Ratch
Member
- 586
- 5
- 18
- Location
- Chester County, PA
I thought about going the Maine way for a trailer I just sold, but didn't flesh it out. Signing over a Maine transferable registration I got for $90 would have saved me the combined cost and time of an SF97 and re-titling it in PA.
Mathematically, it works out if you stay with the Maine tag or use it to sell. I don't know the law on that, but the rule of thumb for me is:
If I have a massive wreck, will I lose a lawsuit because of a legal technicality, or the implication that I took steps to circumvent the law?
Of course, I've been towing around unregistered trailers for months...
If you go with a Maine tag just to title your trailer and then re-title it in your home state, it may be a wash. What do you save after spending tax, $90 for a 5-year tag, and $45 for a title, just to bring it to your home DMV/DOT and pay all the fees you would have paid with an SF97 and maybe a little higher tax?
Might as well get an SF97 for $60 and title it procedurally in PA (or your home state).
If I were still in NY and actually attempted to collect MilSurp, I'd go Maine all the way and store my trailer out of state periodically to avoid the 6-month rule and NY's exorbitant taxation and titling fees... And if you're doing that, don't keep clear records of when it was moved around...
Jut occurred to me... Anyone know if Maine has a dealer threshold? IE if I register ten trailers with them over a period of a year, and those registrations all come back to them from new owners re-titling them?
PA I just found out is 1 vehicle per year to trigger a dealer license requirement. Pretty stupid that I would be required to get a dealer license after selling my used car...
Mathematically, it works out if you stay with the Maine tag or use it to sell. I don't know the law on that, but the rule of thumb for me is:
If I have a massive wreck, will I lose a lawsuit because of a legal technicality, or the implication that I took steps to circumvent the law?
Of course, I've been towing around unregistered trailers for months...
If you go with a Maine tag just to title your trailer and then re-title it in your home state, it may be a wash. What do you save after spending tax, $90 for a 5-year tag, and $45 for a title, just to bring it to your home DMV/DOT and pay all the fees you would have paid with an SF97 and maybe a little higher tax?
Might as well get an SF97 for $60 and title it procedurally in PA (or your home state).
If I were still in NY and actually attempted to collect MilSurp, I'd go Maine all the way and store my trailer out of state periodically to avoid the 6-month rule and NY's exorbitant taxation and titling fees... And if you're doing that, don't keep clear records of when it was moved around...
Jut occurred to me... Anyone know if Maine has a dealer threshold? IE if I register ten trailers with them over a period of a year, and those registrations all come back to them from new owners re-titling them?
PA I just found out is 1 vehicle per year to trigger a dealer license requirement. Pretty stupid that I would be required to get a dealer license after selling my used car...
Last edited: