Title Requirements for
Recreational Vehicles, Mobile Homes, and Office Trailers
Section 320.01, Florida Statutes, define recreational vehicles
as units primarily designed as temporary living quarters for recreational,
camping or travel use having either contained motive power or mounted on or
drawn by another vehicles. The basic entities are:
Travel Trailer - A vehicular
portable unit including fifth wheel travel trailers mounted
on wheels of such size or weight as not to require special highway movement
permits
when drawn by a motorized vehicle; primarily designed and constructed to
provide
temporary living quarters for recreational camping or travel use; and of a
body length of no more than 40 feet and a body width of no more than 8 ½ feet
when factory equipped for the road.
Camping Trailer - A vehicular
portable unit mounted on wheels and constructed with a
collapsible partial side wall which fold for towing by another vehicle and
unfold at the
camp site to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or
travel use.
Truck Camper - A portable unit
designed to be affixed to a truck chassis and constructed to provide temporary
living quarters for recreational, travel or camping use.
Motor Home - A vehicular unit built
on a self-propelled motor vehicle chassis, primarily designed to provide
temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use.
Van Conversion - A vehicular unit
built on a self-propelled motor vehicle chassis which has been converted from
a commercial vehicle to a recreational vehicle by installing certain
utilities.
Park Trailer - A
transportable unit which has a body width which does not exceed 12 feet and
which is built on a single chassis and is designed to provide seasonal or
temporary living quarters.
Definition of Mobile Home - Section 320.01(2) Florida Statutes
A mobile home is defined as any type of trailer or vehicle
body, regardless of any appurtenances additions or other modifications thereto,
without independent motive power, manufactured upon an integral chassis or
undercarriage and designed either for travel over the highways or for housing
accommodations, or both.
Purchase of a Vehicle by an Out-of-State Resident
- When a resident of another state purchases a vehicle in
Florida for use in applicant's home state, it is not subject to Florida
title or registration.
- If a vehicle is financed by a Florida lending institution,
the lien should be filed in the applicant's state of legal residence.
- A Florida title will not be issued for the purpose of
recording a lien.
Documentation Required to Obtain Title to a Vehicle previously Registered Out-of-State
- Out-of-State title or registration when title is not
required in that state.
- Out-of-Country documentation, when previously registered
out of the country.
- Proof of payment of sales tax or proof of purchase price,
when vehicle is owned 6 months or less. A state sales tax of 6% of the fair market
value of the vehicle is due on vehicles coming from our-of-country. A 1% county
discretionary sales tax is applied on the value of the vehicle up to $5,000 of the
value.
- Proof of Florida Insurance Coverage.
Ownership of a Vehicle by a Minor
There is not a statutory age limit on any persons for
ownership of a motor vehicle. However, you may want to check with the insurance
company before tagging a vehicle in the name of a minor. A Signature
Identification Card with a picture is required. Also, applicant must be able to
sign their name.
Vehicle Registration
Section 320.02(1), Florida Statutes provides "Except as
otherwise provided in this Chapter, every owner or person in charge of a motor
vehicle which is operated or driven on the roads of this state shall register
the vehicle in this state. No registration is required for any motor vehicle
which is not operated on the roads of this state during the registration period.
The only exception to this is a mobile home, which must be registered regardless
of whether it is being used, per section 320.18, Florida Statutes. For price on
registrations etc., Click
Here.......
Insurance Verification (Must be Florida Insurance unless Military)
Section 320.02(5)(a) Florida Statutes, requires a motor
vehicle owner to provide proof of that personal injury protection benefits have
been purchased when required under S.627.733, that property damage liability
coverage has been purchased as required under S.324.022 and that combined bodily
liability insurance and property damage liability insurance have been purchased
when required under S627.7415. Proof of insurance coverage shall be provided by
the applicant a the time of application for the registration of any motor
vehicle owned as defined in S627.732 in the manner prescribed by law.
The issuing license plate agent shall refuse to issue
registration if such proof of insurance is not provided. Chapters 316, 320, 324,
626, and 627, related to motor vehicle registration and insurance requirements
established by the "Motor Vehicle Insurance Reform Act of 1988,"
Chapter 88-730, provide for stricter verification of motor vehicle insurance,
prior to registration. As a result of the act, insurance companies selling motor
vehicle insurance in Florida must report the insurance and discontinuance of
vehicle policies in Florida.
Policy information as reported to the Florida Department of
Insurance by insurance companies is placed on an insurance data file which is
matched against both the vehicle data file and the driver license data file
maintained by the Department. Information provided by insurers will be used to
indicate insurance status on the vehicle file.
Non-Resident Military
Section 320.10, Florida Statutes, provides an exemption from
the registration tax imposed by Section 320.08, Florida Statutes, for any motor
vehicle or mobile home owned by, and operated exclusively for the personal use
of, any member of the United States Armed Forces who is not a resident of this
state while in compliance with military or naval orders.
- The fact that a non-resident service member may place
children in the public schools of this state or the spouse or any member of
immediate family of a non- resident service member may become employed would
not make their motor vehicles subject to Florida Registration. Under the
Soldiers' and Sailors' Relief Act of 1940, the service member may display
current license plates from the home state or from the state he or she is
stationed in.
Exception Eligibility
To establish the eligibility for the exemption, the
non-resident military member must submit the following to the county license
plate agency:
- A copy of the military orders assigning the applicant to
Florida military duty station
or a copy of the leave and earning statement. This evidence should be
returned to the
service person.
Additional Information
Due to a constant change in Laws regarding
Vehicles, information not covered in this brief outline may be obtained along
with selected forms by Clicking
Here......
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