Any body done the Montana license plate trick?

Me

thoughts? advice? insider information?

So what happens if/when you get pulled over, and you have a CA drivers license (or whatever your state is) and Montana plates?

Just curious.

I used to play this game when i was at school in WV and my vehicles were titled at my moms place in VA. Did this for like 6 years or so. Cops never really cared. One state trooper cited me for no mud flaps on time, thats about it.

It's a sketchy gray area to some, legit to others. I used it to make my SxS streel legal in NY as a 'Quadracycle'.

I have a trailer I need to sell to my LLC. That way I can get a life time registration with no inspection. It will save me hundreds a year in NY registration fees.

The problem areas are all in your states laws. NY has a law that says that If you are a resident and wholly own an out of state business but you park that businesses vehicles in NY, then you must register them in NY. So its a Gray area. Your Montana company will own the vehicle and per Federal reciprocity, if you can register it in one state, the plate is valid in all of them... BUT your state can make laws that say, if you park it here and reside here, you need a NY registration.

The SxS works because there is no such thing as a SxS in NY DOT law. They are not mentioned or covered, so I cant register it if I tried. It's all up to a judges interpretation if you get a ticket and need to fight it. But my trailer might not because there is a path to register it.

I have a trailer that I am about to sell to my brother that lives in Montana so I can permanent plate it at a one time $150 fee instead of paying the crooks in Chicago $206/year.

Maybe the reasoning for looking into grey plating is really a suggestion that it is time to move to a place that is more hospitable?

A year? Dam...

i got pulled over a little bit ago in Nevada driving a vehicle with Washington plates (my name is not on the registration) using a California drivers license with a Virginia PO box as the address listed on it.

despite the cop being shitty about it and wasting a bunch of my time, none of it was illegal, car wasn't stolen, just a whole bunch of "well that's odd". Okay, odd isn't illegal.

In CA and likely VA, it is set up like NY. you have a 30 day grace period, beyond 30 days and you need to register it in that state. in order to lose that case you'd have to have a cop claim you used it over 30 days in that state and then you'd need to prove to the court that you have not.

people go for years and decades without current registration and a significant number of people still don't comply with drivers lic and/or insurance laws, so flaunt the law at your own risk.

As for losing your antique tags, that's bullshit.

my trailer still has a VA registration on it because it is a permanent tag. haven't ever been hassled about it and don't expect to be. it's a homebuilt trailer tag so i'll likely not register a trailer again in my life

yep, Prickzker just doubled it, and it's due to go up more next year. I know a lot of guys here in So IL that are just letting the lic lapse and are going to chance it. I'm not sure if $200 is worth it for the 3 times a year I pull my big trailer.

yep, the fat fuck governor passed new fees last year. car/truck plates went up $50 across the board and trailers went up $100 across the board. under 3k lbs trailers went from $18 to $118 a year

Setting up a LLC in MT is pretty easy and not very expensive, registered agents are about $100 year. I think it’s $25 for the state fees.

Or just move to MT and avoid the paperwork

i know a guy who does it. when talking with him about he said he was advised by his legal council to register it in home state (if possible) first, pay your taxes and registration, then move it. based on his legal counsel's experience if you pay your fees to your home state, it shows its an estate plan not to avoid taxes and fees.