Effort to permit RV conversions in Kentucky again

[DeMac]

RVIA Inspection

Am about 2 months from wrapping up my conversion, and called DMV to innocently ask about inspections for an RV. Was passed off to the fire department who passed me off to a fire marshal in Lexington, who said that I wasn't in his jurisdiction (I'm in Louisville), but gave me the number of a local inspector.

When I posed the question about conversions, he said (as exact as I can remember), "It depends on who you talk to. You might be able to find someone who will inspect a conversion, but it'd technically be illegal for us to do so. We have no way of knowing whether it was made up to RVIA standards."

I haven't called the local inspector yet. When I do, I'll post what I find.

-------------------------

"The local inspector"...

Who or where is that?
Not the county Building & Planning Dept, but an RVIA inspector, right?
www.rvsmartinspections.com

Map
RV Smart Inspections
12478 Spring Trace Ct,
Louisville, KY 40229


An RVIA Search Engine may be useful to folks reading this thread:
nrvia.org/locator

 

[flattracker]

I am a little confused. In my appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court over registration of my M998 (HUMVEE) it was all about compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards adopted by the National Traffic Safety Administration (also used by the military as defined in MIL STD 1180
The so called industry standards used by the RV industry can be changed at whim. If you convert a vehicle to an RV do you meet standards in use when the vehicle was manufactured (as like FMVSS requirements) or when the conversion is done?
Does the DMV or other state agency even know what those standards are, or how to verify they are met? Having seen various "how it's made" shows that document manufacture of motor homes/RV, it is clear that many aspects of their construction are not accessible for inspection when completed.
To the best of my knowledge a normal vehicle safety inspection in states that have it they only cover safety and smog issues, ie: all the lights, the brakes, the steering, tires, chassis rot, emmisions.
So why more than that for an RV conversion?


I consider some of the NFPA1192 requirements common sense that one would follow to be safe.

 

[turf]

i'm more than a little confused.

what?!?! why?

why are you seeking an inspection? is this for plates on a vehicle or a permit to do work?

when you leave you state, will you need an inspection in the next state?

to my knowledge, no one inspects rv's as far as code compliance. are you seeking a certification for a resale vehicle as a manufacturer?

whats your goal?

building permits, plumbing permits, electrical permits .... are property taxes attached to a physical address. your bus shouldn't have its own address unless you're fixed in place.

a dmv safety inspection is tires, windshield....etc. they arent fireplace inspectors.

rvia - the last 2 letters are important - industry association. not an officail rulemaking body of anything

 

[flattracker]

Having converted two Crown school buses into motor homes in two states (California and Oregon) it was a simple process and inspection. DMV did the inspection.
The requirements were:

Does it have sleeping facilities? I made a simple platform bed out of 2 x 12 lumber and plywood and placed a mattress on it.
Does it have cooking facilities? I mounted a vanity to the floor, mounted a length of countertop to that and mounted a three burner propane cook stove to that.
In Oregon the cost to register an RV is based on the length of the vehicle, so the DMV person and I used a tape measure to determine the length of the bus (39 feet) and all was good.
In Ca. it was basically the same, stove - bed. I even changed the registration on an ambulance to an RV by adding a propane Coleman stove with hinges and calling the EMT bench a bed.
I did actually sleep on the bench and cook a couple meals on the Coleman stove in the ambulance.


The way to really find out what the requirements are in a given state are to read the laws.

In Oregon they are called Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) and in California they are Codes like Vehicle Codes.


My experience in California is that DMV employees don't know the laws and will make up rules and lie to you when they don't know. In Oregon they look things up in the computer and get answers to do it right. Service at the DMV in Oregon is much quicker than California. If you need to go to DMV in California plan on half a day at DMV with an hour outside the building in line, another hour in line inside the building and another hour in one of a dozen queues before you get service at the counter.
Oregon has one queue and everyone is inside. In the DMV in Lake County Oregon, there is only one person to serve a county larger than the state of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined, but I have never seen the line get longer than three people. (The population of Lake County is less than 8000 people) The folks in Oregon DMV are friendly and work to get you through the process.

 

[turf]

Thanks!

