Benefits of registration in SD

[Gazelle05]

Currently all vehicles are registered in Wa State. After being on the road most of the year we have noticed a lot of motorhomes registered in South Dakota. Would someone tell me the benefits if there are any to license in SD.

[johnsonbert]

We are in the same situation. We have holdings in 2 different states but neither is a residence. One in just property with a full hook up spot and the other is property with pole building and electricity. We can stay at either for an extended time but neither is our residence. We use My Home Address in Emery SD for our address, drivers license and 2 car plates. Coach is registered in Wisconsin as that is where the lender is from and we have some of our mail sent there to a relatives house for forwarding. For years we paid state income tax to our home state even though we had not lived there for 12 years. Then they decided to tax SS and retirement money so we left. SD is not the lowest on plates and the advantages have been listed in other posts. It works out well for us, although someday we will have to go back to one of the other states for residency when done full timing. We have licensed in Florida previously also, and they were non-resident friendly at that time. Texas has annual inspections as do many other states. Hope this may help. Happy Trails Bert

[crawford]

Gazelle05 why trump doesn't pay is share LOL

[rhagfo]

Be very careful when living in one state and registering an RV in a low tax state. While great for full timers that move constantly could cost you dearly if caught.
Years ago Washington State had a fairly stiff excise tax on vehicles. Many would register in low cost states.
One long holiday weekend they station observers on major roads leaving the greater Seattle area, they recorded RV license plates of those leaving the area. Then did the same on RVs returning to the area at the end of the holiday weekend, then investigated all the matches. There were many people caught!
They also did a similar thing in Vancover, Wa. area, State Patrol would sit on on ramps in Vancover and stop vehicles with Oregon plates going South out of town and check state of residence. This also caught many with high $$$$ vehicles to avoid the excise tax.
At the time the cost to license in Oregon was about $60 for two years for most vehicles, in Washington it could be over $1,000 for a high $$$$ vehicles.

[#5]

As I said, my choice was to register in sd because the sales tax was 3% vs 6.5% and no wealth tax. But, you have to be out of the “other” state 6months/more. Which I am, so that’s the catch. I do get some mail forwarded, but very minimal. If I need all mail forwarded, I could. I can get parts online, get my sd license and stay cheaply when there.

[Executive45]

Lots of assumptions in the responses. Here is my two cents, since we are SD residents. IF you are a full time RVr then you are free to pick and choose your State of Residency. That said, it's imperative that you follow certain guidelines to ensure you're following current law to prevent the tax man from knocking on your door. These guidelines are spelled out pretty clearly in the IRS codebook, but basically says you may choose your domicile State as the one you MIGHT intend to reside in should you end your full time gig. That in itself is pretty nebulous. Anyway, there are many reasons to choose South Dakota. We left California and it's high taxes 11 years ago and never looked back. If you are a full time RVr, then simply begin transferring EVERYTHING to SD, including your bank accounts, voter registration, plates, driver's license etc. Everything can be done on-line with two exceptions. One, you must visit SD for one day and obtain your driver's license in person. You also must return every 5 yrs to renew with the same requirement. Yes, they do ask for verification. The other thing you cannot do on-line is obtain handicapped plates. They require a SD doctor's certification to get the plates...after that renewal is done by mail. There are several mail forwarding places in SD but make sure they have a verifiable USPS approved mailing address. Otherwise, you will have difficulty in some instances such as Scottrade etc that won't accept a non-verifiable address. FMCA offers a mail service out of Sioux Falls and Americas Mailbox is out of Box Elder near Rapid City. With that said, here is the answer to your question:

• No State Income Tax
• No Inheritance Tax
• No Personal Property Tax
• No Vehicle Inspections
• Vehicle Tax only 4%
• Low cost vehicle/RV Registrations

Hope this helps.....Dennis

[Gazelle05]

Thank you all for your inputs. Going to stay on the left and pay my share.
Trump 2020

[Blaster_Man]

As noted above, states are cracking down on RVers claiming residence in one state to avoid taxes in their "true" home state. My state is checking out of state tags and when they find somebody doing what I stated above, they get fined, pay all past state taxes and state tax penalties. Check with an attorney.

[navigator2346]

What would you be seeking by registering in SD? You have already payed a hefty sales tax so you won't save anything there and the registration costs might be the same unless you are in a county with all the high fees tacked on.

[#10]

I’m in Mo (part time) and registered in sd. America’s mailbox in Box Elder. Great service. Primarily as mail forwarding, but have multiple services. Benefit for me is. Plate tags. Our class A and my ford 150. Costs about $440 annual for tags and the bronze plan membership at about $150/yr. ( I don’t need mail forwarded). Plus we paid only 3% sales tax on our bus. It’s 4% now. Big one is this saves us on personal prop (wealth) tax yearly. About $15-1800 a year. They also get my tags and mail them to me. Have a store, nice motel, and rv park if you go there. I also had my Harley Davidson plate there. I love it. You can stay there if you ever need or want to get your SD driver license. Which is recommended. I don’t and it is ok so far.
I’m retired and on the road a lot, so this is the key. I think it’s ok if you’re out of your state more than 6 months. You’d have to check.

[CA_Traveler]

Registration is a consideration. But what about your resident state, drivers license, income from what source, state and federal taxes, vehicle and other insurance, real estate property, etc and not to mention where you vote? Something to consider?

[doxiemom11]

We are residents of SD, but do not own a home anywhere and do all of our business in SD. Just registering a motorhome there would look pretty suspicious.

[bobkatmsu]

States are looking into this more and more. Actual residents of one state, claiming residence in another. Therefore fraudulently depriving true state of tax dollars. California seems to be the most often state to be cheated. They are also one of the most expensive states to own a RV. Inspectors are hired to check RV storage areas for out of state license plates, especially South Dakota. Huge fines and well as back taxes await those trying to cheat the State of California.

[TechWriter]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
To register for a new resident SD it does require you to be physically present, have proof, a reciept, from a lodging establishment for a recent overnight stay.
You could fly in rent a room even if you did not stay the night and qualify.

This may satisfy SD residency requirements, but not OP's actual home state. Check with a lawyer.

[SDcampowneroper]

To register for a new resident SD it does require you to be physically present, have proof, a reciept, from a lodging establishment for a recent overnight stay.
You could fly in rent a room even if you did not stay the night and qualify.