vehile registration question

nmcgrawj

nmcgrawj

Club Member
Question for you guys...

How long can u wait before u have to re-register your car in a new state after moving? Say you move to atlanta...is there anything legal wise that stops you from keeping the vehicle registered/insured in michigan?


Obviously you'll need an address in michigan to use. Besides that, anything else?
 
not that i know of... there was a guy in louisiana who lived there for fifteen years and still have michigan plates on his truck... says he used his parents address
 
If you move outside of MI, the state will give you between 15-30 to transfer everything over. That state will usually have this listed on their DMV website. The big deal is the driver's license. You'll need to do this for ID. That time period also is usually the same to register your vehicle. If you get pulled over with MI plates while living in another state, the fine can be anywhere from $100 and up (and up).

While living in MO in '95/'96, I kept my MI plates because the tabs were only a month or two old. By the time they were due to be renewed, I knew I was moving back, so they were just renewed.

Why you'd want to renew MI plates is beyond me. MI's plate fees and insurance is some of the highest in the country. My plates here in FL are 1/3 of what I paid for them in MI. My insurance costs are 1/3 less.
 
Swifster said:
If you move outside of MI, the state will give you between 15-30 to transfer everything over. That state will usually have this listed on their DMV website. The big deal is the driver's license. You'll need to do this for ID. That time period also is usually the same to register your vehicle. If you get pulled over with MI plates while living in another state, the fine can be anywhere from $100 and up (and up).

While living in MO in '95/'96, I kept my MI plates because the tabs were only a month or two old. By the time they were due to be renewed, I knew I was moving back, so they were just renewed.

Why you'd want to renew MI plates is beyond me. MI's plate fees and insurance is some of the highest in the country. My plates here in FL are 1/3 of what I paid for them in MI. My insurance costs are 1/3 less.
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Well even if i got a georgia license/id....i could still use my parent's address here right? And for insurance purposes i could have them listed on it?



The concern for me is emission testing. Just trying to see what my options are for getting around testing on my 95 mustang. Im a newb to that since i've always been in detroit. I could just swap back on stock headers/mid pipe/ smog pump but thats no fun:bondage:. This is on a 95 mustang by the way.



I wonder if there are mileage/age of car rules for cars that dont have to test:headscrat
 
nmcgrawj said:
Well even if i got a georgia license/id....i could still use my parent's address here right? And for insurance purposes i could have them listed on it?


The concern for me is emission testing. Just trying to see what my options are for getting around testing on my 95 mustang. Im a newb to that since i've always been in detroit. I could just swap back on stock headers/mid pipe/ smog pump but thats no fun:bondage:. This is on a 95 mustang by the way.



I wonder if there are mileage/age of car rules for cars that dont have to test:headscrat
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probably be fine, if you get asked, just say you are borrowing it from your parents, or just got it back from them, etc.
 
You'll probalby never get hassled on it but the potential would exist. The same cop would have to notice your car or pull you over multiple times for them to think anything of the out of state plate, and even then military members keep their plates out of state all the time so if there is a base near by they really won't think anything of it.

You might look into the emissions stuff, Detroit has the highest insurance in the country and you'll have to keep the Michigan insurance to keep the Michigan plates. You might save yourself a bunch of money by switching it all if you can find a way to get ti by emissions.

I put off switching my plates/insurance as long as I could when I moved here. Nebraska requires a title inspection for a vehicle purchased out of state though, so when I bought the Torino I was forced to switch it all to Michigan because I didn't have a way of getting the car back to Nebraska to get licenced.

I even got pulled over in Michigan with my T-bird while it was licensed in Nebraska still. The cop gave me this line "I don't know how you do things in Nebraska but..." :lol: Said nothing about the out of state ID or plates.
 
nmcgrawj said:
The concern for me is emission testing. Just trying to see what my options are for getting around testing on my 95 mustang. Im a newb to that since i've always been in detroit. I could just swap back on stock headers/mid pipe/ smog pump but thats no fun:bondage:. This is on a 95 mustang by the way.
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Who said Georgia had emissions testing? Do your homework before you decide the sky is falling. Title fee is $18 and registration is $20. THAT'S a deal!

Georgia Department of Revenue

You need to get your driver's license first at the Georgia Department of Driver Services. They give you 30 days to get your license. Like Florida, you need to go to two seperate places to get a license and "tag".

As for testing, no one said you can't modify cars where testing is completed. You just have to be smart about what you do to your car. There is all kinds of things that are CARB certified in CA that will pass an emissions test and still make the car run.

By the way, Detroit had emission testing for over ten years and I don't think anyone stopped tinkering with their cars. They keep talking about bringing it back.
 
yes, there are laws that state you must change your plates/ ID within a specific time period and every state is different. my friend got pinned for it when he moved from MI to VA a couple years back. he was in VA for 3 months and didnt really think about his plates since he wasnt due for renewal or anything. A state trooper knocked on his door and handed him an $800 fine and said "I've noticed you live here and havent changed your registration" etc.

Keep the mustang in your parents name (primary) and yours listed as a driver in MI and just drive it. you shouldnt have a problem then...

