Registration in Vt..........

[Funkpirate]

As I've scoured through everyone's tips,thought I'd leave some info on registration here.
Bought the bus,sent in the registration,was denied,as expected.
I was missing a bill of sale from between the previous two owners,(?),from Maine,which I promptly forged with bare minimum info.
In the box I had marked RV,they crossed it out,and wrote BUS.I emailed DMV,told them I was converting to full fledged rv,and wanted to title it as such,and the commissioner wrote back and basically said "go ahead".Printed the email with her instructions and took everything to the DMV office,politely said "this is what I'm doing", and they said OK.
Bottom line is,keep it simple,act intelligent,but don't forget the guy behind the desk (or at the other end of the email)is intelligent also,he just has guidelines to follow.You gotta make yourself fit the guidelines you want.

Thanks for recommending GMAC,got a 6 mo. policy for $200.

[John]

Howdy neighbor. I'm doing my conversion down in Wells, VT (between Pawlet and Poultney along highway 30). I had no problems registering in Rutland, VT.

Don't forget that vehicles in Vermont also need inspection and there's where you might have a bit more hoops. I inspected mine at Rattlesnake Ridge in Fairhaven. They made sure that all of the school bus decals were removed (which I had already done) and removed my red and yellow lights in the front. That's it. Didn't care about anything in the interior (as some states require living items.)

[Funkpirate]

When I had the VIN verified,the trooper called DMV for me cause I had questions he couldn't answer,and the voice at the other end of the phone told me I could leave the yellow lights,just remove the red.Where can I find VT DOT statutes,besides stopping a DOT beside the road?Who told you about the lights?I wanted to switch the red for yellow,I like the idea of having caution lights.

Also,being registered and titled RV,can any garage inspect me,or do they need to be CDL certified?

[John]

Originally Posted by Funkpirate

When I had the VIN verified,the trooper called DMV for me cause I had questions he couldn't answer,and the voice at the other end of the phone told me I could leave the yellow lights,just remove the red.Where can I find VT DOT statutes,besides stopping a DOT beside the road?Who told you about the lights?I wanted to switch the red for yellow,I like the idea of having caution lights.

Also,being registered and titled RV,can any garage inspect me,or do they need to be CDL certified?

The local garage said they couldn't inspect my bus because the bus has air brakes and they couldn't do those, otherwise it sounded like they would have been able to. If you don't have air brakes that may work for you. I'd call around and ask.

Vermont only requires CDL if the bus has a) more than 15 passengers, b) is longer than 40 foot, c) is used for commercial purposes. Otherwise you shouldn't ever have to worry about anything CDL, whether insurance, inspection, registration or license.

The guy who inspected my conversion called the DOT and then removed the lights based on what they said. He was nervous and wanted to cover is liability. If I were to get pulled over I'd be ok because I had the inspection, but if the DOT had a problem it would fall on him, because he gave it to me. However, I'd leave the lights, putting the yellow in front and the red in back, and then tell the inspector that's what you were told by the DOT. He's not going to know the rules, and if things look ok he'll hopefully just pass it. It seems that they're more worried about safety and emissions than minor details.

I forgot to mention I also removed the stop sign and flashers before going in. I left the mechanism in place as I'm eventually going to replace the stop sign with a different non-red sign.

[warewolff]

Sorry to reignite an old thread. Back when I was restoring old abandoned (and title-less) motorcycles, Vermont would always be happy to give me a transferrable registration. All I needed was the VIN, a small fee, and a vin check from the local sheriff to ensure nothing was stolen. I then had no problem swapping it for a title in my home state of NY.

Instead of going through the hassle and inspections in my state, does anyone know if Vermont would retitle my bus to an RV so my NY experience would be painless? I used to do the motorcycles through the mail. I'd bet I can do the same thing with my bus.

[warewolff]

Originally Posted by warewolff

Sorry to reignite an old thread. Back when I was restoring old abandoned (and title-less) motorcycles, Vermont would always be happy to give me a transferrable registration. All I needed was the VIN, a small fee, and a vin check from the local sheriff to ensure nothing was stolen. I then had no problem swapping it for a title in my home state of NY.

Instead of going through the hassle and inspections in my state, does anyone know if Vermont would retitle my bus to an RV so my NY experience would be painless? I used to do the motorcycles through the mail. I'd bet I can do the same thing with my bus.

This worked. I called DMV today to verify and I did not even need a vin verification or inspection. I have hydraulic brakes .. air might differ. The bus only had to have school insignia removed and be painted not yellow -- but no photos necessary. I sent in a copy of the title to trade in for a transferable registration along with the VD119 registraton application. Motor home registration is 74 dollars. Tax on my purchase was roughly 155. I attached the bill of sale and a personal check. For $229 my bus is now registered as a motor home in Vermont! To reiterate, I am a NY resident.

In NY you are technically supposed to have NY plates within 14 days if the cops want to bust your chops but I have never had an issue with this AND we will be boondocking in other states. If it's an issue I can now very easy retitle it in NY as its already designated an RV. I'll write a more in depth tutorial on a separate thread BUT THIS INFORMATION SHOULD RESOLVE TITLE PROBLEMS NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE STATESIDE.

Yes!!!

[802motus]

Originally Posted by warewolff

This worked. I called DMV today to verify and I did not even need a vin verification or inspection. I have hydraulic brakes .. air might differ. The bus only had to have school insignia removed and be painted not yellow -- but no photos necessary. I sent in a copy of the title to trade in for a transferable registration along with the VD119 registraton application. Motor home registration is 74 dollars. Tax on my purchase was roughly 155. I attached the bill of sale and a personal check. For $229 my bus is now registered as a motor home in Vermont! To reiterate, I am a NY resident.

In NY you are technically supposed to have NY plates within 14 days if the cops want to bust your chops but I have never had an issue with this AND we will be boondocking in other states. If it's an issue I can now very easy retitle it in NY as its already designated an RV. I'll write a more in depth tutorial on a separate thread BUT THIS INFORMATION SHOULD RESOLVE TITLE PROBLEMS NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE STATESIDE.

Yes!!!

This information is so helpful. Thank you!

Quick question.. was your bus already converted when you requested the title change? I've read online that there's a couple criteria it has to meet before the title change. My husband and I just bought our bus and are trying to figure out the best way to proceed with insurance (and possibly registration) prior to heading to Arkansas to pick it up.

[nightfury]

Originally Posted by 802motus

This information is so helpful. Thank you!

Quick question.. was your bus already converted when you requested the title change? I've read online that there's a couple criteria it has to meet before the title change. My husband and I just bought our bus and are trying to figure out the best way to proceed with insurance (and possibly registration) prior to heading to Arkansas to pick it up.

I did the same as warewolff to go pick mine up in NJ a month ago, VT DMV registered it as a Motor Home even tho it wasn't converted, just don't tell them that. I told them it was converted, they said it needs all school bus stuff removed and can't be yellow. There was no problem registering it like this even giving showing them the NJ title that said "BUS".

Unfortunately I live in MA and had to register it here as they have insurance tied directly to the license plate. They also made me pay sales tax again because I haven't owned it at least 6 months and said I may be able to get a refund from VT. I was going to just wait 6 months and then do it but I didn't want to risk losing my progressive insurance because the DMV here wont accept your insurance on a new registration if the effective date is older then 30 days...

[C2H6O]

It sounds like all your rigs are 15 years of age or older. In VT the DMV here does not require a title for a vehicle 15+ years old or older, nor do they issue one upon registration. VT also does not require proof of insurance prior to reg.

[C2H6O]

follow up: VT Reg Bus->RV

from the VT DMV website:
Can I use an old school bus as a motor home? | Department of Motor Vehicles

In order to convert an old school bus into an RV/Motor Home you must meet the following requirement:

Vermont Law 32 VSA §8902(11) defines a “Motor Home,” it states:

“means a new or used pleasure car designed to provide temporary living quarters, built into the integral part of, or permanently attached to, a self-propelled motor vehicle chassis or van. The vehicle must contain at least four of the following facilities; cooking, refrigeration or ice box, self-contained toilet, heating and/or air conditioning, a portable water supply system including a sink and faucet, separate 110-125 volt electrical power supply, and/or an LP gas supply.”

If it does not have four of these items the use of the vehicle cannot be changed from a bus/school bus to an RV. Just by taking out a “few seats” and adding “some beds” does not in itself change the purpose of the vehicle. You would still need to install at least four more of the above items. If you fail to do that the vehicle’s purpose would remain a school bus which would require the operator to have the appropriate license and endorsements.

Additionally; the vehicle must be painted a color different than glossy school bus yellow and the eight way light system must be removed.

[o1marc]

So today I get a letter from State Farm informing me my VIN on my insurance does not match the VIN in the Ga. database. After being told by my agent registered in Vt. would not be an issue, now they are saying technically you need to be registered where you are insured, or vice versa, within 30 days. It's an internal letter and not from the state. My agent said to go ahead and mail it back in and basically not worry unless I here from the state where I will first get a $20 bill, then an $80 bill , and then suspension of your license.
Anyone else dealing with this?

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by o1marc

So today I get a letter from State Farm informing me my VIN on my insurance does not match the VIN in the Ga. database. After being told by my agent registered in Vt. would not be an issue, now they are saying technically you need to be registered where you are insured, or vice versa, within 30 days. It's an internal letter and not from the state. My agent said to go ahead and mail it back in and basically not worry unless I here from the state where I will first get a $20 bill, then an $80 bill , and then suspension of your license.

Anyone else dealing with this?

I never called your agent. Now I'm nervous again lol.

I'm kind of wondering if I can take this vt registration and register it in ga as a motor home. I was just going to leave the Vermont plates. Not sure what the ad valorem would be. But at least it's only once here.