Who has the time to renew their license the few days they move?

February 6, 2007 11:21 PM

I moved to California 18 days ago, and just noticed that the DMV website says I need to get a California license within 10 days. I haven't... will I be subject to fines or penalties when I go to get my CA license? How can they tell how long I've been here?

The DMV website says "You will need to register your vehicle within 20 days of becoming a resident to avoid penalties. You'll need to act even more quickly on your driver's license―you have only 10 days to swap your out-of-state license for a California one when you move here."

Has anyone taken longer than 10 days to renew their license in California? It's been a heck of a move and I just got furniture and Internet to search for the location of the DMV. That's my lame excuse. I can't imagine everyone is so diligent after a cross-country move that they immediately hop into the DMV to get a new license.

A side question: Are they going to take my good 'ol Ohio license when I get a California one?

Note of curiousity: How did people ever find the nearest DMV before the Internet?

posted by anonymous to law & government (18 comments total)

They can't. On top of that, you can get out of 99% of the problems you have with the DMV by being dumber than should be possible, yet still capable of tying your shoes. My sister did this perfectly... "Oh, there's fees? Oh, maaan, I didn't know there were going to be feeeeeeeess... I'm just working at starbucks right now while I wait to get into berkeley to study art, I don't know how I'm going to afford feeeees...." ... the look she got was priceless, and the DMV person ended up finding creative ways to ignore that she owed certain things just to get my sister out of her hair.

Yes, they'll take your Ohio license. Be prepared to not buy alcohol for a few weeks.
posted by SpecialK at 11:31 PM on February 6, 2007

There is no KGB komissar checking when people arrive in state. I wouldn't worry about it unless I got a traffic ticket or something, then I might go get it done just in case.
posted by rolypolyman at 11:43 PM on February 6, 2007

I can't imagine everyone is so diligent after a cross-country move that they immediately hop into the DMV to get a new license.

You're right. Its also law that you notify them within 10 days when you change your address but I have this one friend who didn't do so for years...

Note of curiousity: How did people ever find the nearest DMV before the Internet?

We used the phone book or called 411.
posted by vacapinta at 11:43 PM on February 6, 2007

i was in la for months before i switched over. the only thing you should do is make sure to switch your license and car registration at about the same time (if youre current ohio registration is good for say, another year, you might also get some kind of discount)
posted by phaedon at 11:48 PM on February 6, 2007

SpecialKs comment reminded me of this great video, do your best impersonation.
posted by scodger at 11:57 PM on February 6, 2007

I waited much (much!) longer to swap for my CA license.. It wasn't an issue for me. The DMV people mainly want to keep the line moving. They didn't even have a problem letting me register my car without a title (!!!)

They didn't take my license from my old state, but they did put a big hole punch through it.
posted by everybody polka at 12:05 AM on February 7, 2007

I waited much longer and didn't have problems. I know someone who has been here for about 10 years now and hasn't switched over (ok, maybe this is not recommended). Keep in mind though that if you have a car your insurance may require you to actually keep your car at the garaging address you tell them, and your OH insurance may not be interested in you having a garaging address in CA. Of course you don't have to tell them (maybe they don't care, I don't know anything about OH insurance), but I imagine this could cause problems if you have to make a claim and they notice.

Also, you'll have to take a written test to get your CA license, and you may actually want to study a bit for this. It's not hard, but there are a lot of facts on it that you probably don't have in your head right now.

They didn't even have a problem letting me register my car without a title (!!!)

I've been told that a lot of people who are still paying off their car loan have their titles held by the bank that gave them the loan.
posted by advil at 12:31 AM on February 7, 2007

You can avoid damage to your old license, I mean, get a new license if you've lost your old one, by bringing your US Passport, or some other forms of photo identification.
posted by bilabial at 5:43 AM on February 7, 2007

Also, you'll have to take a written test to get your CA license, and you may actually want to study a bit for this. It's not hard, but there are a lot of facts on it that you probably don't have in your head right now.

There is usually a question about what blood alcohol content is considered DUI - if nothing else memorize that number.

Also, if you moved to somewhere like San Francisco from somewhere that doesn't have a lot of hills, please take a moment to look at the section on how to curb your wheels while parking on a hill (both for the test and safety's sake).
posted by mikepop at 6:33 AM on February 7, 2007

Seconding memorizing the DUI penalty numbers before you go in for the test. Also, review the mulit-lane roundabout rules if you don't live somewhere where you deal with roundabouts.. those were on my test.

I've been told that a lot of people who are still paying off their car loan have their titles held by the bank that gave them the loan.

