BajaNomad - Vehicle Registration Q.

Vehicle Registration Q.

proneman - 11-2-2010 at 09:28 AM

Just brought back a vehicle from Baja....where it lived unregistered for 4 years or so..... Went to Calif. DMV today to ask about selling it (told them it was still in Baja) and was told because it is not registered somewhere currently, I would have to pay $900. in back penaltys and reg. fees.....They said l just need to show it is registered currently and then back fees wont apply...and the new buyer can then register it without issues.....they said to register it in Mex......but in lieu of that.....
I am thinkin of the South Dakota registration option as a way out....
Anyone have thoughts about this quandry?
Rogelio

El Camote - 11-2-2010 at 09:36 AM

The big question is whether it was in nonop status for the 4 years in Baja. If so, you should be able to just pay the reg. for the current year and be up to date. If not, they've probably got you by the short and curlies and S.D. may be your only option.

Russ - 11-2-2010 at 09:37 AM

:fire:

___ DMV!
Sorry, no suggestions. I'm going to have the same issue with my truck if it ever goes north again.

[Edited on 11-2-2010 by Russ]

bajalou - 11-2-2010 at 09:44 AM

SD is a easy out for you - and probably less expensive than even a 1 year renewal from a Non-op.

DENNIS - 11-2-2010 at 09:46 AM

If SD has no problems with it, go for it. No smog or insurance required. My beater pickup is registered there and I had no problem taking it through the border last week.
Seems like you have a no-brainer on your hands.

proneman - 11-2-2010 at 09:46 AM

No non-op.....but I had filled out a form to request a return of reg. fees when I paid em without realizing that it needed a smog....and in that form it stated that the vechicle was going to reside in Mex for the forseeable future.....that seems like it should have been sufficient...but no....they say I should have reg. it in mex.....and I would need to show proof of reg....I asked then if they would forward the $900 in fees to Baja....
The non-op maybe would have been the solution....but in my mind the vehicle was going to be operated...so did not fit to have a non-op.
rogelio

DENNIS - 11-2-2010 at 09:48 AM

By the way....how did you get it through the border with ancient tags etc?

proneman - 11-2-2010 at 09:48 AM

gonna call South Dakota today and will report back on progress!

proneman - 11-2-2010 at 09:51 AM

Went though Tecate Sunday......and into 2ndary etc.....just asked me if it was my vehicle....I had pink.....but did not have to show it.....there is a form you can get to move a non-reg. vehicle once from A-B....and it is $18 from the DMV.......
rogelio

DENNIS - 11-2-2010 at 09:55 AM

Here's a website for you. Not all counties in SD are as ammenable as Clay County.
If you haven't done this before, it's a trip. The person you are trying to call actually answers the phone.

http://www.claycountysd.org/view.php?doc_id=310

Pompano - 11-2-2010 at 12:24 PM

Check this out. I have used it for some time and literally have saved thousands on RV's, boats, cars, toys.

Better rates on everything.

http://www.americas-mailbox.com/

bajalou - 11-2-2010 at 12:49 PM

Clay county does not require a SD mailing address, so no need to spend money on Americas-mailbox. Any US mailing address will do. They do now require copies of your photo ID, and verification of your SS#.

proneman - 11-2-2010 at 01:45 PM

Very nice doing business with Clay County.....Sending off my $37.68 and plates and new title to be sent to my Calif. address......
The young lady was very nice and helpful with my dumb questions. Yes the same person who is on Dennis's post above.....
Rogelio

DENNIS - 11-2-2010 at 02:05 PM

Right-on. Another satisfied customer.
Wonder how the Ca. election is going? It scares me to think of what Jerky Brown could do to our SD connection.

Pompano - 11-2-2010 at 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajalou
Clay county does not require a SD mailing address, so no need to spend money on Americas-mailbox. Any US mailing address will do. They do now require copies of your photo ID, and verification of your SS#.

Well, I use America's Mailbox in SD for a few different reasons than merely registering rolling stock...it also serves me with a legal residence for fishing, hunting, driver's license, registering to vote, receiving and forwarding mail to any place in the world (Baja, too!)

The big plus about SD is that it has NO state income tax, nor any state inheritance tax or any personal property tax. Vehicle insurance is almost free...currently ranked 49th lowest in the USA. 3 % on newly purchased vehicles.

It's so easy...and no hassles.

proneman - 11-7-2010 at 06:51 AM

Sent my paperwork in to South Dakota on Nov. 2........got my plates and registration on the 6th......
Saved over $850 from what Calif. wanted.......It is just another in a long list of reasons why people are leaving this once great state......
rogelio

DENNIS - 11-7-2010 at 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by proneman
Sent my paperwork in to South Dakota on Nov. 2........got my plates and registration on the 6th......
Saved over $850 from what Calif. wanted.......It is just another in a long list of reasons why people are leaving this once great state......
rogelio

We just have to hope that Jerry Brown doesn't pay too much attention to it.

bajalearner - 11-7-2010 at 11:14 AM

OK, here's a related but off topic. I get a pension from Calpers and I know I can list my address out of state. The question is if I do, I think my health insurance choices are the out of state ones. I like Kaiser socal and it's cheap if I live in Cal, but if I reside out of state it may not be offered and or expensive. I want to avoid CA DMV fees and state income tax. But if it's at the expense of losing Kaiser socal I have to think about this.

