2023 California Code › Vehicle Code - VEH › DIVISION 3 - REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES AND CERTIFICATES OF TITLE › CHAPTER 1 - Original and Renewal of Registration; Issuance of Certificates of Title › ARTICLE 5 - Renewal of Registration › Section 4604.

4604. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (d), prior to the expiration of the registration of a vehicle, if that registration is not to be renewed prior to its expiration, the owner of the vehicle shall file, under penalty of perjury, a certification that the vehicle will not be operated, moved, or left standing upon a highway without first making an application for registration of the vehicle, including full payment of all fees. The certification is valid until the vehicle’s registration is renewed pursuant to subdivision (c).
(b) Each certification filed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be accompanied by a filing fee of fifteen dollars ($15).
(c) (1) An application for renewal of registration, except when accompanied by an application for transfer of title to, or an interest in, the vehicle, shall be submitted to the department with payment of the required fees for the current registration year and without penalty for delinquent payment of fees imposed under this code or under Part 5 (commencing with Section 10701) of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code if the department receives the application prior to or on the date the vehicle is first operated, moved, or left standing upon a highway during the current registration year and the certification required pursuant to subdivision (a) was timely filed with the department.
(2) If an application for renewal of registration is accompanied by an application for transfer of title, that application may be made without incurring a penalty for delinquent payment of fees not later than 20 days after the date the vehicle is first operated, moved, or left standing on a highway if a certification pursuant to subdivision (a) was timely filed with the department.
(d) A certification is not required to be filed pursuant to subdivision (a) for one or more of the following:
(1) A vehicle on which the registration expires while being held as inventory by a dealer or lessor-retailer or while being held pending a lien sale by the keeper of a garage or operator of a towing service.
(2) A vehicle registered pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 8050) of Chapter 4 of Division 3.
(3) A vehicle described in Section 5004, 5004.5, or 5051, as provided in Section 4604.2. However, the registered owner may file a certificate of nonoperation in lieu of the certification specified in subdivision (a).
(4) A vehicle registered pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 9700) of Chapter 6 if the registered owner has complied with subdivision (c) of Section 9706.
(e) Notwithstanding Section 670, for purposes of this section, a “vehicle” is a device by which a person or property may be propelled, moved, or driven upon a highway having intact and assembled its major component parts including, but not limited to, the frame or chassis, cowl, and floor pan or, in the case of a trailer, the frame and wheels or, in the case of a motorcycle, the frame, front fork, and engine. For purposes of this section, “vehicle” does not include a device moved exclusively by human power, a device used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks, or a motorized wheelchair.
(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 574, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2007.)