Out-Of-State plates (car insurance, home, employment)

[NIckel.chr55]

I moved to Georgia last year for school, and i am permanently living here. I got a georgia drivers licenses but i never switched my plates/ insurance over, because im still on my parents car insurance and because the car is technical under my dads name. I recently heard that i can get fined for driving an out of state registered car with an in state license. So i guess my question is, am i going to get a ticket for driving an out of state car with a Georgia license, if i get pulled over?

[ElleKaye]

No, you cannot get a ticket for that. Your license is valid and is registered in your dad's name in whatever state he lives.

When I moved here, I was driving a car in my dad's name with Alabama plates. I had multiple co-workers tell me I could get a ticket. Short of having him register the car in my name, there really wasn't anything that could be done to make the state of my license match the tag of the car I was driving.

Anyway, I got a couple of speeding tickets and nobody cares about where your license is issued. The only thing that matters is that tag, insurance, etc. is valid for the owner of the vehicle.

[NIckel.chr55]

Thank you so much!

[atltechdude]

In your situation I don't think you will get a ticket. If you were the owner and it was registered under your name and you were a permanent resident of the state, then you are supposed to switch it over within 30 days, but since it's under your dad, and you may not even technically be a permanent resident, I don't believe you have any obligation to do that.

[bUU]

You can go looking for the provision that makes a distinction between permanent and temporary residents, but you won't find an exemption; you'll just find a couple of different periods of time before transferring registration is required. I suspect that the number of truly temporary residents how transfer registration over and pay the ad valorem tax after 30 or 90 days (30 days applies only to non-residents; for visitors, the time period is 90 days - see below) like the state seems to be required to is pretty small. Perhaps close to zero. But that does seem to be the state's expectation.

Non-residents - Motor vehicles owned by non-residents* may be used and operated on the public streets and highways of this state for a period of 30 days without registering provided these vehicles are properly registered and visibly display valid license plates (tags) from the owner(s)’ home state.

Visitors - Motor vehicles owned by visitors** may be used and operated on the public streets and highways of this state, for pleasure purposes only, for a period of 90 days without registering provided these vehicles are properly registered and visibly display valid license plates from the owner(s)’ home state.

_____

* Non-resident - any person who does not reside in the State of Georgia but who accepts employment or engages in any trade, profession, or occupation in this state or enters his or her children in the public schools of this state.

** Visitor - any person who does not reside in the State of Georgia and who is not a non-resident as defined above.

https://dor.georgia.gov/general-regi...ed_links-486-3

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by bUU

You can go looking for the provision that makes a distinction between permanent and temporary residents, but you won't find an exemption; you'll just find a couple of different periods of time before transferring registration is required. I suspect that the number of truly temporary residents how transfer registration over and pay the ad valorem tax after 30 or 90 days (30 days applies only to non-residents; for visitors, the time period is 90 days - see below) like the state seems to be required to is pretty small. Perhaps close to zero. But that does seem to be the state's expectation.

https://dor.georgia.gov/general-regi...ed_links-486-3

No, no that's nhat's how it works in her case because the car is not in her name. She's the resident here, not her father so he is not obligated to transfer and he couldn't because he is not a resident.

[bUU]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

No, no that's nhat's how it works in her case because the car is not in her name. She's the resident here, not her father so he is not obligated to transfer and he couldn't because he is not a resident.

I bet that the state, if it cared enough to consider the matter, will deem that you have made a distinction without a difference - an invalid rationalization for ignoring the rules that the state feels certain they've made clear. Even with your rhetorical creativity, all you've managed to do is shift the accountability from the daughter to the father, who is, using the same abuse-of-English that you employed, a "person who does not reside in the State of Georgia".

As I said, it is academic - I haven't heard of Georgia policing this. When I lived up north, I did hear about some of the states up there policing this, and I assure you they didn't care about equivocations such as yours. They marked down the VINs and other-state license tags of the vehicles; they checked back 30 days later; and any car that had not re-registered was ticketed and towed.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by bUU

I bet that the state, if it cared enough to consider the matter, will deem that you have made a distinction without a difference - an invalid rationalization for ignoring the rules that the state feels certain they've made clear. Even with your rhetorical creativity, all you've managed to do is shift the accountability from the daughter to the father, who is, using the same abuse-of-English that you employed, a "person who does not reside in the State of Georgia".

As I said, it is academic - I haven't heard of Georgia policing this. When I lived up north, I did hear about some of the states up there policing this, and I assure you they didn't care about equivocations such as yours. They marked down the VINs and other-state license tags of the vehicles; they checked back 30 days later; and any car that had not re-registered was ticketed and towed.

I am not shifting responsibility to anyone because there is nothing to be responsible for.

If she owned the car then it would be a different story, but as it stands, that's not the story. You are carrying on like just because someone drives a car that it makes it theirs. I could let my niece drive wheels off my car in Chicago but that doesn't mean I have to change the state registration to Illinois because it is my car.

I have a second car with Alabama plates; it's registered to either my mom or dad. I have gotten pulled over for a speeding ticket in it with my Georgia's drivers license. After the officer saw it wasn't registered to me and who and where it was, there was nothing to talk about with the plates.

It is not illegal to drive a car in someone else's name. Maybe he has his reasons for keeping it in his name, but he doesn't have to justify his decision. Nothing illegal is occurring so there's no reason to write a ticket.

[magnetar]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

No, you cannot get a ticket for that. Your license is valid and is registered in your dad's name in whatever state he lives.

Yeah, I don't know what bUU is going on about, but if you don't own the car, you can't register it in Georgia anyway! The car is registered in the state where its owner lives. I lived in GA for 4 years of college and drove a car with Alabama plates the entire time with no problem. When I moved back with my own car, I did register it in Georgia because that's the way it works.

[Mattie]

GA is quite reasonable about this. Our son is at grad school in CA, switched his license to his CA address, and is keeping his GA plates because the car is registered to us, his parents( and the insurance is lower). When we contacted the DMV about the inability to bring the car back here for an emissions check, they provided us with forms that had to be completed by both his school and the local PD regarding his student status. Exemption was granted.

I understand this is the opposite of our case, but out of state plates are extremely common in college towns.