California to Texas domicile checklist

Updated October 21, 2026. Not tax or legal advice.

Moving your domicile from California to Texas takes 14 steps. The Texas deadlines are short: vehicle inspection and registration within 30 days, and a Texas driver license before your out-of-state license stops being valid at 90 days. The rest is about cutting the California ties the FTB weighs.

California has no day-count rule; it weighs your ties and presumes residency after nine months in the state. Read how the FTB decides.

Official records

1. Get a Texas vehicle inspection 30 days after you move
   New residents need a vehicle inspection within 30 days. In 17 counties, including Harris, Dallas, Travis and Tarrant, it includes an emissions test. The car must pass before you can register it.
   Keep: Inspection report. Source: Texas DPS: Vehicle inspection for new residents
2. Register and title your car in Texas 30 days after you move
   Register within 30 days at your county tax assessor-collector office. Bring Texas-minimum insurance, proof of ownership and Form 130-U.
   Keep: Texas registration; Texas title. Source: TxDMV: New to Texas · Texas DPS: Vehicle inspection for new residents
3. Get a Texas driver license 90 days after you move
   Your out-of-state license is valid for up to 90 days after you move. Register your vehicles in Texas before you apply. The FTB looks at which state issued your license.
   Keep: Photo of the Texas license. Source: Texas DPS: Moving to Texas · FTB Publication 1031: Guidelines for Determining Resident Status (2025)
4. Register to vote in Texas No fixed deadline
   Register in your county; the deadline is the 30th day before an election. The FTB looks at where you are registered to vote.
   Keep: Texas voter registration card. Source: VoteTexas: Register to vote · FTB Publication 1031: Guidelines for Determining Resident Status (2025)
5. Move professional licenses No fixed deadline
   The state that holds your professional licenses is one of the FTB's listed factors.
   Keep: New state license. Source: FTB Publication 1031: Guidelines for Determining Resident Status (2025)

Home and ties

6. Apply for the Texas residence homestead exemption Apply by Apr 30 each year
   If you own your Texas home and live in it as your principal residence, apply to your appraisal district; the general deadline is before May 1. School districts must exempt $140,000 of a homestead's value.
   Keep: Homestead application; Approval notice. Source: Texas Comptroller: Property tax exemptions
7. End your California homeowners' exemption No fixed deadline
   If your California home is no longer your principal residence, you must tell the county assessor. December 10 is the last day to end the exemption without penalty.
   Keep: Letter or form sent to the assessor; Assessor's confirmation. Source: CA Board of Equalization: Homeowners' Exemption
8. Decide what to do with your California home No fixed deadline
   The FTB looks at where your principal residence is and where you own real property. Keeping a California home is allowed, but it is a strong tie.
   Keep: Sale contract, lease, or proof of how the home is used. Source: FTB Publication 1031: Guidelines for Determining Resident Status (2025)
9. Move bank accounts, doctors and professional services No fixed deadline
   The FTB looks at where your bank accounts, medical providers and professional services are, and where your financial transactions start.
   Keep: Statements with the new address; Records from new doctors. Source: FTB Publication 1031: Guidelines for Determining Resident Status (2025) · CA Office of Tax Appeals: Appeal of Padron (residency factors)
10. Move or end California memberships and social ties No fixed deadline
    Memberships in organizations and social ties are part of the FTB's review.
    Keep: Letters ending or changing memberships. Source: FTB Publication 1031: Guidelines for Determining Resident Status (2025) · CA Office of Tax Appeals: Appeal of Padron (residency factors)

Time

11. Record where you are every day Every day
    The FTB compares the time you spend in California with time elsewhere. More than nine months in California in a year creates a presumption that you are a resident. You carry the burden of showing the FTB is wrong.
    Keep: Daily location log; Card and phone records; Travel records. Source: FTB Publication 1031: Guidelines for Determining Resident Status (2025) · CA Office of Tax Appeals: Appeal of Padron (residency factors)

Family

12. Move your spouse and children No fixed deadline
    Where your spouse or registered domestic partner and children live is one of the FTB's listed factors.
    Keep: New school enrollment; Spouse's address records. Source: FTB Publication 1031: Guidelines for Determining Resident Status (2025)

Work and business

13. Move your work and business ties No fixed deadline
    Employment and business interests in California count toward residency. Work you do in California after you move is still California-source income.
    Keep: Employment letter showing work location; Business records. Source: CA Office of Tax Appeals: Appeal of Padron (residency factors) · FTB: Part-year resident and nonresident

Tax filings

14. File California Form 540NR for the year you move With your California return for the move year
    Part-year residents file Form 540NR. California taxes all your income while you are a resident, and only California-source income after you leave.
    Keep: Filed 540NR. Source: FTB: Part-year resident and nonresident