Registration worries in Georgia

[lukecanjuggle]

Hello Skoolers,

My friend and I have spent the past month converting our 24-passenger Bluebird bus into a motorhome. All the seats are gone, and we have beds, walls, a sofa, and kitchen area installed. We're soon to install a generator, wiring, and a/c unit. But, we've run into a problem.

We are residents of Georgia, and the friendly representatives of the Ga DMV informed me that there is no way we can register our vehicle as anything other than a 24-capacity bus. As they explained it to me, there is no way to change classification of the vehicle in this state. As best I understand it, this means that we will need CDLs, and get a worse insurance rate. Am I correct in thinking this? Are there other issues we will face driving a "bus" vs an RV or Motorhome? Should we try to get it re-titled in another state?

 

[reb336-SKO]

I have my bus registered in GA as a private motorhome.
First of all, the DMV (Dept of Driver Services) does not issue registrations (Tags and Titles).
They only issue driver's licenses.
Your local county tax commissioner issues the tags and titles.
I had no problems getting my tag and title. i told them the bus had been converted into a motorhome.

CDL's are only required for vehicles designed to carry more than 15 passengers including the driver.
Once you remove the seats, the vehicle is no longer designed to carry 15 or more passengers.
CDL's are not required.

 

[lukecanjuggle]

Well, that's interesting. I tried to call and ask what I needed to bring in order to show I'd converted my vehicle from a passenger bus into an RV. Maybe I just wound up talking to the wrong person, because she said she would have to call the state revenue department motor vehicle division (that's what I meant to type, not DMV). The state MVD told her, and later me when i called them back, that I couldn't register a bus as a motorhome in Georgia. But maybe that was all wasted effort on my part, and I will have better luck with the tag office clerk. What happened when you went, did they print a new title for you with a motorhome designation?

I see you're from Athens. So are we. You can check out our website at www.SafetyThirdJuggling.com. Thanks for your input.

 

[lornaschinske]

You can always go and register it in Clarke County!

 

[keith-SKO]

go to gilmer county in ellijay ga an hr from u guys ,my bb is a bb/rv $125.00 per yr on tags..

 

[LuckyChow]

I've registered 3 buses in Georgia as motorhomes. They were commercial vehicles when I bought them, but had them changed over to motorhomes by our local tag office. Twice they had to call somewhere to get some codes added to their software in the computer to get it to accept it, but it only took about an hour. There are a lot of offices that don't know what they are doing, so don't give up.

 

[bansil]

good luck
I think it really is agent to agent biased

 

[bansil]

Woop...woop...congrates

 

[inkblots84]

Congrats y'all!

 

[rollydampolly]

i live []in catoosa county just south of chattanooga tennessee. my local tag office called the state to check on this for me and told me if it was ever a bus in ga that it would always be a bus in ga no mater the mods. you did to it. at the same time my local state farm insurance agent will cover it so long as i have made the mods to make it a rv, they require (state farm insurance) that it have a cooking area bathroom and bed. now the state told my local tag office that they can put a tag on it that is private but it will be a bus on the regestration and title.

i have not bought a bus yet i was just trying to find out what i needed to do to get everything fixed up and make it an rv in the eyes of the law. i have a cdl and can drive a bus with no problems according to the state but id like to fix it where its an rv not a bus on the regestration and tags.

if there is a code or a local tag office or person in the tag office you have spoken to in georgia who can tell me something other than what mine has told me id love to speak with them and get my tag office to go along and do what they can to fix it. thanks so much for all the help in advance

daniel
ringgold georgia

 

[BUBB-SKO]

Well...
I dont know anything about georgia's laws but I had the same issue in texas, I talked to many people at the dmv and the title office, they all said the title could not be changed, they were wrong of course, I just had to tell them the page and section number of the dmv regulations and title regulations so they could read it themselves,
Just make sure you are looking at the most recent regulations,

 

[reb336-SKO]

My title was not changed other than from the previous owner's name to mine.
However, I told the clerk at the tag office it was a Bluebird Motorhome and was issued a private tag.

My GVWR is less than 26,001 lbs and it is no longer designed to carry 15 or more passengers.
Therefore, my bus is not considered a commercial vehicle and has been registered as a private vehicle.

