Do I need a trip permit or a fuel permit for California?

Usually both, and they are separate purchases. The trip permit stands in for apportioned (IRP) registration and the fuel permit stands in for the IFTA license. If your cab card lists California and your IFTA decals are current, you need neither; the tables on this page carry each permit's terms with the official source.

When does buying temporary permits stop making sense?

Temporary permits price a single trip. A carrier running California lanes on a regular schedule comes out ahead adding the state to its IRP cab card and holding an IFTA license, because permit fees repeat on every trip while the annual credentials do not.

Can I buy these permits after entering the state?

No. Each credential on this page must be in place before the vehicle operates on California highways, and enforcement happens at roadside inspections and weigh stations. Buying from the state's own channel before the trip is the cheapest clean path.

Are permit-service prices the state fee?

No. Wire services and permit companies resell state permits with a service markup. The fees on this page are what California itself charges on its primary pages; anything above that is the middleman's fee, not the state's.

California Trip and Fuel Permits: Cost, How to Buy

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 22, 2026

California sells two separate temporary credentials to carriers that are not set up with IRP or IFTA: a nonresident commercial vehicle trip permit from DMV that stands in for apportioned registration, and a California Fuel Trip Permit from CDTFA that stands in for the IFTA license. Both run in four-day windows and both must be in place before the truck touches a California highway.

The trip permit (registration side)

This credential answers for registration. Without it, a vehicle whose cab card does not list California has no legal registration standing in the state.

Permit: Nonresident Commercial Vehicle Trip Permit (REG 41)
Stands in for: IRP apportioned registration (California member jurisdiction)
Fee: $45
Valid for: Up to 4 consecutive days per permit (CVC 4004)
Who needs it: A commercial vehicle entering California without California registration and without California listed on its IRP cab card. The permit must be completed before the vehicle operates on any California highway and carried in the vehicle, readily available for inspection.
Where to buy: California DMV (REG 41 permit, per the DMV permit fee schedule)
Statute: California Vehicle Code section 4004

The fuel permit (tax side)

This credential answers for the state's highway or fuel tax when there is no IFTA license (or, in the weight-distance states, no tax account) behind the truck.

Permit: California Fuel Trip Permit (CFTP)
Stands in for: IFTA license (or Interstate User Diesel Fuel Tax license)
Fee: $30
Valid for: Issued for specific dates, up to 4 consecutive days; not valid before or after the dates specified
Who needs it: Out-of-state carriers entering California without IFTA credentials, and California carriers re-entering after out-of-state travel without fuel tax licensing.
Where to buy: CDTFA online services portal; CDTFA offices, including the Motor Carrier Office; Most California DMV locations
Caught without one: Entering California without a CFTP or IFTA credentials draws a penalty of 100 to 500 dollars, or 500 dollars or 25 percent of the tax due (whichever is more) when fuel tax is owed; the vehicle can be seized until taxes, penalties, interest, and storage costs are paid.
Statute: The CDTFA fuel trip permit page states the fee and terms without citing a code section; the fee is listed here exactly as CDTFA publishes it.

Worth knowing

Permit-service companies resell both permits with markups. The fees listed here are the state's own charges on the primary DMV and CDTFA pages; anything above them is a service fee, not a state fee.

Where these fit in the California permit stack

Temporary permits are the exception path. The standing credentials they replace are IRP apportioned registration and the California IFTA license. Oversize loads use a different permit family entirely, covered in California oversize and overweight permits, and the full picture of every state permit lives in California trucking permits.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a trip permit or a fuel permit for California?: Usually both, and they are separate purchases. The trip permit stands in for apportioned (IRP) registration and the fuel permit stands in for the IFTA license. If your cab card lists California and your IFTA decals are current, you need neither; the tables on this page carry each permit's terms with the official source.
When does buying temporary permits stop making sense?: Temporary permits price a single trip. A carrier running California lanes on a regular schedule comes out ahead adding the state to its IRP cab card and holding an IFTA license, because permit fees repeat on every trip while the annual credentials do not.
Can I buy these permits after entering the state?: No. Each credential on this page must be in place before the vehicle operates on California highways, and enforcement happens at roadside inspections and weigh stations. Buying from the state's own channel before the trip is the cheapest clean path.
Are permit-service prices the state fee?: No. Wire services and permit companies resell state permits with a service markup. The fees on this page are what California itself charges on its primary pages; anything above that is the middleman's fee, not the state's.

Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.