So I'm now here in Mammoth Lakes, CA for the winter ski season. My bike is in storage back east, but I may get asked to return for the summer season and I'd like to bring my bike out then. Here's the thing. As a seasonal employee I plan to keep my PA residency and keep the bike regestered, inspected, and insured there, but I've been told by some other seasonal employees that CA is tough on people "living" in state while they have vehicles regestered in other states. I'm going to check with the CA DMV on this, but I have no intentions of changing my residency from PA to CA anytime soon. My accountant tells me for federal and PA state tax purposes as long as I have a verifiable address (not a PO Box) that I can work out of state as long as I want and not loose my PA residency, even if I'm in another state for a year or more. Anyone have any first hand info? I have a consulting business incorporated in PA that if I have to I will transfer my titles to if that means anything. Thanks in advance for any help. And Dragone#19, see you in the spring.

 

I'm not sure if someone has already answer your questions somewhere else, but let me take a stab at it.

Things like owning a business in PA, or paying taxes to that state, having a "legal residence" (as in for tax purposes) has no meaning at all when it comes to registering your bikes or cars in CA. The CA DMV and cops simply do not care about any of that.

Very soon after you come to CA, you need to register the vehicles here. Can't remember wether they give you 2 weeks or 10 days. It's a very short time, not months.

If you have a job, even seasonal one, here and for now you physically actually do live here, then the vehicles must be registered here.

But the real question of course is what if you don't do that.
In a small place you might have either a-hole neighbors that start to see that you live there and drive around with an out-of-state bike. Or local cop can notice your plates couple of times and pull you over.
The DMV doesn't have any automated database or anything such to actively hunt you down. Someone must rat you, an alert cop can remember seeing you few times, or if you get pulled over for another reason it would become a problem.

I do not know what the penalty is for not registering the vehicles here.

Another thing to keep in mind that might or might not apply to your situation.
If and when you do go to the DMV and register the vehicles, you should have owned them and have them registered in another state for at least 12 months. If you only owned the vehicle for say 8 months before registering here, the CA DMV will collect sales tax on the bike! It wont matter if the bike is new or used, bought from a dealer or from a private party. If you've had it for less than 12mo, they will make you pay CA sales tax on it before you can register it.

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Mikko

 

Thanks FlyingFinn for the info. My research provided some confusing info as well. So I asked a cop. As he explained to me the key is residency. Even though they list a number of reasons you need to regester your vechicle in CA, one being accepting gainfull employment in CA, as I have, there are "loop holes" to prevent penalizing people who are not out to skirt the system. First thing he explained was that as a seasonal employee there is no expectation that my employment will continue past the duration expected (end of April) and they can not assume that I will stay past this date for much longer than it takes to pack my stuff and move. Second, I don't rent or lease housing, (provided by my employer and they deduct a small amout from each pay), my housing here is dependent solely on my employment status, job ends, housing ends soon after. And lastly I don't (I copied this from the DMV web page he showed me) As he put it, he could see me on the road every day for 2 years, and if pulled over for something, or I'm in an accident, my regestration, insurance, license,(and in my case inspection) must be current, and be from one state, and with a few exceptions, the same address. He went on for a bit more about how to deal with law enforcment if a question comes up during a stop. But as long as I have a valid PA DL and take my bike back to PA for inspection every year, I'm good. Here in Mammoth the police see a lot of "seasonal employees" year round from other states, and "as long as the paperwork works, their not breaking the law." Thanks for the response.

 

Good to hear TyCobb. But keep your nose clean so to speak because the next officer may nit pick things to the extreme.

 

It's really good that the cops there in Mammoth have taken such a lenient approach on enforcing the CA registration requirements.

But for others who are reading this that are contemplating to bring an out-of-state vehicle to CA, here's another thing to keep in mind.
If you are already a CA resident (have a CA DL, or have any other vehicles registered here), you can not bring here a vehicle with less than 7500 miles on it unless it is specifically 50-state legal.

In other words, the vehicle has to either,
a) have more than 7500 miles on the odometer when you go and show it at the DMV, or
b) the federal emissions sticker on that vehicle must read that it's 50-state legal.

The 06 -07 KLX's were not CA legal. If a CA resident brings one in here it must have > 7500 miles on the odometer.

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Mikko

 

i'm not to sure on cali law but my bike is plated for Fl but i currently live in Va right now but i never have had any problems here but it could be totally different from one state to the next.
I do know if you are in the military they do cut you a break out there in cali for your registration cost since you don't legally reside there. wish i could help you out with some more info and the actual details but do some more checking into it to make sure.

 

Thamks for all the responses, all I have to do now is wait and see if I'm offered a summer position. Untill then I'll work on my snowboarding and begin to save and make a list of upgrades for this spring. I'm also going to post in the general tech section for some input and ideas, and some new pics.