Colorado was similar. to be an rv you need 5 of 7 items (heat, AC, Plumbing, toilet, electric, sleeping and cooking permanently installed)
no inspection necessary, just sign an affidavit that its done, and your done.

the online NH route was another easy process

your insurance should not care for just liability and the dmv should not care for plates. those are straight forward transactions if you ask the right questions.

 

[desrtdog]

In TX it's basically the same to register as an RV - 4 of 6 items as Turf mentions above (heat and AC are combined and plumbing means potable water). But you also need to get an annual safety inspection...until 2025, at which time it will no longer be required, per revised state law. I just had mine inspected today, and it's nothing more than making sure your lights, and signals function...but again, not required here after this year, and nothing about any "RV" standards...

 

[Mr P]

Unfettered....any update??

After years of pondering about a bus, I found one I liked and everything came together. A few days after getting it home, I read posts like this (and others) about KY registration problems. I'm gonna proceed with the build, but at the same time I study/plan/modify the driveline/interior/exterior I'm gonna study for a solution to the KY problem.

 

[Mr P]

Am about 2 months from wrapping up my conversion, and called DMV to innocently ask about inspections for an RV. Was passed off to the fire department who passed me off to a fire marshal in Lexington, who said that I wasn't in his jurisdiction (I'm in Louisville), but gave me the number of a local inspector.

When I posed the question about conversions, he said (as exact as I can remember), "It depends on who you talk to. You might be able to find someone who will inspect a conversion, but it'd technically be illegal for us to do so. We have no way of knowing whether it was made up to RVIA standards."

I haven't called the local inspector yet. When I do, I'll post what I find.

Any update??

 

[Mr P]

Anybody got any updates?

Anybody got a way to contact Unfettered?

 

[Rucker]

This issue has come around more than once-Kentucky seems to be the state least interested in handling bus conversions.

Kentucky has an RV inspection process, here's the FAQ:
https://dhbc.ky.gov/Documents/FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions for B seal inspections).pdf
Here's a quote from it:
"Q3: Is a “B” seal inspection required on homemade or conversions recreational vehicles?
A3: The Manufactured Housing Section nor a Certified Dealer will not conduct inspections on
homemade recreational vehicles or conversions. Examples include but are not limited to: buses, cargo
vehicles, or stock trailers that have been converted to a recreational vehicle and were not constructed to
industry or referenced standards. The title will remain the same as what the unit currently is titled as."

So you don't need a B seal inspection and you cannot change the type of vehicle, from what I see.

If you haven't already found this group on FB check it out:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1028386937620609/

The consensus there is you have to register the vehicle as a commercial vehicle for personal use. Insurance would be commercial for private use.

BTW that's how my personal trucks and shuttle bus are titled in California.

 

[Mr P]

OR...

...build a "new vehicle" and get a new VIN.


OR...

....if it's already converted to "RV" in another state, KY should honor that, yet the "system" won't allow the County Clerk to input "RV" on the bus VIN.

 

[Rucker]

I guess I'm now asking the question 'what does it matter if the bus is not an RV but instead commercial for private use'? Insurance rates maybe?

 

[Mr P]

Bump for a reminder to Unfettered et al.

 

[Rucker]

I'm guessing there's no one else with information for you.

 

[Mr P]

Bump in the hopes that someone with legal ability will help KY folks.

It looks like a farmer might be able to register with 26k lb farm tags, KRS 186.050 4 (a) 1, and KRS 281.600 3.

 

[n240sxguy]

I didn’t realize this was a problem until I had already gone about it another way. When I started looking at buses to convert it was my understanding that you had to have x number of items like a camper, and have it inspected by the fire marshall, or a camper dealer who could do the inspection. In KY they want you to have everything registered in 30 days, and I didn’t want to register it as a commercial vehicle and try to get insurance that way. Probably would’ve been fine, but I just assumed it would be prohibitively expensive. I registered it in Vermont while that was still a thing, with the intention of having it swapped over after the conversion. After coming across this last year, it’s just gonna stay 98% converted. None of this is beneficial to anyone else who wants to do the conversion, but I will 100% agree that KY is stupid about vehicle registration. I see vehicles all the time on fb marketplace listed without a title. That is, and forever will be a paperweight to anyone in KY. You can’t do anything with it besides make a demolition derby car.