Title/Registration info for your state

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I just paid $60 to renew our motorhome tags in Florida. No annual inspection either, and no personal property tax on vehicles (or anything else).

A vehicle newly brought into the state is usually subject to a one time "initial registration fee" and possibly sales tax (if not already paid elsewhere).
 
Terry A. Brewer said:
Ardra

If you get a notice all you have to do is write "Fulltiming Rver" on it & send it back in...You will be excused.


That is true. They also took my wife off the rolls at the same time when I returned the notice to the clerk.
Also if you have to return to the state for drivers license renewal they will give your spouse an extension so you can both get renewed at the same time.. They told us up to a year, but we only needed three months.
 
Some of those registration fees make NY State look positively cheap! Any passenger (including motorhomes) vehicle that weighs more than 6900 lbs pays a flat $70/yr in 2-year increments. There are a few counties that add on a small use tax and/or mass transit district fee, but that adds no more than $20-$45/yr. The NY sales tax is higher though, at about 8%. The one-time titling fee is $50.
 
Jeff said:
Dutch


Does NY have personal income tax?

Yes, but no personal property or wheel taxes. Our income is configured such that we rarely pay any state or federal income tax anyway. Certainly NY does have other taxes and issues that keep it from being a recommended domicile for most fulltimers, but it has worked for us so far.
 
SC;
Title - $15.00 (or $35.00 if you want it printed on the spot)
Registration- $24.00 every other year plus $1.00 for the sticker
NO INSPECTION
Annual Highway use tax based on their valuation, makes no sense and hard to figure out and depends on the county you register in, I'd guess on an 03 winnie the tax would be $200/$300 a year, they will make adjustments for high mileage, condition etc and I have yet to have them want and proof of any of the discounts requested.
7% sales tax upon initial registration, they do deduct the value of your trade from the taxes being paid and $300.00 in the maximum or they will waive the tax if it was a gift from say husband to wife, relative, good friend etc.
Overall not to bad unless your in a high end Prevost or something like that.
 
EMan508 said:
I've been doing research on picking my domicile state. South Dakota sounds good with a 3% one time excise tax and easy full-timing requirements for the license etc.

I was wondering if people from various states would be willing to share what their expenses are for titling/registration for an RV? A while back I read a posting that made me think SD was a lot lower in costs.  The SD gov just sent me this for a 22,000lb, 2004 RV:

"At this time, the annual license fee would be $300 ($25 per month). Effective July 1, 2013, the fee will raise to $330 annually.

South Dakota licenses on a staggered registration system, so depending on when you are registering, your fees could vary from 3-18 months (license for no less than 3 months nor more than 18 months). Staggered registration is based on the first letter of the applicant?s last name.

Other fees include: annual $1 solid waste and annual $1 highway patrol fee; $5 title fee and $5 lien notation fee, if applicable; some counties assess an annual county wheel tax (usually $4/wheel); and a 3% motor vehicle excise tax, unless you have previously paid a similar and equal amount of tax to another state."

The sales/excise tax is now 4%, unless you paid tax in your previous state, no matter if the percentage was higher or lower. The only five states which do not have state sales tax are MT, AK, OR, DE, and NH. However, NH, OR, and MT have local taxes imposed by some municipalities. If your car is from one of these five states, you will have to pay the SD sales tax, however unfair that is (why should you be penalized if your state was tax free??).

Wheel taxes, if the county has them, are $2, $2.50, $3, or $4 per wheel. These funds are used to maintain county roads.

There  is also a $5 mailing fee for plates and a $1 mailing fee for registration stickers (without plates) or for temp plates which they issue first before the state can send you special or disabled plates. Regular plates are sent by the county, but special or disabled plates are sent by the state. Note: you technically have to be a resident to get disabled plates or placards unless a county does not know better.

The 3-18 month staggering occurs only during your first year of registration and is for YOUR CONVENIENCE. So, for example, if you register your new car two months before your designated registration date (based on your last name), rather than make you come in again in two months, they will do just a 14-month registration for that year. Thereafter, it will be the normal 12-month registration.
 
EMan508 said:
Is it possible to get license plates without going to SD first? That would really help. 

In Massachusetts you have to visit the RMV with proof of insurance in hand to get a plate. That's when they shake you down for the taxes also 6.25%.

-Eric

Yes, you can do an out-of-state registration in SD by mail, for just an additional $5 mailing fee for the plates. It is all on their website:

http://dor.sd.gov/Motor_Vehicles/Non_Resident_Information/
 
TonyDtorch said:
What about annual vehicle inspections and inspection fees in Texas ?

You will pay about $15-$40 annually:

https://www.dps.texas.gov/RSD/VI/CostOfInsp.htm

The good news is you are only required to get an inspection (safety in all counties, and emission in 17 counties) when you are in TX. You do not have to get an inspection until then. For those years you don't go to or through Texas, you do not need to get inspection. But as soon as you return or pass through Texas, you need to get an inspection within a few days.
 
Texas is about $26 for inspection, but inspection is required until you return to TX. Drivrrs Lic renewed by mail at least once (additional six years).

Ernie
 
Alfa38User said:
Hmmm.... Which State???
TN is the abbreviation for Tennessee. I know there are some mail forwarders based there, no income tax but a pretty high sales tax.

In Michigan on a trailer I paid $250 for a permanent plate.
 
I too am looking to go FT in the next few months.  Currently in Oregon but will likely change my 'residence' to TX or FL and use Escapees as my address.  I looked at NV but got conflicting answers on using a mail forwarding service, so am a little hesitant there.  Also NV DMV fees are quite high.

Probably will be TX, since it is closer to travel to than FL.

I'm retired military, so health care is not a big issue.  Does anyone have any downsides to TX as a residence/domicile for Full Timers?

Thanks.

Fitz
 
We still own a home in Michigan - so picking a state of domicile based on taxes, title and registration fees is out of the question for the time being.  Tags for my coach last year ran me $1,049 .... 
 
Clay L said:
Owning a home does not constitute domicile.

I guess I was a little short on the detail.  We've owned and lived in our home in Michigan for 30 plus years, both my wife and I worked within 15 miles of said home for 40 and 24 years respectively, our children attended school from preschool - to high school in the town that the house is located in.  Trust me, as long as I continue to own and arguable inhabit that house (at least part time while we're not off traveling) - we would be hard pressed to make a claim of domicile in another other state.  Were we to sell the house - the door to arbitrarily selecting another state for the purposes of domicile would open.  But, in our current situation ... not a chance.
 

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