Calling all legal minds...
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Calling all legal minds...
I am a law student but have had some trouble figuring out this situation. I was hoping somebody either had more knowledge on the subject or had been in this situation themselves. My family and I live in New Jersey where the insurance rates are some of the highest in the country. However, we recently purchased a piece of property down in South Carolina and I had suggested that among other advantages, the prices of car insurance there were much lower. Not to mention the fact that you can fully tint and not wear a front plate. However, we will not be living there even part time for at least another 2 years. We would like to transfer our insurance to South Carolina and from what I understand that involves having our drivers licenses switched to South Carolina as well. I was concerned that we may have to pay taxes down there as a result of having a South Carolina drivers license but I am not sure. Also, my mother works for the state of New Jersey and obviously earns an income up here. Nobody in my family earns an income in South Carolina and I thought that might also be a problem because it clearly shows that we don't currently spend any time or do anything in S.C. Has anybody else had, or been in this situation. Up here I see vehicles with Florida plates a fair amount but I am not sure whether or not they live there for part of the year, as many people from this area do when it gets cold. What can we do to make this work, legally? Any ideas or input would be greatly appreciated.
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Every state is different. In my experiences - when you register a car, the state your drivers license is in has nothing to do with the vehicle registration. DMV doesn't even ask for it, I can't remember a time when I registered/plated a car at DMV (NY) and they asked to see my driver's license. Indeed, I know plenty of people in NY that have one car with NY plates, and another with FL plates.
Where the car is registered/plated - technically it has to be in the state where the car is "principally garaged". You'll have to decide for yourself whether your SC residency arrangement meets that criteria. And if SC has personal property taxes on autos (NJ does not), the insurance savings might not make it worth it.
The best thing to do might be to call DMV in both states, and just ask them. Tell them you have a seasonal place in SC, and ask if you can drive an SC plated car in NJ with your NJ driver's license. And ask SC if they require an SC driver's license to register a car there.
Where the car is registered/plated - technically it has to be in the state where the car is "principally garaged". You'll have to decide for yourself whether your SC residency arrangement meets that criteria. And if SC has personal property taxes on autos (NJ does not), the insurance savings might not make it worth it.
The best thing to do might be to call DMV in both states, and just ask them. Tell them you have a seasonal place in SC, and ask if you can drive an SC plated car in NJ with your NJ driver's license. And ask SC if they require an SC driver's license to register a car there.
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Car insurance is based on where the car is "garaged." So right off you would have to lie about that. Then, most states require driver's license and registration to match. Most states also give you less than 90 days to change your registration if you are no longer "living" in your previous address. Bottom line is that you are living in NJ so you are expected to pay NJ taxes and rates.
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Your comment about "state requires driver's license and registration to match" - at least from my NY/FL knowledge, that cannot be true. NY "snowbirds" routinely keep a car plated in NY, and another plated in FL. It's legal.
What if I had homes in 4 states? The cars I kept at each home would have to be registered in that state, since they were principally garaged there. But I myself cannot hold 4 driver's licenses, from 4 states. So right away, its impossible for all your registrations to match your driver's license.
What if I had homes in 4 states? The cars I kept at each home would have to be registered in that state, since they were principally garaged there. But I myself cannot hold 4 driver's licenses, from 4 states. So right away, its impossible for all your registrations to match your driver's license.
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here is an example of the NY law. No license is required to register a car:
http://nysdmv.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/n...i=&p_topview=1
http://nysdmv.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/n...i=&p_topview=1
