Every licensed car dealer in California is in a free public database, and it takes about two minutes to check one. Go to the DMV's Occupational License Lookup, pick "Vehicle Dealer," type the license number or the business name, and read the record: the legal name, the address, whether the license is Active, when it expires, and whether the DMV has ever suspended it.
If a buyer who wants to come to your house cannot give you a license number to type into that box, you have your answer before anyone rings the bell.
I am going to walk through the lookup using my own license, because I would rather you check me than take my word for it. Here is what the search shows, what each line on the record means, and what a license does and does not tell you.
Quick answer:
- Ask for the DMV occupational license number before the appointment. A real dealer has one and will text it to you without hesitating.
- Search it at the DMV's Occupational License Lookup under the "Vehicle Dealer" category. Business name, city, ZIP, or license number all work.
- Confirm four things: status is Active, the legal business name and address match what you were told, the expiration date is in the future, and the Administrative Actions section is empty.
- The name on the record may not be the brand name. Mine reads National Fleet Wholesale Inc, not CurbSold. That is normal. What matters is that the dealer told you that name up front.
- A license is not a guarantee of payment. It tells you the state knows who this is and holds a bond on them. Verify the payment method separately, and file your own Release of Liability within 5 calendar days.
- Acting as a dealer without a license is illegal under Veh. Code § 11700. The person selling their own car is not a dealer; the person buying yours to resell it is.
Why does it matter whether a car buyer is licensed?
Because the law draws the line exactly where your risk is.
Vehicle Code § 11700 says no person shall act as a dealer without first being issued a license by the DMV. A "dealer," under § 285, is anyone in the business of buying or taking in vehicles for the purpose of resale. Someone selling the car they drove to work for six years is not a dealer under § 286. Someone who shows up at your house to buy your car so they can sell it next week is, and if they are not licensed they are breaking the law before they shake your hand.
The license comes with things you cannot see from the driveway. The DMV fingerprints the owners, tests them, inspects the business location, and requires a surety bond on file. The DMV's dealer license page lists the whole packet. A licensed dealer holding a car for resale is not required to apply for a transfer of registration into its own name while it holds the car (Vehicle Code § 5906), which is part of why a dealer sale closes in one visit instead of waiting on a second DMV trip.
The practical version: a licensed buyer has a name, an address, a bond, and a regulator. An unlicensed one has a phone number.
How do you look up a California dealer license?
Six steps, no account needed.
- Get the license number from the buyer. Ask by text so you have it in writing. If they only give you a business name, that works too, but the number is faster and removes any confusion between similarly named companies.
- Open the DMV's Occupational License Lookup. The information page is at dmv.ca.gov; the search itself runs at drive.dmvonline.ca.gov/s/oll. The DMV describes it as "an online lookup tool used to verify the DMV license status of businesses," and it covers 13 categories including Vehicle Dealer, Dismantler, and Registration Services.
- Choose "Vehicle Dealer" as the Business Category. The search fields do not appear until you pick a category. If the buyer told you they are a dismantler, check that category instead.
- Enter the license number (or the business name, city, or ZIP) and click Search.
- Open the record. Click the business name to expand it. You will see the owner, the contact name, the issue and expiration dates, whether it is a wholesale-only location, the bond on file, and any administrative actions.
- Match the record to the person in front of you. Same legal name on the paperwork they will hand you, same address, and a status of Active.
I buy cars from your driveway.
I’m Joe Yavetz, a licensed California dealer. I come to your house, look at the car, write you a check the same day, and handle the DMV paperwork. The number I give you is the number you get. No fine print. Check me first. National Fleet Wholesale Inc, Dealer #52932. Then call, and I come to you.
★ 5.0 · 44 Google reviewsSan Fernando Valley, Ventura County & West L.A.
What does the DMV record show, and how do you read it?
