Registering Your Vehicles and 5th Wheel

[Steven Sullivan]

Hello everyone,

I am new to Escapees and I have a question regarding registering your vehicles and 5th wheel.  My car tags and truck tags are due in June of 2018.  We will be taking delivery of our new 5th wheel in late May of 2018.  Do we have to take ALL vehicles to Livingston to register them with our new Escapees address?  This is all new to me and I am not sure what to do.  Would like all vehicles to have the same date (June of 2019) for next years registration.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thank you.

Steven Sullivan

[Second Chance]

You can start learning by checking here:

https://www.escapees.com/resources/domicile/texas

There is a downloadable PDF version of the information on that page, too. All the Polk County contacts you need are also listed toward the bottom of the page.

Rob

 

[Steven Sullivan]

Thank you for the help.

 

[Second Chance]

1 hour ago, Steven Sullivan said:

Thank you for the help.

 

That's what we (Escapees) are here for, Steve. I forgot to mention that you can register vehicles in Texas by mail (we have done so) - but you have to have your domicile established first. The first step we took was to start our Escapees mail service and get our new address. We then moved all of our business contact info (banks, insurance, Verizon bill, etc.) to the Livingston address. We then wandered around for a couple of months before heading for Livingston to do drivers' licenses and vehicle registration. None of our three vehicles have the same renewal dates, but we just renew on-line when the time comes and get them inspected the next time we're back in Texas.

Rob

Edited February 25, 2018 by Second Chance

[Kirk W]

Steven, welcome to the Escapees RV Club and to the Escapee forums! Rob has given you good advice but I'll add that you should not hesitate to call the government offices with questions as they do understand what we do and are very helpful. One advantage to use of the Livingston area as domicile is that every businessman, political office holder, and professional services provider knows about the Escapees and what it means to be a fulltimer. 

Quote

For Auto Registration:
Tax Assessor's Office 
416 N. Washington 
Livingston, TX. 77351 
936-327-6801

 

Let me invite you to join us in Sedalia, MO for the annual Escapade next May! We would love to meet you. 

[Fay Kelley]

On 2/24/2018 at 10:28 PM, Second Chance said:

That's what we (Escapees) are here for, Steve. I forgot to mention that you can register vehicles in Texas by mail (we have done so) - but you have to have your domicile established first. The first step we took was to start our Escapees mail service and get our new address. We then moved all of our business contact info (banks, insurance, Verizon bill, etc.) to the Livingston address. We then wandered around for a couple of months before heading for Livingston to do drivers' licenses and vehicle registration. None of our three vehicles have the same renewal dates, but we just renew on-line when the time comes and get them inspected the next time we're back in Texas.

Rob

Do you need emissions testing there?

i assume not if everyone is doing all via web.

 

 

[TXiceman]

Fay, currently only gas engine vehicles are smog tested.  Diesel are only safety inspected.

Ken

[Second Chance]

2 hours ago, Fay Kelley said:

Do you need emissions testing there?

i assume not if everyone is doing all via web.

 

 

Fay,

I believe not even gas engines are emissions tested with the inspections except in places like Dallas, Houston, etc. Ours are not in Livingston.

Rob

[Kirk W]

6 hours ago, Fay Kelley said:

Do you need emissions testing there?

In Texas, there is a safety inspection required for vehicle registration but that is waived if you are out of state at the time of renewal. You then must get one when you return to Texas. In some counties that inspection includes an emissions test but the counties are those containing a large city such as Dallas or Houston. If you use the Escapee mail service, that is located in Polk County and they do not have an emissions text requirement. 

Forgot to say, welcome to the Escapee forums!

Edited April 9, 2018 by Kirk Wood

[Fay Kelley]

Thank you!!!!!

[Fay Kelley]

On 2/24/2018 at 10:28 PM, Second Chance said:

That's what we (Escapees) are here for, Steve. I forgot to mention that you can register vehicles in Texas by mail (we have done so) - but you have to have your domicile established first. The first step we took was to start our Escapees mail service and get our new address. We then moved all of our business contact info (banks, insurance, Verizon bill, etc.) to the Livingston address. We then wandered around for a couple of months before heading for Livingston to do drivers' licenses and vehicle registration. None of our three vehicles have the same renewal dates, but we just renew on-line when the time comes and get them inspected the next time we're back in Texas.

Rob

So at some point you must g there in person ... ?

