The Best-Laid Plans
Posted by Holly.
The original plan: Supposedly it’s cheaper, for insurance, to leave my car registered in PA and have it noted that it’s being driven in MD. I was under the impression, as was true I believe with NH (but maybe I was somehow wrong there – I don’t recall my info source), that if the car is not titled in your name, you’re free to change your license without worry about changing the car registration if it’s not in your name.
Not true in MD. If you drive a car with out-of-state plates in MD for 60+ days, you have to either have it titled and registered in the state, or apply for a non-resident permit. But to qualify for the permit, you have to have an out-of-state license. I wasn’t planning on keeping my PA license, because I didn’t want to have to pay PA taxes on top of the MD taxes I’m already paying. So, I have 3 avenues to pursue here. There’s apparently a “dual registration” which I’ll have to look into for further details, as the brochure is rather vague. I can search the PA tax code to see if I have to pay taxes if I keep the license, even though I’m studying/working and paying taxes down here, and apply for the permit. Or I can have mom sign over the car (which, when dad signed the metro over to me, was a pain in the ass cuz it had to be notarized), get my insurance policy changed to my name (cuz if the car’s in my name, the policy has to be – learned that the hard way), and change the title and registration to MD and get a MD license.
And how did I find this out? I went to get a dog license and happened to see a brochure with the title “NOTICE TO CAR-OWNERS WITH OUT-OF-STATE LICENSE PLATES”. Isn’t that something the University might want to warn people about? It’s a $280 fine.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:24 pm Using
To make things even more fun, registering a car in MD is a pain in the ass because you have to take the car to a mechanic who will go through a 50-point safety inspection. Anything the mechanic finds has to be corrected before you can get the car registered. Even better, since the mechanic generally gets paid for doing the fixing, it’s in his best interest to find lots of things wrong. People with older used cars very rarely escape without at least a $1000 bill. Luckily, there are going to be many fewer things wrong on a newer car, so you might get away with only the $60 or so inspection fee.
Then there’s the issue that you might have to pay MD sales tax on your car depending on whether it falls under a crazy set of rules poorly outlined on the MVA website.
Even with all that pain, I think it’s probably going to be easiest for you to get your car registered in MD and your license in MD. It’s more short term pain, but it’ll make things much easier in the long term since you don’t have to worry about what taxes to pay where or whether you’re on the right or wrong side of the law. Plus, if everything works out, you’re going to be in MD for 5 years or so. At some point, it’s probably going to make sense to change your residency, so it’s probably easier to do it sooner rather than later.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:41 pm Using
Well, the dealer I took the Metro to in PA for inspection every year usually gouged me for whatever little plastic piece they could find that was missing and could justifiably be used to fail the inspection, too. Except, oddly, that last year. Wouldn’t you think someone would notice the frame breaking? Though I suppose they couldn’t really know the extent of the rust beneath the crusty surface.
I just hope I can pull this off in the time allowed. I have to find a time that I can get home and that Mom can get away from work to have the sign-over notarized. I’ll also have to deal with the insurance agency to set up the new policy. Damn fine thing it is that I don’t have class on Fridays. I’m still waiting for the second piece of proof of residence, too, since I’m not on the utility bills. I’m hoping my credit card bill comes to the new address in a few days.
August 30th, 2007 at 2:00 pm Using
Well, technically you have at least 60 days to get things switched over in MD.
The idiotic thing about the MD inspection is that you only have to do it once, when you register the car the first time. That’s what really stings, people might have to pay through the nose to get their windshield replaced becauase it had a tiny nick, but there are millions of cars driving around with smashed windshields. Since the windshield wasn’t broken 5 years ago when the car was inspected, the authorities don’t care in the slightest.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:42 pm Using
it’s a one time thing!? pennsylvania’s is yearly. anyway, it turns out, we don’t have to change our licenses, as long as we’re employed as TAs, because we’re “charged” in-state tuition whether we are in-state or not. the dept secretary, and a few others in the office, thought it a waste of time and effort to switch to maryland, so i think i’ll just stick with the PA license. what i pay for yearly inspection is probably less than the bump in car insurance switching the car from PA to MD, anyway. though i have to find out the tax situation.