WA plates/tags but live in TX...anyone know? (sales, renting)

[momof2monkeys08]

Does anyone know? We recently moved to Texas but we still own our home in WA that we are currently renting out. I just got a renewal notice in the mail and it says that we have to have a WA license to renew by mail? We both have TX licenses now since ours expired when we just moved to Texas.
Should i just put in our license number and expiration date and mail it with a check or is it going to be impossible to keep our WA plates?
We moved to Texas due to my husband being in the military.
TIA!

[pw72]

Residency requirements apply here. The fact you are renting out your home in WA has nothing to do with it. You just need to notify WA that you are no longer a resident. (unless there is some military exception that I am not aware of)

[scirocco22]

You worded your post a bit vaguely in that you aren't clearly distinguishing between a "driver's" license and a "vehicle" license. Let me see if I'm assuming correctly.

You now have a Texas driver's license but have Washington tags on your vehicles, correct?

This situation is based on the laws of Texas instead of Washington but I think I can answer your question because I looked under the state of Texas Department of Transportation website.

New Residents

If you weren't in the military, you'd be required within 30 days to:
* get a vehicle inspection,
* register and title your vehicle, and
* get a Texas driver license.

However, it goes on to say that those in the military don't have to register their vehicles with Texas so it appears you'll be legal in keeping your Washington plates. If you weren't in the military, you'd be breaking the law because you'd be required to get Texas plates within 30 days.

So, yes, just send in your payment to Washington and get the tabs is the way I interpret it. However, I'd still check the local DOT office there in TX to confirm that. Good luck.

[Tiggywinkle63]

No, the problem is with the Washington end of things. To renew her Washington vehicle license by mail, she needs to fill out a form which asks specifically for your Washington driver's license number. I'm not sure what the legalities are--especially as there tend to be various exemptions for military personnel. Generally, though, to have your vehicle registered in Washington they expect you to be living in Washington (actually, there are usually problems more like living in Washington and registering vehicles in Oregon to try to dodge the state sales tax...but that's a different subject).

I think you need to contact the WA DMV, and see what they say. If you can make a case for Washington being your permanent state of residence you *might* be able to keep the Washington registration in spite of your current Texas residency, since it is a service related situation. But I'd check with the DMV to be sure, because they get pretty cranky sometimes about proper registrations.

[momof2monkeys08]

Originally Posted by scirocco22

You worded your post a bit vaguely in that you aren't clearly distinguishing between a "driver's" license and a "vehicle" license. Let me see if I'm assuming correctly.

You now have a Texas driver's license but have Washington tags on your vehicles, correct?

This situation is based on the laws of Texas instead of Washington but I think I can answer your question because I looked under the state of Texas Department of Transportation website.

New Residents

If you weren't in the military, you'd be required within 30 days to:
* get a vehicle inspection,
* register and title your vehicle, and
* get a Texas driver license.

However, it goes on to say that those in the military don't have to register their vehicles with Texas so it appears you'll be legal in keeping your Washington plates. If you weren't in the military, you'd be breaking the law because you'd be required to get Texas plates within 30 days.

So, yes, just send in your payment to Washington and get the tabs is the way I interpret it. However, I'd still check the local DOT office there in TX to confirm that. Good luck.

The bolded part is correct. My husband has been in the military for 10 years. We did get a vehicle inspection when we first got here though in order to register the car on the military base. The payment says to put in drivers license number and expiration date, just go ahead and put in the number even though it's a TX driver license now? I would call the DMV right now but it's the weekend. I know since we are military we are allowed to keep our current plates, it's just trying to find out how to go about renewing the tabs right now.

I tried to do it online but it said we can't do it that way, I assume it's because since the car is only registered in my husband's name and license that it's because his FL license that he registered the car with expired.

I changed the address over not too long ago so we got the renewal notice in the mail this week. I guess I could change it to our neighbor's address also and have them forward it to us since we don't know our tenants.

[Ultrarunner]

Is this something new from WA?

I know folks with vacation property and a vehicle permanently in WA and they have Nevada Driver's Licenses...

Matter of fact... I know folks in WA that have legal title to a car and no Driver's License...

From my military friends... you can retain as your state of residence any state you choose as long as either you or your spouse is active duty...

Lots of military like Florida because the fees are cheap and no smog checks to deal with... unlike CA and some parts of WA I believe...

Sounds like a call or email to the WA Department of Motor Vehicles is the place to start.

[scirocco22]

I don't don't know if having a Nevada driver's license and having a car registered in WA with WA plates is illegal or not. I think it would, unless in the active military.

I know a person who has a Florida driver's license and keeps a car with FL plates in the state permanently. She's a snowbird and spends half the time in WA. I don't think that's illegal according to WA law.

I have both a driver's license and Plates on my vehicle that are from out of state and I am perfectly legal staying an extended period of time because I am just visiting the state. I'm assuming that if I chose to leave a car with plates from my home state in WA permanently that it would be legal.

However, if I were to have a out of state driver's license and have WA plates on my vehicle, I'm certain I'd be breaking the law as the state in which I have my driver's license is the official domain (state of residence). That's assuming that I'm not in the active military which I now am not.

It sounds to me that what you're doing, momof 2 , is perfectly legal according to TX law and that's the law that counts because that is now your state of residence. However, as you say, it's how to get the tabs from WA.

Yes, I'd suggest you call the WA DOL and tell them your situation. I'm assuming that either they can do it over the phone or perhaps they'd have you mail your payment and then send the tabs to you after the payment is received. I wouldn't think it a good idea to put the address of a neighbor down as your own, though.

[Foreverking]

Originally Posted by scirocco22

You worded your post a bit vaguely in that you aren't clearly distinguishing between a "driver's" license and a "vehicle" license. Let me see if I'm assuming correctly.

You now have a Texas driver's license but have Washington tags on your vehicles, correct?

This situation is based on the laws of Texas instead of Washington but I think I can answer your question because I looked under the state of Texas Department of Transportation website.

New Residents

If you weren't in the military, you'd be required within 30 days to:
* get a vehicle inspection,
* register and title your vehicle, and
* get a Texas driver license.

However, it goes on to say that those in the military don't have to register their vehicles with Texas so it appears you'll be legal in keeping your Washington plates. If you weren't in the military, you'd be breaking the law because you'd be required to get Texas plates within 30 days.

So, yes, just send in your payment to Washington and get the tabs is the way I interpret it. However, I'd still check the local DOT office there in TX to confirm that. Good luck.

I disagree, being a former military person, I pretty sure you just changed your home of record when you ditched your Wa state DL. Had you kept your DL as WA, you could just send in the payment. Funny thing is, I got the same mailing in Texas, and I had not changed my DL yet. I really hated texas and didnt want my car to have those foul plates on it. I sent the money in and I got my new tags. I do know though, that I could have been fined, as I am no longer in the military. I think the fine was over 500 dollars. I think it made me a much better driver lol.

[mkat321]

If Washington is the HOR on your husband's paperwork then you should be able to use your military status. Most people I know renew their drivers license wherever their HOR is not where they PCS to unless they are one in the same though. Since you went ahead and got DLs issued in Texas you will probably have to change your tags to Texas as well. The post transistion office should be able to help you with this, they may have included the information in your husbands packet when he signed in with his new unit. If you are at Bliss the information would be in the packet your husband recieved with his orders, the one that contained the Monitor and other base related and MWR type paperwork.

[scirocco22]

Ok, sounds good to me ...didn't mean to sound as if I knew what I was talking about.

Yes, checking with the base sounds like a good suggestion. I'm not up on the ins and outs of what the military considers HOR. I just assumed that TX would be.