I am just thinking out load because I know there is a wealth of information here and some devious minds

DENNIS - 11-7-2010 at 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajalearner
some devious minds

I guess I'm one of them. I have Kaiser Señor Advantage and live in Baja. I also have a street address, Postal Annex, in San Ysidro. I have no problems and since Kaiser only knows what I tell them [always the full truth] they have no problems either.

If I really had to rely on deviousness....I'd claim to be homeless. No law against that.

bajalearner - 11-7-2010 at 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by bajalearner
some devious minds

Instead of devious, I could have used the word resourceful but I like devious.
I have a similar system working too. I Like the idea of having an out of state residence address. CA abuses it's people and businesses.

krafty - 11-8-2010 at 09:06 AM

So this SD plate and reg. with a Cali license would not be an issue should you be stopped by police? How would you explain it and would you need to?

DENNIS - 11-8-2010 at 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by krafty
So this SD plate and reg. with a Cali license would not be an issue should you be stopped by police? How would you explain it and would you need to?

Speak only in French. :lol:

OK...jes kiddin'. There are a lot of theories used to answer your question. Some say, in California the mis-match is illegal. Others say it doesn't matter, on and on.
What I say is there won't be a problem and the issue won't even come up if not as a detail of another problem, such as a wreck.
We've torn this question apart here in the past and not once that I can recall has anybody come forward and said they had a problem on the streets with the police.
If your Ca. license is good, your insurance is valid and your SD tags are current, why would they want to open that can of worms. They don't even have the resources to apprehend real criminals.

.

[Edited on 11-8-2010 by DENNIS]

krafty - 11-8-2010 at 11:49 AM

Good point, Dennis-thanks

slimshady - 11-8-2010 at 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by krafty
So this SD plate and reg. with a Cali license would not be an issue should you be stopped by police? How would you explain it and would you need to?

I have CA license and a Wyoming plates. In Mexico I tell them that I have many houses and the vehicle is kept at my wyoming residence.
In the U.S. you can say the same. They will never verify or know anything unless you tell them.

Working with the DMV in Ca is just as bad as dealing with the IRS. Forever to get through and when you do they either don't have an answer or have ten different ones.

vacaenbaja - 11-8-2010 at 02:36 PM

On a related issue How long does your car stay on the
California DMV delinquent registration before it "falls off the
database? If and when it falls off what would be the cost to register it anew? I have a car that i nver got a round to
putting on inop status. last I checked it was around $700 to bring it up todate. A lot of $ for a car that has never been on the public streets as I have had it garaged all this time.

[Edited on 11-8-2010 by vacaenbaja]

proneman - 11-8-2010 at 06:05 PM

Vacaenbaja,

My understanding is that they just want to see a current registration......If you get the SD reg......wait a while(or not) and then go to Cal. DMV if you want a Cal. reg.
roger

slimshady - 11-8-2010 at 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vacaenbaja
On a related issue How long does your car stay on the
California DMV delinquent registration before it "falls off the
database? If and when it falls off what would be the cost to register it anew? I have a car that i nver got a round to
putting on inop status. last I checked it was around $700 to bring it up todate. A lot of $ for a car that has never been on the public streets as I have had it garaged all this time.

[Edited on 11-8-2010 by vacaenbaja]

I got letter several months after the reg was due with smog. The state included penalties and late fees. The form that AAA had me fill out was compltely wrong. After I recieved the notice the DMV said I was late, so I sent the statement of facts form to the DMV address in Sacramento that deals with registration. I sent copies of my new Regsitration and told them that my car is registered in WY and at my second residence. The rest is none of their business.

bajalearner - 11-9-2010 at 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by proneman
Very nice doing business with Clay County.....Sending off my $37.68 and plates and new title to be sent to my Calif. address......
The young lady was very nice and helpful with my dumb questions. Yes the same person who is on Dennis's post above.....
Rogelio

This is based on my experience...
When you have the car registered in SD and you come into contact with a cop in CA, he might ask you why your car is registered there and you have a CA driver license. The reason he is asking is that he wants to know if you are a "citizen of CA" which means you are supposed to register your car here and PAY FEES.

CA vehicle section 4000 is the law that a car on public roads must be registered in CA. Subsection g (4000g) says:
'(g) For purposes of this section, possession of a California driver's license by the registered owner of a vehicle shall give rise to a rebuttable presumption that the owner is a resident of California."

So, when the cop asks you why you have a CA dl, you can say you spend most of your year in SD but are in CA a good part of the year. The cop might follow up with questions like; Where do you work? Do you own property in CA, Who owns the the property address listed on your CA DL? Where are you registered to vote, To what state do you pay state income taxes, Why is the address on your SD car reregistration in CA, Do you or any dependents go to school in CA (pay resident fees or foreign fees)...

