20 Year Old Moving to LA

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by thevoyager

I plan to keep my car registered in NC just to keep insurance/taxes down.

NOT a good idea at all! If you are not in your residence and there is any neighborhood emergency, like a wildfire, an earthquake, a police action, water main break, ambulances needed, etc.---and there are MANY such occurences in SoCal---the police, firefighters, or emergency personnel will NOT allow you to return to your residence without you showing your CA Driver's License with your current address that proves you live there. This is to prevent looting, looky-loos, or for your own safety.

[thevoyager]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Live in the dorm the first year you're at USC You'll meet friends that way and it will be easier to get acclimated to LA. Also, financial aid almost never covers the full cost of living off campus when you factor in things like commuting, etc. especially in an expensive place like LA.

I was thinking about living in one of the student apartments near campus because they're nicer and don't cost that much more than dorms if you break down the month to month cost. Just don't think I could handle a dorm lol. Also I'm a transfer student admitted as a junior and not many upperclassmen live in dorms. Financial aid did cover most of my tuition which I am so so so grateful for!

[Drake744]

Originally Posted by Cinema Cat

I'm not sure if you can legally do that. If you keep your car in California for over 30 consecutive days, you must register your car in California, and notify your insurance company of the same.

You might be able to go unnoticed, unless you're in an car accident. Then your NC insurance company might determine that you lied about where your car was used, and might void your policy. (I'm not sure about this, but I recommend you investigate the repercussions of this scenario.)

This seemed to be a tricky thing for me. I attended two colleges in CA after moving from out-of-state and I was never required to register my car in California just because I was a student. I don't think you have to unless you don't plan to go back to NC during parts of the year, and make California your permanent, year-round address.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcmath:/dmv_content_en/dmv/pubs/brochures/howto/htvr33

Am I a California Resident?

You are considered a California resident if you are present in this state on more than a temporary or transient basis for 6 months or more in a 12-month period (CVC §516) and/or California is the state where:

You are registered to vote.
You are gainfully employed. Military personnel are not considered gainfully employed in California, even if they also hold a civilian job.
Your place of business is located.
Resident tuition is paid at a public institution of higher education.
Dependents attend a primary or secondary school.
Homeowner's property tax exemption is declared.
Property is leased for use as a residence.
Residence is declared to obtain a license, privilege, or benefit not ordinarily extended to a nonresident.
Your current driver license was issued.
You are determined to be a resident as evidenced by acts, occurrences, or events that indicate presence in the state is more than temporary or transient.

You CAN register your car but I don't think you're required to if your main purpose of being in CA is as a student. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though. I've been gone for 3 years, but I believe the state considers students to be transients. Go to any large university and you'll see out-of-state plates everywhere.

[thevoyager]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

NOT a good idea at all! If you are not in your residence and there is any neighborhood emergency, like a wildfire, an earthquake, a police action, water main break, ambulances needed, etc.---and there are MANY such occurences in SoCal---the police, firefighters, or emergency personnel will NOT allow you to return to your residence without you showing your CA Driver's License with your current address that proves you live there. This is to prevent looting, looky-loos, or for your own safety.

Well this is good info to know! I would have never thought about that. I'm probably just going to deal with it and get everything registered..don't want to risk anything.

[buytheredcar]

You can get away with the license plate thing if your drivers license is from the same issuing state.
I did it through college here and many many years after.
Times might be different now since CA is "broke"
It might be a pain to go back when its renewal time though.

For me, I would reconsider the whole moving to LA thing but thats just me.

[buytheredcar]

Originally Posted by Drake744

This seemed to be a tricky thing for me. I attended two colleges in CA after moving from out-of-state and I was never required to register my car in California just because I was a student. I don't think you have to unless you don't plan to go back to NC during parts of the year, and make California your permanent, year-round address.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1...s/howto/htvr33



You CAN register your car but I don't think you're required to if your main purpose of being in CA is as a student. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though. I've been gone for 3 years, but I believe the state considers students to be transients. Go to any large university and you'll see out-of-state plates everywhere.

I always thought that too.