The record has more on it than most sellers expect, and two lines regularly cause false alarms.
| Line on the record | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Business Name | The legal entity that holds the license. It is often not the brand you called. Ask the dealer for both names before you search. |
| License Number | The number to put on your bill of sale. |
| Address | The licensed place of business. Should match the dealer's paperwork, even if the sale happens in your driveway. |
| Phone Number | The business line the DMV has on file. It can be different from the number the dealer advertises to customers. |
| License Status | You want Active. Expired, Suspended, Revoked, or Cancelled ends the conversation. |
| License Issued / Expiration Date | How long they have been licensed and whether the license is current. |
| Wholesale Vehicle Only Location | "True" means this dealer sells only to other licensed dealers, not to the public. It says nothing about who they can buy from. See the next section. |
| Bond Information | The surety bond the DMV requires. It is there to protect the public if a dealer does not perform. |
| Administrative Actions | Suspensions, probations, and revocations. Empty is what you want. |
The two false alarms are the name and the wholesale line. A brand name that is not on the record is normal when the business operates under a service name. A wholesale-only flag is normal for a dealer with no retail lot. Both are fine when the dealer volunteered them; both are a problem when you had to discover them.
What does CurbSold's own DMV record show? Dealer #52932
CurbSold is a service of National Fleet Wholesale Inc, California Vehicle Dealer license #52932. Search that number under Vehicle Dealer and this is what the DMV returned on September 4, 2026:
- Business Name: NATIONAL FLEET WHOLESALE INC
- License Number: 52932
- Address: 22311 Ventura Blvd Ste 122, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
- License Status: Active
- License Issued Date: 2001-05-15
- License Expiration Date: 2027-05-31
- Contact: Shabtay Yavetz (the owner's legal name)
- Wholesale Vehicle Only Location: true
- Bond Information: two bonds on file, the current one effective 2025-03-30
- Administrative Actions: none listed
A few lines deserve a sentence each, because they are the lines a careful seller will ask about.
The name. CurbSold is the service. National Fleet Wholesale Inc is the licensed dealer that buys your car, and it is the name that will appear on the paperwork you sign. Both names are on the bottom of every page of this website for that reason.
The phone number. The DMV record lists the dealership office line, (818) 883-5100. The number I answer for sellers is (818) 325-7535. Both are mine. If a buyer's advertised number and DMV number differ, ask them why; the honest answer is usually "one is the office, one is my cell."
Wholesale only. The DMV defines a wholesale dealer as one "exclusively involved in the sales of vehicles between licensed dealers" (Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual § 2.120). The restriction is on who I sell to, not who I buy from. I buy your car at your house and sell it to other dealers and at dealer auctions. It is why there is no showroom at the Ventura Boulevard address, and why the DMV's dealer guide (OL 40) says a wholesale dealer needs an office but not a display area or sign. It is also why I can pay what I pay: no lot, no reconditioning department, no sales floor between your driveway and the next buyer.
How long. Licensed since May 2001, which is 25 years under the same license number. The DMV does not renew a license that has stopped meeting the requirements, and the Administrative Actions section is where you would see if it ever had.
What does a dealer license not tell you?
It tells you the state knows who this is. It does not tell you whether you will like doing business with them.
It does not verify the offer. A licensed dealer can still quote you a number from a form and change it in your driveway. Ask, before the visit, whether the offer they give in person is the offer you get paid. With me, the price I quote is the price you get, and I run the valuation in front of you so you can see how I got there.
It does not verify payment. Ask how you will be paid and when. I pay cash or a same-day check in your driveway, same visit, before I take the keys. Whatever the answer is from any buyer, do not release the car or the signed title until the payment is in your hand.
It does not verify reputation. Read the reviews, and read the ones that mention paperwork and payment, not just friendliness. CurbSold's are on Google: 5.0 stars across 44 reviews as of September 4, 2026.
It does not file your paperwork for you. Even when a licensed dealer handles the title transfer, the seller's Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability is yours to file within 5 calendar days under Veh. Code § 5900. I walk the seller through it before I leave, and I still tell every seller to save the confirmation. The rest of the after-sale list is in what to do after selling your car in California.
