Wow, Nevada residency is apparently expensive!!

[Markw]

Not the paperwork part, but the staying somewhere for 30 days part...I just don't have the funds to do Nevada.

So I guess I will be heading to South Dakota in a couple weeks...really didn't want to travel that far right now...

 

[RvNaut]

1000+ miles to Rapid City and back.... $200 in gas plus wear and tear, and that at 20mpg... $300 at 15mpg...
I gather you are not in a RV park acceptable vehicle??

 

[Markw]

Not unless they consider a minivan acceptable.

By the way, I checked a few RV parks...over two grand for 30 days...

I am also looking into Texas.

 

[user 423]

Texas requires an annual vehicle inspection so your travel plans might make going back and forth pretty expensive.

Or even more expensive if you need to fix things on your van to have it pass.

IDK about Texas but in some states it's kind of a scam because shops fail you so they can charge for unneeded repairs. YMMV

 

[bullfrog]

Search on AirBnb Nevada United States, there are campsites starting at $14 a night but most may have additional taxes/charges and you may have to use 2 separate stays. If dealing with an individual you probably can work something out acceptable to both of you. Many have reduced rates for multiple week stays. If considering Texas call the Escapees Rainbows End Park headquarters in Livingston Texas or visit Escapees.com they have it down to a science and membership is cheap.

 

[wayne49]

What were the Pahrump parks that wanted over $2K for 30 days? Are you basing that on a daily rate or a monthly rate?

RV parks usually have a nightly rate, a weekly rate, and a monthly rate. For example, $25/night, $125/week, $300/month.

I'm not going to recommend any specific park, but the Pahrump area has resort parks and it has budget parks. Talk to the manager at one of the latter, and tell them what you are planning. They may give a discount, if you pay cash, and all you want is a 30 day receipt without staying the 30 days. Make sure you can get mail at the park's address.

The DMV rule only specifies a 30 day (1 month) receipt, not that one actually resides there for a month.

Out in Amargosa Valley there is a RV park, where one can get a street address that is acceptable to the DMV, that will be tied to a physical mailbox in the park.

There are only two RV parks in AV, it will be obvious which one will be amenable. [Hint: it is the one that isn't located at a casino on the California-Nevada border.]

 

[scaredycat72]

Not the paperwork part, but the staying somewhere for 30 days part...I just don't have the funds to do Nevada.

So I guess I will be heading to South Dakota in a couple weeks...really didn't want to travel that far right now...

What are you trying to do? And have you tried to do it through one of the homeless programs? Homeless people don't have receipts. One of the homeless programs can help you get a driver's license. Maybe you can get whatever else you need after that, since you'll be a resident then.

Since I don't know what you're actually trying to do, ignore me if it's not DL-related.

 

[Markw]

What are you trying to do? And have you tried to do it through one of the homeless programs? Homeless people don't have receipts. One of the homeless programs can help you get a driver's license. Maybe you can get whatever else you need after that, since you'll be a resident then.

Since I don't know what you're actually trying to do, ignore me if it's not DL-related.

Looking to get residency for mail forwarding etc

 

[maki2]

My understanding from conversations, not from direct experience, is that while it is not complicated to use Pahrump
For a permanent residence there is a financial downside. That downside is that for car insurance cost it gets included in the insurance zone of Las Vegas which has high auto insurance cost.

I sometimes contemplate switching my residency to Nevada but am thinking perhaps a town such as Beatty which is about an hour further west of Pahrump might be a better place cost wise to get a month long RV park stay for a residential address if it is far enough away to get out of the high cost auto insurance Las Vegas zone. That location change could be translated into annual cost savings. You can still use the Pahrump mail forwarding place if you wanted to.

No way do I want to drive all the way to
South Dakota. That would save me no money at all as the savings would be consumed by fuel cost and putting too many miles on my vehicle. So not a win win situation to travel there. Also lots more medical specialist in Las Vegas who would be closer most of the year should I need a doctor. Flying to Las Vegas for medical care from elsewhere is also inexpensive compared to going to
South Dakota.

 

[wayne49]

Amargosa Valley is between Beatty and Pahrump. My vehicle insurance policies don't appear to be excessive, but I don't carry Comprehensive and Collision coverage on my used vehicles.

