Advice request: annual registration renewal in the USA; can you pool them together?

[p6x]

I have currently four vehicles, maybe five if I get a sports tourer.

None of my vehicles get to renew registration on the same date, and for the sake of coalescing unwanted tasks, I went to my tax office and ask them to pool together the registration dates; obviously prorating so it remains fair for both sides.

The clerk I spoke to said it was not possible to do it, as their software has no provision for that; she also said nobody would want to pay the registration renewal in one go, instead of having it been spaced.

I really cannot believe nobody else thought about doing it one time per year, instead of multiple times along. It may be only me? I pay in person at the tax office.

I have seen that many of you have a lot more vehicles than I do. Can you group your registrations in your respective states if you wanted to?

[PJPR01]

I wish I could do this as well...speaking of which, it's time to get the Griso registered now!  

[footgoose]

Indiana has annual registration. It goes by first letter of last name. I'm a "B" and everything comes due on Mar 6. All plates and reg's for all 7 of mine. If I buy mid year it's pro rated.

[activpop]

No all in one in Oregon, but I never asked if they can do that. I like the way Indiana does things, at least regarding registrations.  

[guzziart]

I'm glad Ohio has it annually, registrations expire on the owners birthday, the state sends out notifications about 6 weeks before expiration.  These days the state allows us to register for a two year period instead of one...our choice but there's no break in fees... a two year is twice as much.  If you buy mid year the registration fee is prorated.  If you sell and buy something else, the transfer fee is minimal.  If you sell and don't replace the registration fee is non-refundable.  Registrations can be had at the "Registrars" office or online....online is super convenient especially if you've got multiple vehicles.  They'll take a check, cash or card at the office but a card will be an additional 3%.  Online they take a check routing number or cc but a cc will cost an additional 3%.

[audiomick]

4 hours ago, guzziart said:

... registrations expire on the owners birthday...

Happy birthday to you, too.

That arrangement has got to be for the convenience of the state. Can't see any other good reason for it.

[docc]

Registration here in Tennessee, USA, is on the month anniversary of the first registration of the vehicle with the current owner, usually the purchase date. This spatters my registrations rather randomly through the year. While it spreads the payments out, it also makes it easy to miss a renewal.

One of the games we play when a bunch of bikes gather is to look for whose registration has dropped. It is always somebody.

Also, here in Tennessee, a 25 year old vehicle is eligible for a one time, permanent "antique" registration. Special use restrictions apply (not supposed to be commuting on a daily basis etc).

Next year, mySport is eligible.

[p6x]

39 minutes ago, docc said:

Next year, mySport is eligible.

My Quota is also soon to be 25 years old, in 2025.

I checked the Texas rules:

Quote

 the vehicle is a collector’s item that will be used solely for exhibition, club activities, parades, and other functions of
public interest; it is not a replica or aftermarket vehicle; will not be used for daily transportation except when routine maintenance is
needed; and will not carry advertising

The language is broad enough that I can "parade" my Quota every day for public interest....

That said, the "state inspection" is just a money grab, when it comes to motorcycles. The French which have so far managed to resist the European obligation to do the inspection for motorcycles have brought factual evidence that less than 5% of the accidents are caused by equipment failure.

I also found that in Arizona, there is no tax involved for motorcycle private sales.

 

[docc]

In Tennessee (perhaps in other States), sales tax is added when the vehicle is registered in the new State based upon the sales amount on the Bill of Sale.

[footgoose]

38 minutes ago, p6x said:

I also found that in Arizona, there is no tax involved for motorcycle private sales.

This is a real bonus.

[Scud]

Looks like California rules are about the same as Texas in this case. Renewal date is based on date it was first registered in California. Original sales date for new sales, and purchase date for used out-of-state vehicles.

And as for sales tax on private sales, yes, there is tax on that in California, even on vehicles that were originally sold new in California. That's the cost of living in motorcycle heaven... and for some reason, the registration renewal invoices roll in with alarming frequency.

[p6x]

12 hours ago, docc said:

In Tennessee (perhaps in other States), sales tax is added when the vehicle is registered in the new State based upon the sales amount on the Bill of Sale.

This is what happened with the Quota;

In Europe, sales tax is only due when the vehicle is new. You don't keep paying sales tax multiple times, which makes sense?

[guzziart]

On 3/18/2024 at 8:04 PM, docc said:

Registration here in Tennessee, USA, is on the month anniversary of the first registration of the vehicle with the current owner, usually the purchase date. This spatters my registrations rather randomly through the year. While it spreads the payments out, it also makes it easy to miss a renewal.

One of the games we play when a bunch of bikes gather is to look for whose registration has dropped. It is always somebody.

Also, here in Tennessee, a 25 year old vehicle is eligible for a one time, permanent "antique" registration. Special use restrictions apply (not supposed to be commuting on a daily basis etc).

Next year, mySport is eligible.

FWIW....Tennessee annual purchase date registration is a pita imho, I would definitely get in trouble.  However, I like the registration game 

Ohio has the same 25 yo "historical" tag option with conditions and requires renewal every 50 years....yeah, 50 years.  With all the junk I have the historical option saves me alot in annual registration fees.  Further, Ohio allows owners to replate vehicles with tags from that era.  My '71 cb350 has a plate that was "minted" in '71...yellow with black lettering, the '72 cl350 & Eldo have plates stamped out in '72...they're dark blue with yellow lettering.  It's kinda neat running around on an old bike with a plate that was stamped out in the same year the bike was manufactured.

One of my riding buds, who has an old Eldo too teases me that his Eldo is original, whereas mine is not because I did the gen to alternator conversion.  My response is that my bike has the original plate that was issued to the bike in '72, so there!  I had bought the bike from the original owner and he managed to save & include the plate with the bike purchase.  Although my friend got his Eldo from his dad, his originally issued registration plate is long gone.  We have fun goofing on each other over stupid stuff...obviously, I guess.

On another note, I have a 4' x 8'  1500lb gvwr trailer I bought new in '90 for $400, I use it two or three times a year.  In the 33 years of ownership it has cost me over $1200 in registration fees.

 

[GuzziMoto]

The Historic plate here in Maryland is still an "every two years" deal. But it is cheaper and avoids an inspection at time of purchase (vehicles here are inspected only at time of purchase unless they get a safety ticket out on the road). So people here are seriously abusing the Historic plate option, ignoring the rules relating to usage and miles. People will buy an old beat up Honda Civic or the like and get a Historic plate for it. That way they save some money on registration and they don't have to get it through inspection (more money saved, plus the vehicle probably would not pass). Generally when people start abusing the system like this the system gets changed. It is why we can't have nice things. Give people an option to keep truly historic vehicles on the road for light duty usage and the next thing you know people are driving dangerous pieces of junk to work and back to save a few bucks.

Maryland bases registration date on date of original registration. A trick I used to do years ago is if you are a day late renewing your registration you can move the registration month back one month, the new stickers would use the following month. But they seem to have caught on to that and I don't think you can do that anymore. Now the renewal only gets you a year sticker, your month sticker never changes.

If you want them all to renew at the same time in Maryland you can do it, but you would probably have to cancel all your plates (perhaps at the end of the riding season). Then at the beginning of the next riding season you could re-register all your  vehicles at the same time (or at least in the same month). That would give them all the same renewal month. Seems like too much trouble to me, but if it really was something you want it can be done. I would think the same trick would work in almost any state.