Spencer

So, do you think I would be able to register my vehicles in South Dakota still using my Texas address or would i also have to create a South Dakota address?

Yes, you can register vehicles in SD to a TX address.

Just make sure you read the non-resident section on the SD DMV website in detail. There are some extra things that non-residents have to send in (affidavit, copy of DL/SSN card).

This is the best suggestion I have seen so far. These only remaining questions are relevant rules about Texas allowing me to return the state periodically with a South Dakota plate and a Texas mailing address. Also, I wonder how insurance would work. I plan to study this approach as a 'Plan B'.

 

In addition, there are NO inspection (emissions or safety) and it appears that registration fees are less expensive. I plan to contact my insurance company to see how a SD registration would work with a principally garaged address in Texas.

The SD DMV is extremely easy to deal with (Clay county being the recommended office). Everything is done by mail. No vin inspections when purchasing a new vehicle, no emissions, etc. I've bought/sold SD titled vehicles that have never been in the state.

Insurance is a little grey, but no more than any full timer who really has no primary garaged address.. Most SD residents use their mail forwarding address as the "garaged address" which you could as well. You will want SD insurance, regardless of your DL state.

just curious on which state you would use for your drivers license because the questions I was asked when applying for my Texas DL was: Do you have any vehicles? and Are they all registered in Texas?

I know that the pdf file "Becoming a Texan" put out by Escapees says to get your license plates/registrations prior to your DL because Texas wants all of your vehicles registered here. I'm also not sure how SD would feel if you had SD license plates but a Texas DL should you ever be stopped or in an accident there.

 

Just food for thought,

 

Phil

I'm sure all states say their residents must register their vehicles in their state, but that is because 99.9% of people live/work & own property in the same state. One state generally has no jurisdiction to impose taxes/fees on property with out of state nexus. For example, TX can't impose property tax on an out of state rental property owned by a TX resident.

SD will have no issues if you are stopped in SD with SD tagged tags and a TX drivers license. Read the link I posted earlier. SD has issued multiple memos on the subject of out of state resident registration. Carry a copy of said memos in your glovebox if necessary.

I would be more "nervous" about driving around TX with a TX DL in an SD tagged vehicle in your name. This is a common scenario in the NW, where WA residents will purchase/register their cars in OR due to having no sales tax and extremely cheap registration. WA has cracked down on this, but it is obviously a tax evasion scenario because OR residents garaging their cars in OR, should register their cars in OR. This senario is a bit different though, since you would be a TX resident with an Out of state vehicle that is only temporarily in-state. This whole problem revolves around TX residents who are very rarely in TX, so this really shouldn't be a large concern.

I went to the DPS web site and couldn't find an affidavit that stated that all vehicles must be registered in Texas. I did find one that requires proof of residency. One form of proof is an unexpired vehicle registration. Is that the one you're referring to?

 

If I owned residences in Texas and also in another state, wouldn't it be reasonable to be able to register a vehicle in the other state, if that was where it was primarily stored and used?

 

Here is a link to the affidavit I found: https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/internetforms/Forms/DL-5.pdf

I would like to see the affidavit if anyone has a copy of it. They really have no jurisdiction over out of state property, and I bet the TX DMV would agree (once you found the right person to talk to there).

I didn't have time to read through the entire thread, but there is one option that might work for some people depending on your opinion of the relationship between vehicle registration and domicile.

One could stay a resident of TX and register your vehicles in SD. SD openly allows non-resident vehicle registration (see here: http://dor.sd.gov/Motor_Vehicles/Non_Resident_Information/), and TX should not have jurisdiction over vehicles which are not within TX borders for the majority of the year. This is a common scenario for people with 2 homes in different states. If you are resident of State #1, but have a 2nd home in State #2 along with a vehicle that stays in State #2, then state #1 has no authority to impose registration requirements over the vehicle.

If you are within TX borders for the majority of the year, this strategy would probably not be a good idea because TX could demand registration. More research into TX registration requirements would be needed.

I'm sure those who like everything handled in the same state as your domicile would not consider this but I think it is a worthy option that should be further researched for those willing to think outside the "1-state box."