Re-titling Bus to RV or Motorhome

[Slow Rider]

Hi,

I am curious what it takes to retitle a bus into a motor home or RV.  I am especially interested in Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee.  I guess what I am asking is what are the minimum requirements?  Can you just walk in and say hey I want to change it or do you have to prove you have made the conversion and what items are necessary? 

Thanks

Frank

[HighTechRedneck]

I titled mine here in Tennessee as soon as I got back from bringing it home.  It was easy.  You can see my story and others on that topic here.

[JimC]

It depends where you live, in Wisconsin they don't check anything any more. You could title the bus as a farm truck , or a 6,000 gross pick up truck, they could care less, all they want is your money.
BUT, don't let the state troopers catch you with the wrong plate designation, it becomes fraudulent use of plates with a hefty fine.
Jim

[Barn Owl]

Frank,

Find a manager at DMV that knows what they are talking about and not just the counter clerk. It took me six trips to the DMV because 95% of them don't know what the h#ll they are doing, and they don't care how many times you have to return because of their screw-ups! And mine was already titled a "House car" on the California title. At first they didn't believe the paper I had was a title. I had to ask "Where do think the term "Pink slip" comes from?" At one time in California that's literally all it was, a tiny square pink piece of paper. To make a very long story short I had to have a visit from the State Police to verify I had what I said I had. So one and a half month later I got my title. Thankfully, right before they implemented a $110 charge to have the State Police check it out.

Laryn

[kysteve]

Frank,

     Just to give you the variances from state to state.  Over here in KY., they wouldn't change our title
until it was converted.  They say the bus has to seat less than 17 people, have a permanent bed, and have a "food prep and eating area" in it.  Then we get to have it inspected and the re-title done.   I'm sure all the same fees I paid last year will apply again at that time.     It just varies from state to state.

         ........Steve and Deb.....

[Ncbob]

Hi Frank, FWIW, here in NC they require that the bus have the basic requirements of an RV...holding tank and toilet (do not state that it be connected), cooking and kitchen amenities and berthing or bed before they will register is as a "Home Car".

So it appears that simply removing the seats won't cut it.

Do these questions indicate that you're getting close to that dream bus?  We're all anxious for you to change from a Busnot to a Busnut!

Bob

[tomhamrick]

It's all depends on the inspector as well. I had mine retitled here in NC and I only had the seats out. The DOT inspector came out and looked inside and saw no seats filled out the form and I went to the tag office. To be fair I did also have the center windows covered over and painted.
Tom Hamrick
1984 Eagle 10S

[Slow Rider]

Nothing concrete Bob, but things are looking good.................



Frank

[Jerry Liebler]

It sure does depend on where you are!
I'm just down the road a bit from Kysteve.  I live in the small town of Science Hill Ky., just north of Somerset Ky.  I moved here from Oregon about 2 1/2 years ago and had not registered my bus yet when we decided to move.  It was a stripped shell but had the generator, inverter and house batteries in, and a fold down couch temporarily mounted. I decided to investigate registering it either in Ky, getting there the first time on a 'trip permit' or in Oregon. I called the Ky transportation cabinet to find out what they would demand and how much it would cost.  I was told it had to be completely converted and their fire inspector would have to bless it.  I checked with the Oregon DMV & they said it needed cooking and sleeping facilities.  So I bought a microwave, set a  recycled kitchen cabinet along a wall , bolted the cabinet down and bolted the microwave to it.  Ran an extension cord to the microwave and visited the Oregon DMV, their inspector looked in the door and saw no seats but the couch/bed and said good, I had tags in 5 minutes.  We used the bus as a sort of moving van and made 3 1/2 round trips with it chock full of boxes and household goods of all kinds, pulling a horse trailer also full of 'stuff'.   A year later I  took the Oregon title and registration to the local county clerk in Ky., worried how much they'd hit me for sales tax, Oregon has none. I called the local sheriff and had them come out and inspect the VIN and give me the Ky title application.  I had found someone in Ky state government that said a 1968 PD4107 should be taxed at a valuation of $3500 and was hoping I could convince the local clerk that that was the maximum value.   She made a phone call and came back and said it'll be $750.  I said How come so much thinking I'd be paying $750 in sales tax.  She said that's not much, the sales tax on $750 is only $45.  I shut up,  wrote the check and left with plates. So much for the Ky. fire inspector.
Regards
Jerry 4107 1120

