Colorado Registration questions and insurance.

[Tigerman67]

What is the reason for changing the title from a bus to a motor home? Does your insurance drop? Cheaper tags?

If your vehicle is designed to carry more than 15 passengers, or is more than 26k lbs GVWR, you need a class B CDL license regardless of what you plan to use it for. If you also have airbrakes, you would need the Airbrakes endorsement. If you bus still has the word 'School' on it (reguardless of weight or # of passengers), you are suppose to have a slightly different passenger endorsement for school bus passengers.

An RV is a specific carve out in the federal law, and you can drive one with a regular license (some states have a 'heavy' non-commercial license that might be required, but CO doesn't not appear to have that).
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dmv/cdl-general-information
If you look on that page, under which vehicles don't require the CDL, RVs, military and certain farm vehicles and a few others.

Depending on your point of view, you probably don't have to stop for weigh stations as an RV, but do if you qualify as a Commercial vehicle. If you are at a weigh station, if they choose to bother you, I think as a commercial vehicle/driver, there is alot of things they can get you for since you were suppose to do your pretrip inspection before starting out and zero things are suppose to be wrong with your vehicle.

If you have to have a CDL, then you have to have a log book, and you can't exceed DOT hours while operating a commercial vehicles. Electronic log books are now being required as well, but not sure which vehicles have to have them.

I think tags are cheaper, as there is an assumption you are using the road less than a commercial vehicle.

Insurance CAN be cheaper, but insuring a converted Bus as an RV will give you another set of hurtles to clear in order for the insurance company to take you seriously as an RV. Not impossible, just difficult if you are just starting out. For the state, the bar is very low for the conversion, and they take your word for it. Your insurance company will likely want pictures, and those minimum accommodations I made for the state would be unlikely to fly with any insurance company.

 

[cooliebus]

I just bought a mini Bus here in Denver today and didn't have any hassle getting insurance for it. In fact the insurance is cheaper for the mini bus than for my other commuter car (95 Geo Prizm) which is great because I plan on selling the Prizm and using the bus as my daily driver while I'm converting it.

My bus insurance is through Progressive Commercial. I bought the bus with the seats already ripped out so I just described the vehicle as a big van to the insurance salesman. It was all a great relief to me because insurance never crossed my mind when I was fantasizing about my bus conversion. I looked into it just a few hours before I ended up buying the bus. Lucky me!

Next step is getting the temp tags, emissions test, then finally the plates. Hopefully those will be just as easy as the insurance was. Ill keep you all updated on how it goes.

 

[cooliebus]

Also I don't plan on telling the DMV the bus is an RV. I plan on just going with the 'its a big van' bit again. From what I can gather from the previous posts, it seems its only advantageous to register as an RV if you have one of the big buses? Mine is a mini-bus so I don't think it applies in my case. Nor do I intend to add plumbing or septic to my rig so it wouldn't fall into the RV bin.

 

[cooliebus]

Update:
I successfully got my temporary tags today! The DMV required proof of insurance, my license, the title and payment. It cost about $150 for me. For some reason they could only give me 10-day temporary tags... not sure why. Tomorrow I will try for the emissions test... stay tuned.

 

[cooliebus]

Update #2:
The good news is the bus is running strong. The bad news is it failed emissions. I'll hopefully be dropping it off to a mechanic tomorrow if work will allow me that flexibility. I will update again when I find out what the damage is.

 

[Tigerman67]

Update #2:
The good news is the bus is running strong. The bad news is it failed emissions. I'll hopefully be dropping it off to a mechanic tomorrow if work will allow me that flexibility. I will update again when I find out what the damage is.

Since you mentioned you bought it in Denver....

• The seller is required to provide the buyer with a passing emissions test at the time of sale.
• Colorado dealers are required to provide a passing emissions test or a voucher good for one emissions test at the time of sale.
• C.R.S. 42-4-310

 

[d0shrest]

I bought mine through auction locally and the auction place did guarantee emissions.

BTW, I am planning to get mine re-titled as MH in the next couple of weeks before the temp tags expire. I will be shopping for insurance next week. I got the emission tested.( it passed ).

Do you have to take the vehicle to DMV or can you just have all the required documents and have it re-titled? I have 4 of the requirements staged on the vehicle at this time.

Thanks

 

[Twigg-SKO]

I bought mine through auction locally and the auction place did guarantee emissions.

