Hawaii Resident wants to purchase/register Class B on Mainland

[jonathan carey]

Originally Posted by HawaiianBrian

My wife and I (both retired) live in Hawaii (Oahu) and want to buy and use an RV exclusively on the mainland continental U.S. - the RV would never be in Hawaii. We plan to maybe travel 4-6 months a year in it, and keep it parked in storage the rest of the year (and the storage location might be in various locations depending on our itinerary's).

I can't figure out how we would register it on the mainland in a state that we are not residents of? And shipping it back to Hawaii just to register it would not be an option! We plan to maintain our Hawaii residency and Hawaii drivers license.

Thanks for any insight or help!

- Brian

Hello Brian,

We would be able to help with this as long as you are paying cash and not financing. We have helped many customers out of the country with this problem. Take a look at our website www.classicvans.com

Regards, Serio

[PinIN]

I'm surprised Hawaii doesn't have a way to plate vehicles that will never be on the island, seems like an easy way to collect fees and taxes with no impact to the Hawaii infrastructure.

[HawaiianBrian]

Originally Posted by PinIN

What does the state of Hawaii have to say about this?

I need to try to call them or talk to someone over there in person, but as far as I can tell, the vehicle needs a valid inspection, prior to registration.

- Brian

[HawaiianBrian]

Originally Posted by slowhands

If your vehicle is over 15 years old and never registered in your name, You can register it in vermont without being a resident. You only need a bill of sale, not a registered title. You can do this directly with the state, or there are agents who charge a small fee to do it. https://www.cartitles.com/title-option-2/

This looks like a good option, but we'd be buying either a new or a recently new used RV - like maybe one a year or so old.

- Brian

[HawaiianBrian]

Thanks for all the great replies to my original question about out-of-state registration. In looking at all of your suggestions and insights, and in doing more research, I’ve realized a few things:

1. Vehicle Inspection. The state’s (whichever states) registration requirements for a vehicle inspection may be a problem for us because then we would have to have a yearly vehicle inspection in the state that we registered the RV, and so we’d be required to travel back to that state every year for the inspection. I found out though that these states don’t require vehicle inspections: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, South Carolina, and South Dakota. Michigan and Mississippi. Here’s the link: https://www.motorbiscuit.com/a-surpr...e-inspections/

So South Dakota registration might be the best option, except that legally we’d have to get a South Dakota driver’s license but according to America’s Mailbox: “Once they are registered, the law on the books states that you should come to anywhere in South Dakota within 90 days to obtain the driver’s license, which is your main proof of residency. However, we have not heard of anyone being stopped if they have not yet changed their driver’s license.” Here’s the link: https://americasmailbox.com/tips_and...e-Registration

2. LLC. The option for an LLC might work well, and I actually have an LLC in Hawaii for my consulting business (although I’m pretty much retired from it, I keep the LLC active just in case I end up working again). So I guess I could register an RV in the name of the LLC. The only issue I see is that commercial vehicle insurance might is more expensive than personal vehicle insurance, and also it might be more of a hassle doing the paper work to complete the registration (I guess depending on the state). Here is a link I found on registering a vehicle in a business name: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/addi...tle-37927.html

Thanks again for all the suggestions, I’m going to continue doing research until I figure out the best approach and will let you know what I find out.

- Brian

[Nick&Linda]

just as a side note, Florida does not have an annual inspection to register a vehicle. And fees are much lower than some other places. When I called Texas home, my class A motorhome (weight was over 26,000 pounds) cost about $328 a year to register annually. When I moved to Florida, that same motorhome cost me about $100. I now have a class B van, and a class C motorhome, and they each cost about $75 a year to register.

Also, Texas required a non commercial class B driver license. Florida required no special driver license. On the license, it states "and any RV".

[LostInWoods]

I would take that motorbiscuit article with a huge grain of salt. GA only has emissions inspections in metro Atlanta counties, and no safety inspection at all. When I lived in a county outside metro Atlanta my only interaction with the state was 20 bucks for annual tag renewal.

[MsNomer]

Originally Posted by LostInWoods

I would take that motorbiscuit article with a huge grain of salt. GA only has emissions inspections in metro Atlanta counties, and no safety inspection at all. When I lived in a county outside metro Atlanta my only interaction with the state was 20 bucks for annual tag renewal.

Oklahoma does not require inspections of any kind.

[JohnnyFry]

We live in Va and have 2 vehicles and driver licenses registered there. We spend winter months in Az and bought a car to use when we are in Az. It is registered in Az but we do not have Az driver licenses because we are not considered residents of that state. You might need some kind of address to register the vehicle, that could be the address where the vehicle is stored. Bottom line: if you pay the vehicle tax in the state where the vehicle resides, they do not care where you actually live.

