Out of State plates in California?
Posted by Independent-Top2059@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 18 comments
Okay so I am purchasing a new car and plan to register it in another state (you all know why). I live in California and my DL is in california. However, I will have a person from said state who has a permanent residency there on the title with me. Should I be fine with all this said to drive the car in California with the out of state registration. Also, what do I do in terms of insurance in this case.
Longjumping-Owl-9276@reddit
I’ve been using South Dakota plates and registration for almost 20 years. Never had an issue or pulled over. Lived in metropolitan San Diego and LA.
knownikko@reddit
The law couldn’t be more clear. Doesn’t matter who’s on the title. Doesn’t matter where it’s registered. Doesn’t matter why you don’t want to pay taxes.
Only thing that matters is where the car is used. With ALPR machines at every third intersection these days, it’s trivial to build a case and throw the book at tax cheat wanks.
Independent-Top2059@reddit (OP)
haha nothing to do with taxes just modification
knownikko@reddit
It doesn’t matter, because when you get caught, you’ve turned a CARB problem into an IRS problem. State ref will be the least of your worries.
More_Pineapple3585@reddit
so do the cops
also, you're giving the police a reason to stop you and get into your business. had a glass of wine with dinner?
good luck
Ok_Two_2604@reddit
Woo sb100. Screw production cars.
Vpc1979@reddit
About 20 years ago my roommate in LA had his car impounded when he was pulled over with an out-of-state plate. They were able to correlate parking tickets over the last couple of years. He had to pay $1000s in back DMV fees and fines+ have his car pass smog.
Chair_luger@reddit
If you insure the car in a different state and are in a car accident your insurance likely will not cover you because you lied to the insurance company. In addition to possibly losing a large lawsuit without any insurance you will also need to pay for your own lawyers which can be very expensive.
Rough_Cancel7265@reddit
Insurance might care as long as you don't falsify where it's being garaged. Regarding the plates. I've explained this to car guys that don't quite get this. You can't use another state's laws to break California's laws, and then get upset when California enforces said laws that you're knowingly breaking. Are you guaranteed to get stopped? No. Is it easier than ever to prove that the car was here longer than 30 days, ESPECIALLY if you're a resident here? Yes. Up to you if it's worth the risk.
AwarenessGreat282@reddit
Nope, you won't be fine and it's still breaking the law. You'll be constantly looking over your shoulder for cops. Do what you want but if you live in CA, you live with the laws. Vote opposite or leave the state are your best options.
directrix688@reddit
California is cracking down on this.
Hope your neighbors like you, this can be reported to the state through a website
ImInClassBoring@reddit
If the car is in the state for a certain amount of time it is supposed to be registered here. With plate reading cameras everywhere they know exactly how long it's been in the state. If it's an exotic or import with an out of state plate and you have a police officer a California drivers license you are just asking for problems.
No-Island8074@reddit
Most of the people that got nabbed in the latest crackdown on this got charged with tax fraud. Pay your sales tax in California by registering the car in California first. Then do what you want.
Hungry-Job-3198@reddit
So they are now cracking down on this hard in California and other states as well. People are registering vehicles in Montana and other states. There’s a YouTube that has a whole fleet of vehicles that he’s doing exactly this with. He was arrested twice for it now, that was a different state. But, California is cracking down hard on this as well. I’m not saying you will get arrested, but CHP especially freaking hates this and you will 100% receive tickets
K-Rimes@reddit
If you had a license to go along with the registration, and didn't register to vote, or any other California services yeah maybe you can pull this off - but you're boned with a CA DL and a car registered elsewhere. You're fine all the way up to the day that you get pulled over, then you're not.
ChrisGear101@reddit
Asking how to break the laws online is just hilarious to me. I know, it isn't the crime of the century, but still funny.
kbreezykta@reddit
California cops are cracking down on out of state plates pretty hard lately, especially Montana plates because of the Montana loophole. If you’re doing this to bypass CA emissions and your car is loud, I would be wary of doing it.
Automatic_Mulberry@reddit
California doesn't actually care where the registered owner lives. They care where the vehicle lives.
The law says that if the vehicle is in CA for use in CA long term, it should be registered in CA. If you lived in, say, MN eight months a year but kept a car at your San Diego summer house, CA would want it reg'ed in CA.
The other person being on the registration might be an argument to make in court, but it's a crapshoot - and not good odds, IMO. With the proliferation of ALPR cameras, I think it's going to be a hard case to make, when the car is spotted around the state and not entering/exiting the state. Personally, I would not use the loophole with anything I could not afford to lose, but it's your choice.
Your insurance company wants to know where the vehicle is stored and used, regardless of where it is registered.