BTW, I am planning to get mine re-titled as MH in the next couple of weeks before the temp tags expire. I will be shopping for insurance next week. I got the emission tested.( it passed ).

Do you have to take the vehicle to DMV or can you just have all the required documents and have it re-titled? I have 4 of the requirements staged on the vehicle at this time.

Thanks

Is it an out-of-state vehicle?

Dunno about CO, but if you bring a vehicle into Oklahoma, you have to take it to the tag office for a physical VIN check.

 

[d0shrest]

This was in-state..auction place was in-state (CO) and the school district was also local.

 

[Tigerman67]

I bought mine through auction locally and the auction place did guarantee emissions.

BTW, I am planning to get mine re-titled as MH in the next couple of weeks before the temp tags expire. I will be shopping for insurance next week. I got the emission tested.( it passed ).

Do you have to take the vehicle to DMV or can you just have all the required documents and have it re-titled? I have 4 of the requirements staged on the vehicle at this time.

Thanks

You do not need the physical vehicle. You just need all your paperwork. Dont make the mistake of going to the DMV in the last couple of days of the month unless you have all afternoon.

If its out of state, you need a VIN verification. I believe you need it for the title change as well if you want to do that at the same time.
Weight slip, proof of insurance, your bill of sale, old title.
And your Statement of fact listing enough items off the list. The list and explanation is in one of the earlier posts. Getting enough items aren't that hard to meet if you have camping gear already and you want to be honest.

 

[d0shrest]

You do not need the physical vehicle. You just need all your paperwork. Dont make the mistake of going to the DMV in the last couple of days of the month unless you have all afternoon.

If its out of state, you need a VIN verification. I believe you need it for the title change as well if you want to do that at the same time.
Weight slip, proof of insurance, your bill of sale, old title.
And your Statement of fact listing enough items off the list. The list and explanation is in one of the earlier posts. Getting enough items aren't that hard to meet if you have camping gear already and you want to be honest.

I will plan to head out there mid-week and try to avoid the crowds. Planning to head up to the one in Longmont or in Brighton.

Thanks

 

[Tigerman67]

I will plan to head out there mid-week and try to avoid the crowds. Planning to head up to the one in Longmont or in Brighton.

Thanks

The fees are county based, so you are suppose to do the DMV stuff in the county you have it registered in. Not sure if Brighton and Longmont are in the same county.

With the new 24hour kiosk's a few counties that participate I think they have the ability to renew from a different county at the kiosk but I think that is the only transaction you can do when out of county.

 

[d0shrest]

I am in unincorporated Adams county so I guess I have to go to the one in Brighton or the one in Westminster.


Thx again

 

[cooliebus]

Final Update!

Ok finally got my plates today! After the CAT converter added in a new O2 censor for $20. Went in for a new emissions test and failed by like 0.5 CO levels during Idle. The numbers were so close that I requested a new test. The air care employee though I was crazy and she talked to her manager and they told me as long as I pay they'll retest. Guess what? PASSED the next test! The bus gods smiled upon me

Anywho... I went in for my plates today and it came out to $120.

We are finally rollin!

*to the person that said emissions tests are required when selling a vehicle: I asked the DMV guy that very same question and he told me that they aren't legally required and its more of a common courtesy. Maybe they are only required when buying from a dealership?

 

[cooliebus]

Correction: The DMV guy mentioned in my last post was uninformed. You do need proof of passing emissions legally when selling a vehicle.

 

[PtrsonsZOO]

Gonna be the weirdo here...

I'm not looking to actually convert it to an RV, just taking out all by 2 interior seats and using it to haul equipment to and from charity events, and as a dressing room. Maybe take it in a parade.



When I'm done, it's going to look like this:

It is a SPED bus with a lift. Any ideas about how I should register & insure it?

 

[o1marc]

Correction: The DMV guy mentioned in my last post was uninformed. You do need proof of passing emissions legally when selling a vehicle.

In your county or state. In my county we don't even have emission inspections.

 

[JA Savage]

In Colorado it is by county, because not all counties require emission inspections.

 

[rognyt23]

Did you have to pay registration by the ton?

 

[Drakemfree]

Remember an approx number in the fee? Going in on Tuesday!
The list is like this, 4 out of 6:
1- Cooking
2- Potable water
3- Fridge
4- Toilet
5- 110volt power
6- Heat and/or AC

DR 2444 "Statement of fact"
Certified Weight slip under 26,000 lbs
DR 2698 VIN Verify with police $50


My build is on Instagram @divinetribe111