[Jon in AZ]

Another issue you may run into is insurance. Some insurers require regular inspections of an RV stored away from your residence. Will your carrier insure a unit stored an ocean away?

Their reasons are justified. Unattended RVs in storage lots are more frequent targets of theft and vandalism, and can suffer more extensive damage from insects, critters, or water leaks that aren’t discovered promptly. Insurance aside, it’s something to consider (along with cost and airport accessibility) as you chose the type and location of storage.

I’m not saying this is impossible or even a bad idea. It’s just harder. Which leads to...

This feels like a uniquely Hawaiian problem. Perhaps you can find another resident of the 50th state that keeps an RV or other vehicle on the mainland.

[BigIslandGil]

Did you ever resolve this? I also live in Hawaii and would like to know the best solution to register an rv on the mainland.

[Nic7320]

What you'll need is a residential address for the state it is located. This can be an RV park, a hotel or a friend's house. If you rent for 30 days, that can be a legal address. Then register that physical address with DMV, but use a PO box or your home for your mailing address.

Give your insurance the address where the vehicle is stored. This is important, as they will base their rates based on this zip code.

If you find an RV park with storage, then you get it all in one location. Not much else to it.

[ed275]

Did you ever solve this? I am looking to do the same in the next few months.

Originally Posted by HawaiianBrian

My wife and I (both retired) live in Hawaii (Oahu) and want to buy and use an RV exclusively on the mainland continental U.S. - the RV would never be in Hawaii. We plan to maybe travel 4-6 months a year in it, and keep it parked in storage the rest of the year (and the storage location might be in various locations depending on our itinerary's).

I can't figure out how we would register it on the mainland in a state that we are not residents of? And shipping it back to Hawaii just to register it would not be an option! We plan to maintain our Hawaii residency and Hawaii drivers license.

Thanks for any insight or help!

- Brian

[Nic7320]

It's quite simple.

Get a "temporary" address.

Then get a PO box nearby, or use your home as your mailing address.

Then register your vehicle with your "temporary" address, but have DMV send any mail to your PO box or your home.

I've done it three times in two different states. They might want to
see documentation of your physical address, but one time I used an RV park, and the other two times I had a written agreement on someone's farm where I was staying and that's all it took.

The place where you're storing the vehicle would be a good address to use, just don't send mail there.

[folivier]

I've had a Montana LLC using Action Services for about 12 years now with various RVs and vehicles. It is a great solution if your RV is not in your state over 6 months/year. Overland Insurance in Arizona is very familiar for an insurance source, you just need a garage address. This is all very easy to do either over the phone or online and does not require a residency in Montana. If your RV is over 10 years you can also get a permanent plate. The key is to NOT have your RV in your state of residency for 6 months/year. Easy to keep campground or fuel records to prove it.

[TomF]

I think a lot of people are over thinking this issue. I am a Hawaii resident, and store and use a class B Roadtrek on the mainland, usually traveling for 4 to 5 months a year. For one thing, Hawaii does not care what I do on the mainland, with a vehicle or anything else. For another, I register my Roadtrek in Massachusetts, and they don't care that my license is from Hawaii. The only disadvantage to this is that I cannot go online to renew the registration annually, since the online robot does not recognize my Hawaii license number. I do need a local address to show where the vehicle is garaged, and I use my daughter's address, so excise taxes are based on that.
There is no issue with traveling to other states. I usually visit my children and grandchildren in several states, and in 2018, my wife and I made a 10,000 mile loop of the mainland to visit national parks, friends, and relatives.
MA does require annual inspections, and, again, that is not an issue. If you are out of state when the inspection sticker expires, you just get an inspection when you return. I have several times returned to MA with an expired inspection, and got the new inspection with no penalties.

[DetroitRed]

Even a new vehicle can be registered in Vermont by anyone, not necessarily residents of Vermont. That site is not accurate. Check the actual Vermont DMV under Vehicle Registration.

[slowhands]

Certain states are easier to use for RV registration. I chose South Dakota. It is super convenient, because you don't need any inspections or smog certs, you don't need to live there or ever go there, and you can renew online from anywhere. You do have to have a South Dakota mailing address, and there are many businesses in SD that provide them for about $200/year. For the convenience as an RV nomad, it's worth it to me. I use America's Mailbox, but there are many others. Florida, Texas and Nevada are other states people use but they have more restrictions.