Registration ??'s while traveling the US.

[4 J's in a Jayco]

My family and I are traveling the US in our 5th wheel and I was curious as to what to do for vehicle registration when it comes time. The jayco eagle shouldn't be an issue as we are using my mother-in-law's address as our permanent address and can pay the fees and have her ship the tags. What do I do with our truck? Currently registered in Utah and will need emissions done to keep it registered there. We will be gone for the next 1-2yrs and driving across the country just to re-register doesnt sound reasonable. What are other ways around this??

Thanks,
Jason

[Johnny Lightning]

I wouldn't have my RV and my trailer registered to different addresses, you can only be a resident of one state at a time. I would choose the state that has the easiest registration process etc. I know here in Michigan I do all of my registration online but we don't have smog tests. Maybe Utah will accept one from another state. Call your DMV and ask maybe?

[4 J's in a Jayco]

I'd like to keep them registered in the same state. We have houses and family in both Utah and Florida but both have long term tenants. Maybe we will have to claim residence with my wife's dad when we get to FL if the state laws are more favorable

[rashers]

FL is great for full time travel for lots of reasons (including no state income tax). No inspection needed on vehicles so that's one less thing to worry about. There is a hefty fee of $225 on each new FL plate though so take that into account. You do not need your vehicles present to get plates.

[Les7h]

We just tell them that we are out of the state and we will have to do the “safety inspection “ in a timely manner when we return - we didn’t return during 2018 so this will be our first time to renew a second time without an inspection the previous year Les

[4 J's in a Jayco]

Thanks for the info. I will have to call the dmv and see what they say. Do you have to have proof of residence in FL or TX? That's interesting you can pay for plates and not have to have the vehicle present.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by 4 J's in a Jayco

Thanks for the info. I will have to call the dmv and see what they say. Do you have to have proof of residence in FL or TX? That's interesting you can pay for plates and not have to have the vehicle present.

Here in Clearwater FL, I had to bring in my car (when I moved here) to register it. The clerk came out and verified the VIN. I also needed a proof of residence. After that, just update every 2 years on line (I have the TT renew on "ODD" years and the truck renew on "EVEN" years. I think the cost is $48 a year/vehicle.

No emissions or safety checks required.
Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by Les7h

We just tell them that we are out of the state and we will have to do the “safety inspection “ in a timely manner when we return - we didn’t return during 2018 so this will be our first time to renew a second time without an inspection the previous year Les

Have tried that... Not in Utah! They require a Utah State Inspection station to perform the check - it goes online. We had to come back to Utah to get our inspection, renewal done on our Seneca.

Originally Posted by 4 J's in a Jayco

My family and I are traveling the US in our 5th wheel and I was curious as to what to do for vehicle registration when it comes time. The jayco eagle shouldn't be an issue as we are using my mother-in-law's address as our permanent address and can pay the fees and have her ship the tags. What do I do with our truck? Currently registered in Utah and will need emissions done to keep it registered there. We will be gone for the next 1-2yrs and driving across the country just to re-register doesnt sound reasonable. What are other ways around this??

Thanks,
Jason

I am following... would like to solve the same problem - from across the Jordan river!

Originally Posted by rashers

FL is great for full time travel for lots of reasons (including no state income tax). No inspection needed on vehicles so that's one less thing to worry about. There is a hefty fee of $225 on each new FL plate though so take that into account. You do not need your vehicles present to get plates.

Dont' forget to take into consideration the cost of Insurance... some States have much higher insurance rates than what we have here. Be sure and get quotes from different carriers in the area you consider to register at.


Also consider that some states still require a safety inspection, even though Utah no longer requires one. Since we are going to be in some of the stricter states this year... we decided to get the DOT inspection since we are heavier and it is acknowledged in all 50 states. .

[rashers]

Florida does require VIN verification but it does not have to be done in person at the DMV, that's just the easiest if you live in the area. Check out the DMV page for your FL county, Generally, this is the list of folks that can do a Florida VIN verification with the right paperwork:
- A law enforcement officer from any state
- A licensed Florida State motor vehicle dealer
- An out-of-state motor vehicle dealer (must be on the dealer’s letterhead)
- A Florida DMV Compliance Examiner/Inspector
- A Florida Notary Public
- Provost Marshal, Commissioned Officer, Warrant Officer or Legalman on active military duty

The easiest for most is a law enforcement officer - they are used to this and many local officers would be happy to stop by your camp ground if you asked (to save moving a rig). So you could probably do the paperwork in Utah and show up in FL to the DMV in person. That's what I did for my truck & fifth wheel in Clay County, with an out of state dealer in my case.