What are the red flags that should stop the sale?
Any one of these is enough.
- They will not give you a license number, or they say they "work with a dealer" but cannot name it.
- The DMV record does not show Active, or the expiration date has passed.
- The name they want on the title is a person, not the licensed business, while they are telling you it is a dealer transaction.
- They ask you to sign a blank title or leave the buyer section empty "so we can fill it in later."
- They want the car before the payment clears, or they offer a personal check, a payment app, or "the shipper will bring the check."
- They tell you not to bother with the Release of Liability because they will take care of the DMV.
- The record shows a suspension or revocation and they did not mention it.
The pattern in every one of those is the same: something that should be verifiable is being replaced with a reassurance.
What should you ask a buyer before they come to your house?
Send this by text before you confirm the appointment:
"Please send me your California dealer license number, the exact legal business name on the license, and the name of the person who will be inspecting the car. I will check it in the DMV lookup before you come out."
A licensed dealer will send all three in one message. Mine are National Fleet Wholesale Inc, Dealer #52932, and Joe Yavetz. Run the search, read the record, and then decide who to invite to your driveway.
If you are selling a car in the San Fernando Valley, Ventura County, or West L.A., call or text me at (818) 325-7535. I come to you, inspect the car, give you a firm offer guaranteed to match or beat any CarMax offer, handle the paperwork in front of you, and pay cash or a same-day check the same visit. And if you would rather check me first, now you know exactly how. If you want the mechanics of a dealer purchase without a trade-in, selling to a dealer without buying a car covers it, and why I started CurbSold is the longer version of who is at your door.
This is part of the How to Sell a Car in California series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CurbSold a licensed car dealer in California?
Yes. CurbSold is a service of National Fleet Wholesale Inc, California Vehicle Dealer license #52932, located at 22311 Ventura Blvd Ste 122, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. The DMV Occupational License Lookup showed the license as Active on September 4, 2026, issued in May 2001 and expiring May 31, 2027, with a surety bond on file and no administrative actions.
Who is Joe Yavetz?
Joe Yavetz is the owner of National Fleet Wholesale Inc, the licensed dealer behind CurbSold, and the person who comes to your house to buy your car. He has bought over 50,000 cars and has held the same DMV dealer license, #52932, since May 2001. He is the author of the guides on this site and the person who answers (818) 325-7535. The DMV record lists him under his legal name, Shabtay Yavetz.
What is National Fleet Wholesale?
National Fleet Wholesale Inc is the California-licensed vehicle dealer that operates CurbSold. It holds Dealer license #52932, issued by the DMV in 2001. When you sell your car to CurbSold, National Fleet Wholesale Inc is the buyer named on the title paperwork.
What does "wholesale only" mean on a California dealer license?
A wholesale dealer is one that sells vehicles only to other licensed dealers rather than to the public, as defined in the DMV's Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual section 2.120. It limits who the dealer can sell to; it does not limit who the dealer can buy from. A wholesale-only dealer can buy your car at your home and does not need a retail lot or showroom.
Can someone buy my car without a dealer license in California?
A private individual can buy your car for their own use without a license. Anyone in the business of buying vehicles to resell them must hold a DMV vehicle dealer license under Vehicle Code section 11700, and acting as a dealer without one is illegal. If a buyer says they will resell the car, ask for the license number and check it.
Does a dealer license guarantee I will get paid?
No. The license confirms the dealer is registered with the DMV, has passed its requirements, and has a surety bond on file. Payment is a separate question: ask how and when you will be paid, and do not release the car or the signed title until the payment is in your possession.
Do I still need to file a Release of Liability if I sell to a licensed dealer?
Yes. Vehicle Code section 5900 requires the seller to notify the DMV within 5 calendar days of transferring the vehicle, regardless of who the buyer is. It is free online at dmv.ca.gov, and once the DMV receives it, liability for parking violations, traffic violations, and civil litigation after the sale date shifts to the buyer.