Im on thin ice with this as well. We moved to philly 6 months ago but our permanent address is still in MI (wifes parents house) but I have a feeling that someone with a stick up their ass could raise hell and prove that we are living here and should have switched our perm. address/ registrations etc.
 
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Swifster said:
Who said Georgia had emissions testing? Do your homework before you decide the sky is falling. Title fee is $18 and registration is $20. THAT'S a deal!

Georgia Department of Revenue

You need to get your driver's license first at the Georgia Department of Driver Services. They give you 30 days to get your license. Like Florida, you need to go to two seperate places to get a license and "tag".

As for testing, no one said you can't modify cars where testing is completed. You just have to be smart about what you do to your car. There is all kinds of things that are CARB certified in CA that will pass an emissions test and still make the car run.

By the way, Detroit had emission testing for over ten years and I don't think anyone stopped tinkering with their cars. They keep talking about bringing it back.
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LOL not only have i been told by guys who are currently in Georgia who test their cars....a simple google search shows you what counties require testing. But the funny thing is.....your own link says you have to have proof of testing...

Submit proof that your vehicle has passed an emission's inspection when required for your vehicle in your county of residence. For requiring counties, exempt vehicles, inspection station locations, directions, the cost for an inspection, etc., please either call the Georgia Clean Air Force at 1-800-449-2471 or click here to connect to their web site.
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:roll:


Guess they dont cover reading too well over in East Lansing huh? :sagrin: jk bud.



And yes i know there are ways around it. And no i wasnt aware that detroit used to do it. I've only been driving for 9 years. This isnt about trying to get around future modifications, its about moving with a modified vehicle. So like i said, i could easily find the stock parts i need to pass visually, probably pull the spout to lock the timing to pass the sniffer, and be good to go. There are probably even shops you can toss an extra couple $ to if u know the right people.


Just weighing my options :beerchug:
 
nmcgrawj said:
LOL not only have i been told by guys who are currently in Georgia who test their cars....a simple google search shows you what counties require testing. But the funny thing is.....your own link says you have to have proof of testing...

Guess they dont cover reading too well over in East Lansing huh? :sagrin: jk bud.
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Hey, it's not noon yet. I'm not used to being up this early...

Find out what counties test and move to one that doesn't.
 
Swifster said:
Hey, it's not noon yet. I'm not used to being up this early...

Find out what counties test and move to one that doesn't.
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lol i hear ya man. Some mornings are like that. I was gonna feel like a complete idiot if they didnt test tho:buds:


The 2 counties fulton and cobb...are atlanta and marietta. Moving elsewhere would prolly cost more and be more of an inconvenience than just swapping on stock parts. I havent analyzed the map of counties down there...but when i saw where the 2 cities we were considering were on the list, i just kinda assumed they made all metro-atlanta cities test.

I could probably avoid it if we moved away from the city...but thats unacceptable. lol
 
I always like Gainesville (about 55 miles NE). It's not too far from Road Atlanta and considering everyone does 85 MPH on I-985 and I-85, it should be less than an hour. Think of it as the Pontiac Lakes area around Union Lake, Milford, etc. It would also put you in Hall county.
 
Swifster said:
I always like Gainesville (about 55 miles NE). It's not too far from Road Atlanta and considering everyone does 85 MPH on I-985 and I-85, it should be less than an hour. Think of it as the Pontiac Lakes area around Union Lake, Milford, etc. It would also put you in Hall county.
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ahhh good stuff. That happens to not be on the list i found,


  • Cherokee

  • Clayton

  • Cobb

  • Coweta

  • DeKalb

  • Douglas

  • Fayette

  • Forsyth

  • Fulton

  • Gwinnett

  • Henry

  • Paulding

  • Rockdale


But with my fiance being in school, and me possibly back in school, that drive would suck. I would do it for just work though.
 
nmcgrawj said:
ahhh good stuff. That happens to not be on the list i found,


  • Cherokee

  • Clayton

  • Cobb


  • Coweta

  • DeKalb

  • Douglas

  • Fayette

  • Forsyth

  • Fulton

  • Gwinnett

  • Henry

  • Paulding

  • Rockdale


But with my fiance being in school, and me possibly back in school, that drive would suck. I would do it for just work though.
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University of Georgia is 40-45 minutes away in Athens. And you haven't seen traffic until you've been in Atlanta rush hour. Gainesville to Athens is a nice, quiet trip down US-129. You can also look at Barrow and Jackson counties off of I-85 (closer to Athens). There is also Cartersville (never been there) to the NW in Bartow county.

Oh, and whatever you do, stay out of the south end of Atlanta. All of the rednecks live there. And the war has not stopped there yet. The northern part of Georgia is much more yankee friendly.
 
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Swifster said:
University of Georgia is 40-45 minutes away in Athens. And you haven't seen traffic until you've been in Atlanta rush hour. Gainesville to Athens is a nice, quiet trip down US-129. You can also look at Barrow and Jackson counties off of I-85 (closer to Athens). There is also Cartersville (never been there) to the NW in Bartow county.

Oh, and whatever you do, stay out of the south end of Atlanta. All of the rednecks live there. And the war has not stopped there yet. The northern part of Georgia is much more yankee friendly.
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Thanks for the advice man, definitely appreciated! :thumbsup:
 
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