This may sound far out but it is possible, especially if it's the CHP who are mainly trained as "traffic cops" and by the way, CHP's budget is out of the $ DMV collects so they are aware of tricks to not pay CA fees. Other police agencies may not care so much but a sharp cop might ask.

So, be aware that if it comes up, you are a resident of SD and only spend part of your time in CA or you could get a ticket for not having your car registered in Ca which would mean a fine and penalties for back registration. And if it have been a few years, it would be big bucks. That cops "friendly" questions may not be so friendly.

You can google CA vehicle code and look at section 4000. Registration info. And section 12505 (driver license residency requirements.)

This is not to scare anyone but be forewarned and prepared and anticipate the question and give the right answer and you will probably go on down the road. Give the wrong answer and you could enter bureaucratic hell which is I think where many baja nomads choose not to be.

DENNIS - 11-9-2010 at 08:18 AM

And where would we stand if the cop, knowing full well that SD offers mail-order registration, asks if we have ever been to SD; which I, for one, never have?
Seems that, in your scenario, we are left with no exit from the situation without commiting some sort of curbside perjury.

I tend to lean towards the truthful explaination that my SD plated vehicle is garaged in Mexico throughout the year except for two days. This is true. I don't foresee a conflict with the law if everything, DL...registration and insurance are current.
There are different approaches to solving the problem. I merely tend to favor the less complicated.
Another reason for keeping a Ca. DL is I have a newer vehicle garaged in Mexico which is plated and financed in Ca. If not for that, I'd be off on a road trip to SD for a license in a minute.

It occured to me from the beginning of this charade that it could become regrettable. It hasn't reached that point as of yet, but knowing how desperate Ca. is for money, I can almost see that it inevitably will be.

.

[Edited on 11-9-2010 by DENNIS]

MsTerieus - 11-9-2010 at 11:32 AM

Learner -- similar question to Dennis': Since all one must "establish" is that one is not a "citizen" of CA, why can't a person with a CA D.L. and S.D. plates tell the CHP (or whomever) that one resides in Mexico, rather than in S.D.?

DENNIS - 11-9-2010 at 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MsTerieus
Learner -- similar question to Dennis': Since all one must "establish" is that one is not a "citizen" of CA

Sounds a bit "Napoleonic"....doesn't it. Guilty until proven innocent, but I guess that would be a fair question from the CHP as you hand him your Ca DL.
Anyway, I kinda thought I had implied that with this statement:

Quote:

I tend to lean towards the truthful explaination that my SD plated vehicle is garaged in Mexico throughout the year except for two days. This is true.

-----------------------------------------

Quote:

why can't a person with a CA D.L. and S.D. plates tell the CHP (or whomever) that one resides in Mexico, rather than in S.D.?

Sure. Why not? I have to ask though, who is the presumed offender here.........the driver or the vehicle?
I don't know.

bajalearner - 11-9-2010 at 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MsTerieus
Learner -- similar question to Dennis': Since all one must "establish" is that one is not a "citizen" of CA, why can't a person with a CA D.L. and S.D. plates tell the CHP (or whomever) that one resides in Mexico, rather than in S.D.?

Yes...we would hope that would end it. But what if the cop says, Do you own a house here, where do you vote, do you have other cars in CA, do you work in CA. Or worse than that, if a judge asks those questions.
Hey, I am more anti CA fees than the average person. I am not against taking the best angle don't get me wrong. That is why I looked at this for my own possible use. And I will say again, this is just my opinion of what I read in the veh code.
I am just looking at what might be asked.
And if my opinion is wrong...I would be happy if we can do it and save some fee dollars.

ckiefer - 11-9-2010 at 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by slimshady

Quote:

So true....I purchased a vehicle in CA, registered and insured it, drove it directly down to Baja and left it there. Then when renewal time came around I completed the non-op. Got stopped in Mexico.....well, now I have the vehicle registered in CA, again. BUT, I used a service in CA to do it for me. Their charge for going to the DMV for me was only $35. They have special privileges with the DMV I suppose.

Non op just means that you will not drive, tow, store your vehicle on any public road or highway. I "might" try to tell "them" that I did file the non-op and the DMV must have lost it? That or either learn how to speak French really quickly! I see plenty of SD plates in Baja so it must be working for those folks!

MitchMan - 11-10-2010 at 03:54 PM

In the final analysis, if you have a current California DL with a California address on it and you are driving a SD registered vehicle that you own on a California public street, you are in violation of California law even if you have current sufficient California insurance coverage.

It is possible, however, to get a one-day DMV permit for driving said vehicle on a California public street under the proviso that you are driving for one day either to California private property or out of the state of California - but you must have auto ins coverage for driving on the California public street for that one day.

My research supports my above-mentioned statements. If I am wrong, please let me know because I need to bring my truck from baja to my house in OC California for a couple of months and I need to drive it for more than one day.