I have been thinking about tagging my car in a different state than the one I live in for 2 reasons. The first reason is to legally have only a rear license plate. The second reason is to possibly pay a lower annual fee for the license plate. My annual license fee is an outragous $509. I would use my mother's address as the out-of-state residence. Has anyone done this? Are there legal problems such as:

1. driver's license and license plate from different states
2. insurance claims

 

I don't think this matters, at least in California anyway. I'm thinking about doing it too, if only for less hassle. In Arizona you can register your car for several years at a time, and it's a lot cheaper than in Cali....a lot better than doing it, along with a smog test, every year...esp since I want a few smog illegal toys on my car!

Anyone know for sure?

 

Yes. You cannot claim residency in more than one state. Doing so violates Federal Election laws.

And incidentally, the tax people check cross reference those voter lists to catch people avoiding state tax.

 

dang!!! i just recieved my first registration renewal for my 2000...$63...if i was still in Kali...it would probably be around 5-600..
i feel your pain..

 

I don't think I would do it. I believe you would be jacking with the tax man and they don't go for stuff like that.

I hope you were not suggesting this to obtain lower insurance rates also. If so, you might be left holding the bag in the event of a wreck.

 

May want to discretely check what your state law says about vehicle registrations. Hate to see you run into problems down the road living in the state and having the car registered elsewhere.

 

I've lived in a lot of different states and vehicle registration seems to be linked to state residency. You can only be a resident of one state at a time. You might live in one state but be a resident of another. During my entire stint in the military, I was a resident of the state of Texas. When I retired, I had to become a resident of the state of Virginia after residing there for 6 months.

 

After living in 6 different states while being in the Navy for 8 years....

If you are a resident of state A, and you live in state A, then you can only register your car in state A.

If you are a resident of state A, and you live in state B, then you can register your car in either state A or B, your choice.

There are some local laws here and there that may change the rules, but the above is true in most places.

 

You may be going from one headache to another.

Never mind the cops, check with your insurance company to see if you would still be covered.

 

In CA the registration requirements are different for members of the military. They get more leeway in what plates they can run.

If you live in San Diego, a huge Navy & tourist area, running plates from a different state won't attract any attention.

Over the years I've known numerous people who've registered their cars in Oregon as the plate/reg fees are almost non-existent, like $20 for two years!

Just a guess here, if you live in CA and are stopped with out of state plates and YOUR NAME is on the registration, and your license is from CA, its 'possible' they'll ask to see proof of residency in other state, like a phone bill or something. That's the bad news.

The good news is, IF YOU'RE AN ILLEGAL ALIEN THEY CAN'T ASK IF YOU ARE! And if you voluntarily TELL THEM YOU ARE, they can't report you to the INS!

Oops, started to get a li-ttle political there. Sorry. (Some laws are pretty stupid.)

Here is a quote from a CA registration brochure:
"Visitors from other states may operate their vehicles with current registration from their residence state (the vehicles must be registered in their names) until they:
- Accept gainful employment
- Claim a homeowner's exemption.
- Rent or lease a residence.
- Intend to live or be located here on a permanent basis (e.g., acquire a CA DL, acquire other licenses not ordinarily extended to a nonresident, register to vote).
- Enroll in an institution of higher learning as a CA resident, or enroll their dependents in school (K-12).
Penalties will accrue if registration fees are not paid within 20 days of the date they become due."

..rickko..

 

In the US, federal statute permit military member to use his or her home state auto registration and drivers license and renew both as required as long as they are on active duty. Same rules for voter registration.

After active duty ends, then the rules of residency applies.

 

In my part of the state, No. Cal., our local CHP looks for out of state plates, mostly Oregon and Nevada at work places. If they notice the car for too long, they will cite you. The reason, registration = MONEY,MONEY,MONEY. I just love Kalifornia !

 

I hear you. My renewal fee for this year was $741!!!!

 

I worked with a guy who moved to CA from CO a number of years ago and never changed his legal residence. He ended up getting caught after a few years of running CO tags in CA - I think it was a minor traffic violation that finally tripped him up (he had a CA driver's license & CO tags). In any case, it cost him several thousand dollars in back fees and penalties.

 

Tags for a Vette in Texas?..... about 50 bucks. No state income tax either, but they do get us in some other areas.

btw... If this state ever does get a state income tax, there will probably be a revolt!

 

I think you could be ticketed for no registration if you live in one state and tag in another!

 

My son moved from Ohio to Las Vegas. He was ticketed for having Ohio registration and driver's license while residing and working in Nevada.

 

Well, at least make sure your license and registration match.