[NJT5047]

Bob N Tom,
Ya'll did it the hard way.  I bought my MC9 in Va (Sawyer's) and drove it home.  Took the paperwork down to NCDMV, told them it was a conversion, and viola....no inspections, no one was even interested.  My taxes are almost nothing...course an 87 MC9 ain't worth much either. 
North Carolina is a great state!  For bussin.  Cost was about $250 for use tax, title fee, and tags.  Prop taxes are $45 a year.   
This was in 2001 and things may have changed by now, but some folk were having problems back then to with giving the DMV people TMI.
A lot of the difficulty is in how you present the coach.  Never use the word  "bus"...and don't offer any information unless they ask.  Act like it is a converted unit and in North Carolina DMV will generally approve the RV classification.   Once it's registered, no one is going to look at the "quality" of your living style.
May be good to go to a podunk DMV office...or the busiest you can find.   
Frank, if you find the registration onerous in VA, TN, or SC....come on down to friendly NC.  Register it here and then you can go anywhere with "RV" classification.   

BTW, I suppose we should be talking incogneeter about home-grown conversions and lack of property tax valuation.  Just a matter of time before some Dept of Revenue employee buys a bus and sees these posts.  Bet they'll look at the finished product once they figure out the low taxes being collected on some pretty nice conversions.   
Best, JR   

[Songman]

Every state is different, and some states... like ridiculous California, feel the need to change their laws so that they can make more money.

I researched for over a year before I bought my bus. Not only on which bus I wanted, but what it would take to register it. So I finally got the bus and went in to register it and the DMV lady said I couldn't do it. The ensuing discussion about what had to be done to a commercial bus before it could be re-titled as an RV ended when she said "Well, I guess they changed the law because here is what it takes now." And she handed me a list.

Basically, California wants you to have your conversion completed before you re-title it. And obviously this is done for money. On the forum they have you list what you paid for the bus and also what you invested in the conversion. This total is what they want to tax you on! I told her that bus conversion are never actually 'done'. We always change and add more as we go. So the 'list' says that you have to at least have a separate bathroom (not the coach bathroom), A/C units that do not require the engine being started, a generator, sleeping quarters, and a kitchen.

Obviously, this is ridiculous. Some people don't put all of that stuff in their buses even when they are done. The good news is that there is no inspection to prove that you have all of these things. But the lady said that if you get pulled over and you have a re-titled bus and don't have all of these things, the cop has every right to ticket you... That would be one bored cop if he did!

Anyway... one more adventure of a Georgia boy being lost in Kalifornia...

[H3Jim]

I bought my bus out of state from a dealer in New Jersey.  I had them put on the title change that it was an RV so no DMV office ever had to "approve" it.  The DMV has only ever seen it as a registered motorhome.

[Dreamscape]

Bought ours in Ohio. Registered in Santa Ana CA. He took a look at the VIN# and said there has to be more numbers, only 4 numbers for ours. I took him out to the coach and showed the Manufacturing plate and a tag that was riveted onto a square tube by the engine, he said OK. Took me 30 min. to get my license, tag and registration. It was titled as a motorhome in Ohio, so Ca was a cinch.

Happy Trails,

Paul

Dreamscape

[Ednj]

Here in New Jersey, The "Motor Vehicle Commission" told me, if the insurance company says it's a Motorhome, then it's a Motorhome.
I brought the first page of my policy that states " Thank you for insuring your recreational vehicle with us."
It was that simple.