Moved to Maryland - Title trailer in MD or Maine?

[TSHEventing]

Hey everyone, this may have been hashed to death, but I have an interesting situation.

I have a trailer that I traded another trailer for, i.e., sale was $0.00.

I need to title it as the tags from GA expire at the end of the month. I can’t find any information on Maryland’s website of what I need to do to get the trailer titled and registered in this state or how much it is going to cost me.

So, Marylander’s… do you have your trailers registered in this state? To those that transferred tags, what did you need?

Finally, is it legal in Maryland to have a trailer that is titled in a different state? I can title in Maine, like many people do, as it is cheaper… Can anyone CITE code that says it is illegal vs. legal?

Thanks!

[tangledweb]

Do you have a title for it? You are going to have a fun time without regardless where you do it.

Also the sale was not for $1 the trailer you traded presumably had a value. Somebody is going to want a value on it for sales tax (unless you tag in Maine with a business tax id and claim it will be 80% used for Interstate commerce)

If you use it mostly for interstate commerce, then you can certainly tag in Maine. If you don’t, the section MD regs that people point to is:

(f) A trailer or semitrailer operated in intrastate service need not be registered in this State if:
(1) It is registered in another state;

          (2)      The truck tractor or other vehicle that is towing it is registered in  this State; and


           (3)      The registered owner of the truck tractor or  other towing vehicle has  at least one trailer or semitrailer registered  in this State for each  truck tractor also registered in this State.

So I think it is perfectly legal to have Maine tags on a trailer if you have one truck tagged in MD and you have at least one other trailer tagged in MD.

Anecdotally, plenty of people in Maryland have all their trailers tagged in Maine and don’t have any issues. That could always change. Other states (such as Delaware) have changed their rules to stop tax revenue leaking out to Maine. The same could happen in Maryland one day.

[bathsheba8542]

I have mine titled in Maryland. I realize there is some cost savings by titling in Maine, but I feel that if I’m using Maryland roads and benefitting from Maryland infrastructure, I should pay into the Maryland kitty. But that’s me…I know there are some who don’t feel this way.

[gumtree]

[QUOTE=bathsheba8542;8324318]
I have mine titled in Maryland. I realize there is some cost savings by titling in Maine, but I feel that if I’m using Maryland roads and benefitting from Maryland infrastructure, I should pay into the Maryland kitty. But that’s me…I know there are some who don’t feel this way.[/QUOTE]

This how feel about it. Strongly. Don’t understand why this is lost on so many people. If someone can afford a horse and a trailer to cart it around. Surely they can afford the few extra dollars it cost to title and plate in the state they live.

[gumtree]

Don’t think you can get the trailer and or a car for that matter a new state title and plate from out of state. Usually requires an inspection of the Vin# on each.

If you can not get it back to Maryland before the existing plate expires most states offer a “transport” temp tag. Not sure if that is the correct name of it. I’ve done it a couple of times and it was cheap to get.

[Libby2563]

[QUOTE=TSHEventing;8323715]
Finally, is it legal in Maryland to have a trailer that is titled in a different state? I can title in Maine, like many people do, as it is cheaper… Can anyone CITE code that says it is illegal vs. legal? [/QUOTE]

Technically, you must have one trailer registered in MD for each registered out of state (MD Transportation Article 13-402(f)). Practically speaking, this is difficult to enforce on the side of the road and most police officers don’t even know about it anyway. I believe enforcement is geared more towards commercial fleets than private persons with one or two trailers. Tons of people in MD do have ME tags.

It’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth it. The cost savings are quite significant, even just in renewals. A 3,001-5,000 lb trailer costs $102 every two years in MD whereas $104 currently gets you six years in ME. I believe titling will be cheaper as well (Staab Agency lists it as $42.50 in ME, but like you I couldn’t find solid info on MD in a brief search).

[tangledweb]

Yes, the price difference is significant. In MD a 10,001+ lb trailer will cost you $248 for 2 years. In ME that will be $266 for 12 years.

[Flash44]

[QUOTE=bathsheba8542;8324318]
I have mine titled in Maryland. I realize there is some cost savings by titling in Maine, but I feel that if I’m using Maryland roads and benefitting from Maryland infrastructure, I should pay into the Maryland kitty. But that’s me…I know there are some who don’t feel this way.[/QUOTE]

And people that live in PA but work in MD should pay a road tax. Especially if they bring their lunch from home. ;o)

[SonnysMom]

I am a rule follower. I title my vehicles in my state. However I know some states don’t title all trailers. If you then move to a state that requires a title it can be impossible to get one, especially if you have no clue who you purchased the trailer from. In that case I would look into getting it titled somewhere like ME. I then would probably transfer the new title to my current state once that registration ran out.
The extra $1,200 in Flash44’s example would be nice. However that is minimal over a 12 year period compared to how much I use the trailer in my home state and compared to what I spend on my horse in 1 year let alone 12 years.

[tabula_rashah]

Maryland MVA is not who I would mess around with. As far as I know, you’ll have to actually be in MD to title it here and they will not let you say the cost of the trailer is $0.00- you’ll be taxed on the value.

[Highflyer]

Depending on the trailer size, you may not need to title it in Maine.