of a collection and not operated, under Vehicle Code sections 5004, 5004.5 and 5051; mopeds; vehicles whose registration expires in dealer, lessor or retailer inventory; vehicles held for lien sale by an authorized towing company or parking facility; vehicles in an apportioned or permanent fleet; special equipment under Vehicle Code sections 245, 565, 570 and 575; unrecovered stolen vehicles; and title-only vehicles located and registered in another state. The vehicles that cannot be placed on PNO: park trailers, trailer coaches, vessels, special equipment, and mopeds and motorized bicycles. The DMV cites Revenue and Taxation Code sections 10855 and 10856 and Vehicle Code sections 4452, 4604, 4604.5, 5105, 5106, 9269, 9553, 9554, 9706, 9710, 9862, 38121 and 38246 as its authority.
The affidavit of non-use: insurance off while the registration is current
A vehicle that is currently registered but will not be used must either keep its insurance or be reported to the DMV on an Affidavit of Non-Use (REG 5090), per the DMV's affidavit of non-use page, which otherwise suspends the registration when the insurer reports the cancellation. The affidavit says the vehicle is not operated or parked on any California roadway and its liability coverage has been cancelled; it is added or removed online with the plate number, the last five digits of the VIN and, optionally, the policy number, and the DMV says to check the vehicle information before submitting because three business days must pass before an affidavit can be removed. On receipt the DMV cancels the registration; the vehicle cannot be driven or parked on a California street until the DMV receives proof of insurance, and no reinstatement fee is due when the registration was cancelled this way. Vehicles with a PNO or an affidavit on record are not subject to suspension, and no temporary operating permit or driving test vehicle is allowed on a suspended registration. When the registration comes due, an owner who keeps the vehicle off the road files PNO, since the affidavit does not carry past renewal. The rest of the insurance rules, the 30 and 45 day deadlines and the $14 reinstatement after a suspension, are on the insurance guide.
Questions about planned nonoperation in California
What does a PNO filing cost?
$28 for all vehicles including off-highway vehicles, on the DMV's registration fee schedule, plus late penalties if it is filed after the registration expiration date.
When can I file?
From 60 days before the registration expires to 90 days after it, per the DMV, as long as the vehicle was not driven, towed, stored or parked on a public road; after the expiration date penalties are added, and an off-highway vehicle must file before the expiration date or lose the option.
Does PNO expire?
No. The DMV says the status stays on the record until the owner wants to register the vehicle, the expiration date stays the same, and no yearly response is needed.
Can I move a PNO vehicle?
Only with a free one-day Vehicle Moving Permit (REG 172) from a DMV office, for a move between storage places, repairs, inspection, smog inspection, weighing, construction or dismantling; any other use requires paying the full renewal fees first.
What is the difference between PNO and the affidavit of non-use?
PNO is filed at renewal time for a vehicle that will not be used that year, instead of paying registration. The affidavit of non-use tells the DMV that a currently registered vehicle is off the road and its insurance is cancelled, so the registration is not suspended; the DMV says a vehicle on the affidavit must file PNO when the registration comes due if it stays off the road.
Which vehicles cannot go on PNO?
Park trailers, trailer coaches, vessels, special equipment, and mopeds or motorized bicycles, per the DMV.
Written by SearchSystems.net from the California DMV's planned nonoperation, affidavit of non-use, penalties, registration fees and registration renewal pages, read on October 12, 2026. Where two DMV pages give different CHP late fees, both are stated.