I wouldn't be surprised that Pahrump, on its own, is as bad as Vegas for accidents.

One bad thing about emigrating to Nevada, is the DMV bases title fees and taxes on MSRP, when brand new.

New vehicles are very rarely sold at MSRP. It is set high so that the buyer always thinks they are getting such a deal.

 

[user 423]

One bad thing about emigrating to Nevada, is the DMV bases title fees and taxes on MSRP, when brand new.

In a way, that's good for newer used vehicles since the actual prices charged these days are now much higher than original MSRPs.

 

[rruff]

No way do I want to drive all the way to South Dakota. That would save me no money at all as the savings would be consumed by fuel cost and putting too many miles on my vehicle. So not a win win situation to travel there. Also lots more medical specialist in Las Vegas who would be closer most of the year should I need a doctor. Flying to Las Vegas for medical care from elsewhere is also inexpensive compared to going to South Dakota.

I think South Dakota is a once every 5 years deal. And they make it real easy. If you don't have Medicare the healthcare could be a problem.

 

[maki2]

Good then Nevada will not charge me anything to register my 51 year old travel trailer as there is no recorded MSRP value for it.

Of course that is not true. I bought it in Oregon and took it to Seattle. In order to get a value for the WA state title I had to get an appraisal from a licensed used RV dealer. It could not be licensed as a vintage as I was not just taking it out for short drives to vintage shows and such.

Wa state does not have a state income tax or rules about having to spend 6 months a year in the state or how long you have to be there to become a resident. But you do need some version of proof of a residence to get a driver’s license. That can be a bit tricky but not impossible for the homeless/houseless populations. But interestingly a WA State vehicle title is proof of residency to get a WA driver’s license. Which comes 1st the chicken or the egg?

 

[rruff]

Which comes 1st the chicken or the egg?

I think in this case, both are screwed....

 

[user 423]

^Well, wouldn't they need an in-state address to mail the title to?

I don't think you have to have a DL to legally buy and title a vehicle.

You may be buying it for someone else to drive.

 

[rruff]

BTW, on the OP's topic I'm pretty sure you can find a place in NV to stay for a month for $300. That's close to nothing in the grand scheme of things, and you only need to do it once.

 

[wayne49]

Washington is a state that has higher than average annual registration fees.

Pretty much if a state has something lower than the average, they will have something that is higher than average to compensate.

In Nevada, it is no state income tax, but a higher combined sales tax rate.

 

[rruff]

Pretty much if a state has something lower than the average, they will have something that is higher than average to compensate.

Very true... but vagabonds tend to wander all over, so the "higher than average to compensate" expenses may not apply.

If I was poor, avoiding state income tax wouldn't matter. Some states don't tax SS benefits. That opens up viable options for many people vs the usual suspects (SD, TX, and FL). If you are poor and <65, maybe a state with generous welfare would be best? But I guess the state needs to be close to where you travel to be viable for that. Vehicle license fees and inspections, and insurance costs are things we all have to deal with and pay.

No ideal solutions, just juggling different tradeoffs. For me FL is out because I like the west. TX is out because I don't want to get my vehicle inspected every year. SD isn't that far out of the way, but I definitely don't want to go there in winter... and I have 3 years til Medicare. Although at the rate I'm going it might be 3 years before I'm full time! Another thing in SD's favor is that they are super accommodating to full-timers.

Any negatives about NV other than the 1 month RV park fee, and maybe higher registration license and insurance costs? It's pretty well located relative to my preferred summer and winter locations.

 

[bullfrog]

I highly recommend checking with Escapees at their site. Dealing with government in Polk county Texas as an Escapee is a whole different experience from what I was told years ago while working there at their facility. If I remember correctly Texas renewals can be done on line and inspections only occur within a certain time should you return to Texas. Escapees.com is well worth the membership fee for the information they provide not to mention their other services.

 

[rruff]

Escapees has a place in SD also... or at least they deal with domicile in that state: https://escapees.com/education/domicile/south-dakota/

Polk County Texas is a long way out of my way. Doesn't seem ideal for me, but might be for others... seems like a great organization.