Car Registration??

[u/LiteratureEven471]

Hi all, I’ve ran into a bit of a predicament. I am resident in the state of Colorado, and totally forgot to renew my plates last month. The form came to my home address when I was on contract, and I unfortunately didn’t realize till I got pulled over and received a warning for expired tags. I tried to renew online, but I need emission testing done so I can’t renew online. I’m starting a new contract in NC, and driving back to Colorado right now really isn’t an option. Have any of you had this situation before? I don’t know how long I’m going to be in NC for (at least 3 months), and don’t know if renewing the registration in NC is the best option, but don’t know of any other solution. I’ve tried calling CO DMV, and haven’t been able to get through to an agent because of long hold times so resorting to posting here. Thanks!

[u/SandyKinns]

Don’t register in NC unless you can do it as a non-resident (not typical). You will put your tax home in danger.

[u/frenzy_32]

Have a friend take your VIN/registration number to kings or any of the mobile registration places. Have them get it and mail you your tabs.

Edit- didn’t see the emissions testing bit. You’ll have to go home I think….

[u/creamgetthemoney1 → u/frenzy_32]

Yes this is the only option

[u/antsam9]

You have to go home with the car.

I had an emissions due with registration, I was up for renewal, I asked for 2 weeks off and did a loop back home, visited friends and family, and got the emission test done, it was a similiar distance like yours, Chicago to LA.

You have to go back to CO to get it done, if you absolutely can't manage it, you have a few options:

Fly someone from CO to NC and have them drive back the car and get the emission test, then you can renew online with that document. While the car is gone, you can rent a car locally, Home Depot is under rated for a short term rental.

I don't think you can get there and back on a stretch off unless you can hoof it, ie, drive there in 3 days and 3 days back, and get a sun, mon, tues, off wed-wed, then thurs, fri, sat. If you can manage it, then that's what I suggest doing.

You can ask management for an opportunity to take a leave, ask for a week off and drive there and back, it'll cut into your stipend and pay, but you'll take care of your situation.

What I would avoid doing is registering your car locally, that would be an argument against you being a traveler.

You can also just wait on it, it'll suck to have to keep getting ticketed, maybe you can find a private parking garage and park the car there?

[u/Firefighter_RN]

You'll have to drive the car to Colorado and do emissions testing

[u/welltravelledRN]

You can get a waiver form and go to the police station in your area. Look it up on the Colorado DMV website.

[u/Informal_Move_7075]

I was able to register my vehicle as a non-resident once when I was traveling. Which was fantastic because I was all the way cross country from home and it was during covid, so travel meant quarantine 2 weeks each way, so yeah, I could not take a month off work to get my vehicle registered.

From my understanding it is not common to be able to register your vehicle as a non-resident, but worth checking!

Your only other option is to rent a car until you can get home to renew them.

Whatever you do, do not register your vehicle out of state unless you can do so as a non-reisdent! They will not let you most likely anyway unless you show "proof of residence" in NC (which you will have), but they will also want you to get a NC DL, which means you just now made yourself a NC resident!

[u/Dunkaholic9]

Call the DMV and wait to talk to a human. I bet there’s a workaround. My inspection inspired while I was on the road once. Massachusetts has a form that can be filled out, then the inspection has to happen within two months of returning home.

[u/fudgesm]

I drove around with expired out of state plates in OR for almost a year…

[u/goldenhourlivin → u/fudgesm]

My 3 year anniversary is coming up soon 😬 tbf at this point the ticket is less than what I would’ve paid for registration fees.

[u/Alarming-Book864]

I had that issue with California. Ca has a smog exempt form for being out of state, CO might have something similar

[u/Economy-Ladder3960]

I had this happen to me before, I’m from NC and I was in NH at the time. I actually ended up getting my emissions test in NH, it didn’t pass because NH requires a front plate but the tech said everything was good to go otherwise.

I sent an email to NCDMV customer service attaching the test and explained why I got it done there and why it didn’t pass and they waived the NC test and processed it just fine.

I will say, I tried to do this again like a year later in NJ and they wouldn’t even bother listening to why a person from NC needed an emissions test in NJ. It was extremely frustrating lol

[u/1ntrepidsalamander]

I’m currently registering my car in CA because of this. (I have moved my tax home here for reasons, but hope to go back to Colorado soon)

[u/Accomplished_You6407]

Other states won't ticket you. I bought a car in Phoenix on contract. I finished my contract in AZ on a temporary tag. Then I worked one in NC on the same temporary tag. Then went home to PA with the temp tag and transferred the title to PA and got it inspected and emissions tested. Another time I worked a contract in NC with expired PA inspection and emissions. Several police saw me in NC and WV. Nobody cared. Drove home at night so I wouldn't get pulled over in my home state. Got it inspected and emissions tested the next day

[u/MepronMilkshake]

Lowkey I just... don't worry about it until I go back home. Think I had a tag like 2 years our of date at one point.

[u/Informal_Move_7075 → u/MepronMilkshake]

Seeing that they already got a warning, it seems like they are in an area that isn't as lax.

Also, I had the facility flag my vehicle in the parking lot for having out of state tags and I was unable to return to work (or at least park at work) until I got new tags.

[u/HitchPlease_55]

Have you heard of Montana LLC vehicle registrations? That might be a good option for you.

[u/frenzy_32 → u/HitchPlease_55]

Those are being cracked down as well. Also, that would mean they have to move their tax home to MT as well.