Where to register a car?

[Wade Lippman]

This might be an odd place to ask a question like this, but I don't know a better place. Someone here usually knows almost anything.

My son is moving from New Jersey to Manhattan. He has a car, but intends on keeping it at his cousin's house in Scarsdale (an hour from Manhattan) My understanding is that insurance in Manhattan is punitive, and since he will never actually have it there he would like to register it in Scarsdale.

Is that an acceptable thing to do?

[Jim Becker]

State law applies for vehicle registrations and insurance considerations and whether or not either/both would accept being garaged elsewhere from his legal residence would be governed by the state DVM and his insurance carrier. What you mention would not fly in PA, AFAIK. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Manhattan also has wage taxes and they are pretty strict about monitoring this because so many folks attempt to circumvent by using alternative addresses outside of the jurisdiction even though they physically live and work in the Borough. (Similar situation for Philadelphia, albeit a lower tax)

[lowell holmes]

In Texas, cars are registered at the County Clerk's office. This may help.

https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=E211US739G0&p=new+york+vehicle+registration

[Malcolm McLeod]

Both good answers, so far. You have 3 interests at work here: the owner, the gubment (state/county/city), and the insurance carrier. A 4th could be the bank/lender (if applicable); I'll ignore the latter ...out of ignorance.

In every state (5) I have lived, it was illegal to register a vehicle at anything other than the owner's legal permanent address, and most give you 30 days to comply with local law - but no clue about specifics of NY. As per Mr. Holmes, see the Clerk, or NY DMV, or suitable .gov website.

The insurance carrier may be another story. If the owner is willing to attest they will never garage or operate the vehicle in a particular location or manner, the carrier may cut him a deal. Or Not. The insurer will then be free to ignore a claim if they think the vehicle was located/operated contrary to that agreement. (...kind of like swearing you won't race your 356 Speedster, but the wall in the 3rd turn at Watkins Glen somehow smacked into it sitting idling at 6200rpm in the parking lot. Riiiiiiight.)

[roger wiegand]

I don't know the law, but the form in MA for both registration and insurance asks where the vehicle is garaged. No idea what happens if you enter an address different to your residence.

[Rich Engelhardt]

This - https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/register-vehicle-someone-else - almost makes me think this is a pretty common thing in New York.

[jared herbert]

Sell th car to the cousin and borrow it from him when needed. There should be some way to work this out semi-legally

[Bruce Wrenn]

I don't know the law, but the form in MA for both registration and insurance asks where the vehicle is garaged. No idea what happens if you enter an address different to your residence.


Same in NC, but they ask for legal address, and then what county is it "garaged" in (property taxes.) Most of the semi trailers I see running around town are registered in another state, not NC. This means NC is losing a HUGE s amount of property taxes. Is there some reason, he can't use NJ as legal residence, with NY being a temporary address? Is he buying, or renting? Remember the former president listed a Florida address as his legal address, even voted there, though he lived in DC for four years. Members of both houses of congress do this regularly, along with current President (Delaware.)

[Curt Harms]

State law applies for vehicle registrations and insurance considerations and whether or not either/both would accept being garaged elsewhere from his legal residence would be governed by the state DVM and his insurance carrier. What you mention would not fly in PA, AFAIK. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Manhattan also has wage taxes and they are pretty strict about monitoring this because so many folks attempt to circumvent by using alternative addresses outside of the jurisdiction even though they physically live and work in the Borough. (Similar situation for Philadelphia, albeit a lower tax)

It seems like a fair number of cars driving around PA with Florida tags, though it doesn't seem like as many as in the past. Gotta wonder if they're all visiting from Florida. People that own property in Florida? As to OP, could your son receive official correspondence - tax statements and things like that - in Scarsdale? Maybe get a P.O. box? Something like that may help to establish residence.

[Jim Becker]

It seems like a fair number of cars driving around PA with Florida tags, though it doesn't seem like as many as in the past. Gotta wonder if they're all visiting from Florida. People that own property in Florida? As to OP, could your son receive official correspondence - tax statements and things like that - in Scarsdale? Maybe get a P.O. box? Something like that may help to establish residence.

We have a lot of "snowbirds". With the homesteading tax benefits that Florida offers, many retired folks opt to change their permanent address to their place in Florida and consider their PA residence as a summer vacation home. My parents did that after a few years because of the tax advantages.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Sell th car to the cousin and borrow it from him when needed. There should be some way to work this out semi-legallyNo need to sell him the car - at least not the way I read that link I posted. In New York it appears the cousin can also register his name on the vehicle.

This makes it a bit clearer:
https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/register-vehicle-more-one-owner-or-registrant