States require you to register car/trailer in that state if there more than 30 days

[Ransom]

Many states have laws requiring to register your trailer and tow vehicle in that state if you are there more than 30 days.

Has this been a problem for anyone?

I currently live in mexico with a texas drivers license and texas mail service, and am thinking to register new tow vehicle and trailer in texas as well, then full time in the usa for a while. one state would be north carolina, but after 30 days in north carolina you are required to register your vehicle there.

what do people do?

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Ransom

Many states have laws requiring to register your trailer and tow vehicle in that state if you are there more than 30 days.

Has this been a problem for anyone?

I currently live in mexico with a texas drivers license and texas mail service, and am thinking to register new tow vehicle and trailer in texas as well, then full time in the usa for a while. one state would be north carolina, but after 30 days in north carolina you are required to register your vehicle there.

what do people do?

If I understand the AZ rules correctly, you are only required to register your vehicle(s) in AZ if you are establishing AZ residency, and there are tests for what that means. A quick look at the tests makes it clear that it does not apply to retired full-timers.

From the website Arizona Car Registration Requirements & Steps | DMV.org
"State law requires that you register your vehicle with the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) immediately after establishing residency.
Residency in AZ is more than just having an Arizona address. The state considers you a resident if any one of the following situations applies to you:
You obtain an Arizona driver's license.
Your kids attend school here without paying an out-of-state tuition rate.
You're employed in Arizona (seasonal agricultural workers exempt).
You remain in the state for 7 months or more in one calendar year.
You have an Arizona business that houses and operates vehicles here.
You own an AZ business that transports people or goods in the state.
You're registered to vote in AZ."

I'd guess other states are similar.

[Ransom]

here are the requirements by state. surely many of us are in violation for not registering at least the tow vehicles....some states start the requirement to register in just 30 days of being in the state. others, like arizona, are concerned with cumulative days.

http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/regis...non-residents/

texas seems to be saying that after 5 days in the state you need to register.

there are some onerous requirements here.

if these rules were aggresively enforced it would prevent many of us from taking our planned trips.

[Borrego Dave]

[QUOTE=Ransom;if these rules were aggresively enforced it would prevent many of us from taking our planned trips.[/QUOTE]

Those regs are aimed at people that move to a different state to live and work. Kind of a moot point for RVers.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Ransom

... one state would be north carolina, but after 30 days in north carolina you are required to register your vehicle there.

what do people do?

They cheat.

Well, some do at least. I'm in NC and can tell you that there are people here (even my in neighborhood) who have established residency in NC according to the law, but still register their cars in other states. Often it is to avoid taxes (which is stealing from the rest of us IMHO) but sometimes they might plan to return to their other home state at some time, or have some other reason that is not so nefarious or an allowed exemption. Still, I see a few people who live in homes, work here, and have cars registered out of state.

If your driver's license is in NC then its hard to have your car registered in another state, but otherwise the authorities don't give you a hard time (as a rule). If you do want to register a car in NC, then you have to get a NC driver's license first. You have 60 days after "establishing residency" to get the driver's license. They don't seem to define who is a resident but they do give you a hint who is not - from the NC DMV Driver's Handbook:

A nonresident of North Carolina is, “Any person whose legal residence is in
a state, territory, or jurisdiction other than North Carolina or in a foreign
country.”
Examples of nonresidents:
• Salesmen whose homes are in other states who travel through
North Carolina;
• Out-of-state college students who intend to return to their home states
upon completion of their education in North Carolina;
• Members of the armed forces stationed in North Carolina who intend to
return to their home states; and
• Spouses of nonresident members of the armed forces stationed in North
Carolina.

Its a challenge when you are nomadic, governments want to claim you so they can tax you. But if you are "a legal resident" of another state (whatever that means), I would not worry about spending a lot of time in the state with proper out-of-state plates on your vehicles.

Wave when you drive by here too! Good Luck.

[steve dunham]

We are legal residents of Minnesota . Our drivers licenses are from Minnesota , we get our mail in Minnesota and we pay taxes in Minnesota . We live at our lake home in Wisconsin a large portion of the year and our vehicles are registered in Wisconsin . The law says I can register my vehicle in Wisconsin if it is "garaged" here.
Wisconsin was more concerned about getting the registration fee than about some legal technicality. I assume most states operate under the same premise " SHOW ME THE MONEY".

[honda03842]

There is no requirement to register your rv and tow vehicle if you are simply 'traveling thru a state even if you are spending more than 30 days. Those rules are intended for people taking up residence in a state not people RV vacationing in a state.

Of course many people use the residency rules for their own benefit, for example many people own property in more than one state and use their ability to register vehicles in different states for tax benefits, particular sales tax benefits.

[Uplander]

The key word here is "residency "....your trailer and tow vehicle must be registered in you state of residency. That is the determining test for registration not how long you may linger in that state camping or being a tourist.

[wessonjoe]

-
there always seem to be exceptions.
when i was in the service and when i was a student there was an exception for me.
when i eventually full-time, a similar exception will be found, somehow.
-

.

[Gorky]

Originally Posted by Ransom

Registration for Non-Residents - AAA Digest of Motor Laws

texas seems to be saying that after 5 days in the state you need to register.

The above "drivinglaws.aaa.com" is an aggregate website that directly misquotes Texas' manual of nonresident driving registration.

WRONG excerpt at drivinglaws.aaa.com says:

A non-resident owner of a privately owned passenger car that is not registered in the state or country in which the person resides and that is not operated for compensation may operate the car in this state for the period in which the car’s license plates are valid.

Makes it seem like that rule doesn't apply to anyone, since most of us will have vehicles registered somewhere, if not our resident state.

CORRECT text from the TXDMV, registration manual, page 167:
http://www.txdmv.gov/publications-ta...tration-manual

A nonresident owner of a privately owned passenger car that is registered in the state or country in which the person resides and that is not operated for compensation may operate the car in this state for the period in which the car's license plates are valid.

So if your vehicle is registered where you reside this rule applies to you. And the manual goes on to describe nonresidents as anyone with residence in another place who doesn't work in Texas; which would describe full-timers perfectly. So you're good as long as your non-resident plates are.

As far as I can tell, the 5-day rule is concerned with unregistered commercial vehicles or vehicles that are exceeding their registered weight limits. You can buy temporary permits to drive these vehicles through Texas or make up to 5 trips, etc. before a different commercial registration is needed. Someone got really confused copying these rules over to the aaa website.

[Bobbie Mayer]

OT, but at one time I had California residency and my boat in Washington. Legally it could not be registered in either state. Not in California because it wasn't there for at least 6 months of the year, and not in Washington because I was not a resident (I could operate it for 60 days and then had to leave the state or stop using it.) I kept it registered in California as I figured nobody would know whether it ever returned there or not.

[Gennaver]

Hi,

I'm not trying to avoid anything but residency is not so easy to define for some people. I do not own property or really have a home other than where I am travelling to at that moment.

Jen
p.s. I wouldn't be able to document residency within 30 days, right?

[Uplander]

Much to do about nothing.
If you are registered to vote you have established residency.
Residency is a must to register your automobile, RV or motorized boat.
As a general rule use the location you spend the majority of the year at.
If you spend time in the state of Florida you might use that state as they do not have a state income tax...other states also offer such tax advantages...consult your tax advisor/accountant for specifics guidance.
I call mine about my relocation plans from New York to either South Carolina or North Carolina, because I was a long time client he ran my numbers and told me either state was much better than New York saving me about $6,000 in total taxes every year...amazing!!!....he said Florida would be even better!
His current home is in Connecticut and he will be moving to the Sunshine State
This year to save even more on taxes. He did say many of his Connecticut clients have already moved south to improve their tax situation by thousands of dollars annually.

Wherever you roam select a home state wisely....study Kiplinger's Best States for taxes and do your homework. Kiplinger's also posts the best and worst states to retire to on their internet site. Your accountant can plug in your income numbers and tell you the best states for your income level.
An extra five or six thousand dollars every year goes a long way!!!

Happy Camping!!!

[Darwin Maring]

That is if you actually move there. You have a state of residence and are only temporary where you camp.

[Uplander]

Gennaver,
How do you file your income tax? You must have an address and that would create a tax liability for state income tax....when you file your federal return you must supply an address for any refund you may be entitled to. Auto and travel trailer registration and insurance is also an issue....you must pick a state.

[Darral T.]

I didnt know there was an option. We did ours here in Tn. The only thing that makes me mad (besides the taxes of course) is that the paperwork- for what ever reason- has a max 4-letter limit. SO, our title says "SCAM" grrrr....

[k corbin]

When they would nab you would be if you were parking it in a driveway at a house or apartment and then it was obvious you were gone off to a job everyday. They are unlikely to mess with you if you are in an RV park or campground.

They are not likely to just randomly come up to you and question you. If they do just say you are visiting unless of course that is not true.

[vintageracer]

Why is this even a discussion????

You can be an illegal alien, get state and Federal government benefits, any number of state's will issue an illegal a driver's licence and register their car, truck or trailer and landlords will rent to them a place to live.

Given the above fact why would anyone "think" that any state government gives a rat's patuti about an old RVer traveling around the country, where they stay for 30 days or more and where they register their tow vehicle or tag along trailer/vehicle?

[Wallo]

Originally Posted by vintageracer

Why is this even a discussion????

You can be an illegal alien, get state and Federal government benefits, any number of state's will issue an illegal a driver's licence and register their car, truck or trailer and landlords will rent to them a place to live.

Given the above fact why would anyone "think" that any state government gives a rat's patuti about an old RVer traveling around the country, where they stay for 30 days or more and where they register their tow vehicle or tag along trailer/vehicle?

I like that line of thinking. But, state income tax, and voter registration seem to rise to the top of where you are a resident. Once the residency question is answered, that's where the licensing is done.

I was going to register my trailer in MT, to avoid paying taxes every year on it. But, during research found out that if your tow vehicle is from UT, with UT plates, pulling a trailer with MT plates and a UT officer pulled you over, you could get fined. I had to decide if the hassle would be worth the few bucks I would save every year.

[emers382]

Or you could do as neighbours of ours in TX park did register all their vehicles in MT saving considerably on the taxes they must pay yearly in their home state.


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