Not familiar with any codes needed. It was originally registered by me in Oconee County.
I have since transferred the registration to Stephens County where I live now and had no problems whatsoever.

 

[rollydampolly]

My title was not changed other than from the previous owner's name to mine.
However, I told the clerk at the tag office it was a Bluebird Motorhome and was issued a private tag.

My GVWR is less than 26,001 lbs and it is no longer designed to carry 15 or more passengers.
Therefore, my bus is not considered a commercial vehicle and has been registered as a private vehicle.

Not familiar with any codes needed. It was originally registered by me in Oconee County.
I have since transferred the registration to Stephens County where I live now and had no problems whatsoever.

i know i can tag it as a private vehicle but more to the point i was curious about is when they issued you a title did say bluebird bus or bluebird motorhome on it ? the one im looking at has a gvwr of 28000 or so and its going to be above the CDL limits. i have a cdl but i dont want to keep a log or have it inspected yearly and would like to let another driver ride me around from time to time. thanks so much for your reply reb336

 

[rclong]

Just to share our experience:
1) Went to insurance, insured as motor home
2) Pulled seats out of bus, and painted it an alternate color, also removed stop sign etc.
3) Presented photos to local tag office as a motorhome since now it's basically a camper van
4) Re-titled as bluebird motorhome in GA (Cherokee County)

 

[The-Breeze]

If you posted on this site, you hopefully read what others have said.

If your local office has problems then you can go to any of the other counties above that have handled the situation with diplomacy.

You can add Hall County, Georgia to that list as ours was converted to a Bluebird Motor Home there.

It seems the common thread is "Bluebird Motor Home".

As stated, just go to another county.

ALSO, DON'T FRET THE SMALL STUFF.....GET YA A BUS AND GET CONVERTING

 

[The-Breeze]

ALSO>>>>
From reading and responding to the posts about Georgia registration, what is appearing to be the problem is that Newbies are still researching, prior to buying a lot of what ifs.

That's great, except the horror stories about registration are over two years old if not older and may not even be applicable today (yeah..thanks to those who paved the way).

If would be great if we could date postings (BIG ENOUGH) for people to see that issues like this are outdated and only for reference, if you should live in a county that has dealt with us Skoolies before.

Current situations should also be posted (BIG ENOUGH) to show that what you are about to read is from this time frame.

 

[taskswap]

Wouldn't it make sense to start a companion Wiki where we can sort out reference material like this? I'll be hitting CT state regs soon and would be happy to document that...

 

[bansil]

i know i can tag it as a private vehicle but more to the point i was curious about is when they issued you a title did say bluebird bus or bluebird motorhome on it ? the one im looking at has a gvwr of 28000 or so and its going to be above the CDL limits. i have a cdl but i dont want to keep a log or have it inspected yearly and would like to let another driver ride me around from time to time. thanks so much for your reply reb336

why would 28k be too heavy for a PRIVATE use RV?

most RV/Motorhomes on the market are over 35K and no special license is needed in MOST states...that is scary to think about, I have had a couple ask me if the buzzer can be disconnected...SHOCKED...I was like NO!! that is saying you have low air...I get looked at retarded, I tried to explain this and was "sckooled" by an old fart that has a million miles under his belt that the buzzer is only a warning and is safe to operate just rev it up...that is scary

so if anyone can buy a 45k pound 45 foot motorhome and slap a toad on the back, why do you have to register as commercial?

 

[rjnye79]

To any of you that have registered your bus in Georgia... did you have to provide a certificate of inspection? ...or, should I say, what proof did you have to show about the vehicle?

 

[mysty]

I'm a newbie in Georgia, and I can confirm that in Cobb County, I am being given the same story right now in 2016. "We can't handle a retitle - you have to contact the State Revenue department motor vehicle division." When I called the number they provided, I was informed, "You cannot retitle a bus as an RV. Once a bus, always a bus. Contact your county tax office and register the vehicle as a bus." I KNOW this is nonsense, since there are plenty of buses titled as RVs in Georgia, but I don't know how to tell the "authorities" that they are wrong. Those of you who have registered as an RV in other counties, is your bus also titled as an RV? If so, was the county able to handle the retitle? At this point, I feel like I can't legally purchase a bus until I change my residence to a more bus-friendly state.