Not like virtual mailbox?

[SWharton]

You need to go to TX at least for your DL.

[Kirk W]

8 hours ago, Fay Kelley said:

Not like virtual mailbox?

While TX and a few other states will allow you to use a mail service as a legal address, they still require you to appear in person to get an eye test & photo for your drivers license. You can then renew that on alternate renewals by internet but you must update the photo every 12 years. There are no states that do not require you to come in person for a license photo. 

[Second Chance]

On 4/8/2018 at 8:57 PM, Fay Kelley said:

So at some point you must g there in person ... ?

Not like virtual mailbox?

Yes - as stated above, you must show up in person to get your driver's license.

Rob

[JohnS]

I'm considering purchasing an HDT registered as an RV in South Dakota.  It is currently in AZ.  I live in Florida.  How would I go about getting it registered as an RV and a tag so I can drive the truck back to Florida?

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, JohnS said:

I'm considering purchasing an HDT registered as an RV in South Dakota. 

Welcome to the Escapee forums. First a question. Do you mean to leave Florida and make SD your domicile home, no longer residing in FL? You can't legally register the truck in SD and then continue to reside in FL and store the truck there. 

[Chad Heiser]

2 hours ago, JohnS said:

I'm considering purchasing an HDT registered as an RV in South Dakota.  It is currently in AZ.  I live in Florida.  How would I go about getting it registered as an RV and a tag so I can drive the truck back to Florida?

Florida does not allow HDT’s that tow 5th wheels to be registered as RV’s.  It is specific to how their code is written.  If you choose to keep Florida as your domicile, you will not be able to do this unfortunately.

[JohnS]

Thank you.  Florida is my domicile. Can you explain the process to get the truck registered in Florida?

[FL-JOE]

If Florida does not allow it to be registered as an RV then they will certainly allow it to be registered as a "truck".  I would stop by the local tax collector's office and get the answer first hand if you are currently in Florida or possibly go online and try to find out on their State site.

If all else fails you may need to just get a drive-away decal from Arizona when you purchase in order to get it home.

[JohnS]

Any recommendations for insurance providers that meet FL requirements for HDT rv haulers?

[remoandiris]

9 hours ago, JohnS said:

Any recommendations for insurance providers that meet FL requirements for HDT rv haulers?

John,

I went thru the Fla HDT as an RV goat rope a few years ago.  The FIRST thing YOU need to do is call YOUR insurance agent in Fla and ask them about getting insurance for this HDT registered as a "private truck".  If you have the VIN, that will DEFINITELY help.  If your agent is like mine, they will tell you to get insurance on a private truck, you need "commercial exposure".  My agent was never able to explain what that term means.  Once I got the feeling insurance was not going to be possible, I dropped the whole thing.  It was all about the GVWR.

A FEW people have been able to get their HDT registered as an RV in Fla.  VERY few.  Now it seems the vehicle registration folks in Tallahassee are MUCH more knowledgeable about folks converting HDTs into RV haulers and it is against Fla statutes.  That knowledge from the state capital has filtered down to the county tax offices.

The folks here saying you can't get it registered in SD and have it in Fla are not exactly correct.  SD does not care what address you use.  SD will take your money and give you a SD registration with a Fla address.  There is no SD law that says a SD registered vehicle has to belong to a SD resident.  I suggest you call the folks at America's Mailbox in Box Elder and discuss that option.  With that said, IF you claim Fla as your domicile, Fla MIGHT come after you for having that truck registered out of state with Fla as your domicile.  Why?  Fla needs registration fees, too.

Or, if you get it registered as an RV in SD, it MIGHT be easier to get it registered as an RV in Fla.  

Unless you are getting the Homestead tax exemptions or other financial benefits in Fla, you might be better off domiciling in SD.

What I have written is based on my PERSONAL experience over a 3 month period seeking ways to buy an out of state HDT and get it registered as an RV/Private truck in Fla.  I am still driving my 1-ton dually.  I gave up on the idea.

To answer your question I quoted above, I found ONE company in Calif that would insure the truck, registered in Fla, for over $1K a year.  The coverage was ONLY in force while the truck was TOWING the trailer OR going to/from service or fueling.  In other words, no grocery getting or anything like that.  To me, that was too little use to justify the expense.  It was the best decision for me at the time.

And you are probably better off asking any HDT questions on the HDT forum.

Edited April 26, 2019 by remoandiris