Do you have questions about general driving related requirements like registration and insurance? Are you unclear about laws and restrictions related to driving? The California Department of Motor Vehicles has answers. “Save Time by Going Online” at www.dmv.ca.gov.            

Q: What fees are included in my registration payment?

A: Your annual vehicle registration renewal notice itemizes the various fees that apply to your vehicle.

The following is a list of the fees that may be included in your payment:

•registration fee

•vehicle license fee (This is the fee that may be an income tax deduction.)

•weight fee

•smog abatement fee (This fee is charged to vehicles exempt from biennial smog inspections.)

•special interest/environmental plate fees

•county/district fees

•motorcycle safety fee (charged to motorcycles only)

•owner responsibility fee

Q: When choosing a configuration for a personalized plate online, the site asked me to explain the license plate’s meaning. Why is this?

A: The department has the right to refuse any combination of letters and numbers that may carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency, or which would be misleading or in conflict with any license plate series now issued. Substituting numbers for letters or vice versa may be confused with an existing plate and is not permitted.

For more information, visit www.dmv.ca.gov, click on More Online Services followed by the tab Order Special Interest and Personalized Plates.

Q: Am I required to report my vehicle’s odometer reading to the DMV?

A: While odometer mileage readings are encouraged for all motor vehicles, there are cases when they are mandatory and cases when they are not.

Reporting the odometer mileage reading is mandatory if you initially register a motor vehicle or transfer ownership and the vehicle is less than 10 years old.

Reporting the odometer mileage reading is encouraged, but not mandatory if:

•the vehicle is 10 years old or older

•the vehicle is a commercial vehicle with unladen weight of more than 8,500 pounds (more than 16,000 pounds gross vehicle weight)

•the vehicle is sold directly by a manufacturer to any agency of the United States     

•the vehicle is a new vehicle transferred prior to its first retail sale by a dealer

To report your odometer reading to the DMV, enter the mileage on the Certificate of Title in the section designated for the disclosure of odometer reading. If the title is held by a lien holder, you must use the Vehicle/Vessel Transfer Form REG 262 to report the odometer mileage reading.

Q: My niece told me about a Spanish DMV website. What can you tell me about it?

A: Spanish is one of the most widely used languages in California. Because of this, the California DMV has created www.es .dmv.ca.gov, a site containing the same useful information as its English counterpart. You can also reach this site by visiting www.dmv.ca.gov and clicking on DMV en Español on the top righthand corner of the home page.

Q: I’d like to catch up on everything there is to know about boating in time for the upcoming boating season. Does the DMV have any information for me?

A: The DMV has an entire page on its website dedicated to general DMV-related boating information, such as instructions on how to register your boat, pay property taxes for your boat and even a link to the ABCs of the California boating law. Scroll down on the page and you’ll find even more links for boat publications, boating agencies, useful forms and boat lien sales.

To visit the DMV’s boating information page, go to www.dmv.ca.gov and click on the Vehicle Registration tab followed by the Boats tab.

Q: My mobile home is due for a registration renewal. Can I do this online and avoid the drive to and wait at a DMV field office?

A: Yes, you can renew your mobile-home registration online, but first you must have:

•already reported any change of your mailing address or the location address of the mobile home or commercial modular to the department.

•a Visa or MasterCard.

•the decal number for your mobile home or commercial modular.

To register your mobile home online, visit www.dmv.ca.gov, click on the Online Services tab and then click on mobile home renewal registration.