Good point.. I don't know how they handle that.. maybe in that case the car's owner is noted as the bank, rather than the person registering the car. I just know that when she asked for my title, I gave her a "deer in headlights" look, she said, 'You can't register your car without the title!' and then she proceeded to register it (with me as owner) anyhow. I got a note from the DMV that I needed to "contact them" and take care of the situation when I renewed my registration, though I haven't yet.. (gulp)
posted by everybody polka at 7:07 AM on February 7, 2007

Bit of a reverse case, fwiw...

I know this guy who grew up in Cali, has a license from there, with his parent's address (that they still live at) - but he hasn't lived there in over 10 years. Since you only have to renew a CA license every 5 years or so by simply sending in a check for the new one, that's what he did. He's lived in a couple different states on the East Coast (still does), and owned a car / paid insurance in both (although now he has no car and travels regularly for work).

He's never bothered to get a license in the states he now lives in, pays his taxes on time, and when he gets a speeding / parking ticket, pays it in a timely manner.

Now, when he drives its usually rental cars that are insured through work or the rental company, so YMMV, but the point is that no one ever really bothers to question it, and he has no motivation to go get a license in his home state after 10 years of not doing so.
posted by allkindsoftime at 7:57 AM on February 7, 2007

*his home state being that EC state he lives in now, not Cali, by way of clarification.
posted by allkindsoftime at 7:58 AM on February 7, 2007

I've been told that a lot of people who are still paying off their car loan have their titles held by the bank that gave them the loan.

Good point.. I don't know how they handle that..

When I moved from Washington State to Florida, the Florida DMV actually required that the titleholder (my credit union) send the original title to Florida before the car could be registered. Then once the registration was complete, they issued me my Florida license plate and sent the title back to the credit union. In the interim I was given a 30 day temporary registration that kept me legal while all that was being done.
posted by Lokheed at 8:11 AM on February 7, 2007

I third the memorizing of the DUI numbers. The test seems to vary by city in CA but I'd do some Googling of your new city and "DMV test" to see if there's any good info available. As mikepop said, in SF they are likely to quiz you on curbing your wheels. In Berkeley, I missed a question about carseat rules. (I have neither a child nor a car nor a carseat so it was annoying and I remember it very clearly.) There are also questions on how far you can park from the curb, from a fire hyrdant, etc.

That said, I'd recommend changing your license over sooner rather than later. If you get pulled over, the police are sometimes a little less suspicious and more forgiving of locals. It can also be a hassle when the address on your license doesn't match your real address and can be problematic when it comes time to vote or apply for credit.

Also, last time I was at Beverages & More, they only accepted CA licenses, period. Having an in-state license will also save you some time if you get carded at a bar... if that sort of thing applies.
posted by juliplease at 10:14 AM on February 7, 2007

Thirding the advice to just act stupid at the DMV and pretend you don't know anything about how to change your DL/registration/insurance/plates/smog test (did you know about the smog test? You're supposed to do it before you change your registration. But by acting dumb I managed to get the DMV to let me do it the other way round). The workers there want to get through the day with a minimum of hassle and they'll just walk you through it all if you act kinda slow. I moved from MI to CA and did manage to get my license w/in the 10 day limit, but I didn't get any accolades for that.

They will ask you when you moved to CA but they don't require any backup for this like a lease or anything, so just say you moved in "last week" and you'll avoid any fees.

They will not take your Ohio license, just punch a hole in it, and you'll get a paper CA license immediately which you can use to buy alcohol, drive, etc.

As far as finding the DMV before the Internets, the phone book? The public library? Talking to the neighbors?
posted by holyrood at 10:35 AM on February 7, 2007

If you get pulled over, they might give you a ticket for not having a a CA license, which happened to me at a border check about a year after I had moved back to CA. It's about as serious as expired registration. You are also expected to inform the DMV whenever you change addresses within CA. I've been hit with all of these offenses. They have always been fixable tickets, meaning you won't have to pay the fine if you correct the situation. So don't sweat it. Just get your license whenever you have the time, no serious harm will come of it.
posted by team lowkey at 1:32 PM on February 7, 2007

If you haven't already been caught they'll accept whatever date you claim, at the DMV. So if you're paranoid, either say honestly when you arrived (a date you'll also need when calculating your first California Income Taxes, for that partial year) or a day within two weeks of your first appearance at the DMV.

And remember, another one of California's blessings is the DMV accepts appointments. It's a mystery, now, why people are still in there spending all day waiting in line.
posted by Rash at 2:51 PM on February 7, 2007

If you go to a DMV like the one I went to in LA when I took my permit test, you don't need to study for anything beforehand because - even if you made an appointment - you'll still have to wait for two hours. So you can pick up a driver's manual and read it there.

On the other hand, if you go to a DMV in San Diego like the one where I took my second permit test, you won't have time to study at all and you'll miss some questions.

To address your actual question, nth claiming ignorance.
posted by crinklebat at 10:44 PM on February 7, 2007