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Montana registration
Hi all.
My brother in Ohio is buying a coach and wants to go the Montana LLC route
for title and registration.Does anybody have a connection or can recommend a “facilitator”
that can set up the LLC and process the paperwork for him there ? There are few
attorneys that advertise the service but
I thought to ask here and get a straight scoop.What impact does that have on Insurance. He is getting a $150k Newmar that
has a book value of 170 so it is pretty straight forward. What are the typical
costs to do this ?Thanks. You can PM me if you wish or post here.
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24 Replies
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We have had three coaches with Bennett Law Offices in Missoula. They were fantastic. Last year we cancelled the LLC because of insurance. They’re very few insurance companies that will insure an LLC registered coach so the proce and terms became unreasonable.
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Call Bennett Law Offices, P. C. in Missoula, Mt.
They do a whole lot of these.
1-866-543-5803
http://www.bennetlawofficepc.com
Don’t remember the cost.
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As usual, I chime in on these LLC’s from Montana..
Respectfully, please remember, they are definitely legal to “set up” but illegal in your state according to most state statutes…. if setting them up allows you to “evade” the tax or road use fees on the coach…… In Texas, for example, if you keep the coach in Texas or have the coach in Texas for 30 days, and are a Texas resident, it must be registered in Texas and the road use fees paid.
I have worked with the State Comptroller’s office on this in Texas for a long time because I seek to have those who use the roads of this state to pay the costs associated with that use…. if caught in Texas, Florida, etc., the penalties can be huge….some have ranged into the $200,000 area (Florida) and if caught, the state has on occassion gone back to previous ownerships as well …
Everyone has an opinion on this but this is mine… sleep at night…pay the fees…
Just saying…
Pres
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Insuring the LLC is not a problem, have him call Explorer, our Advertiser. They can quote him the difference between personal ownership and the LLC.
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I too investigated a Montana LLC. Bennett told me since I lived in Illinos, they did not recommend I do any business with them. He said, “Illinois is looking for people like you to bust” I took the advise and put the bus in a properties corp I already had. Wrote 50% off last year and will do the rest over the next 5 years. The advantage to me far out I personally don’t believe it is worth the risk. In Illinois anyway..
IMHO
Steve
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Two quick notes:
(1) If you register your
coach in Montana, be SURE and register your toad/trailer there also, otherwise it is a
big flashing neon sign telling the law you are trying to cheat.(a)
A Montana LLC will cost about $300 and each vehicle you register will cost an
additional $4-500, however you can get forever plates and never have to pay
another cent on registration if the coach age is…9-or 11 years, I don’t
remember the exact number. Same for your toad or trailer.I used the people at 49dollarMontanaRegisteredAgent.com and got
really fast service. FedExed the signed title and Bill of sale, next day
they walk it to the DMV, following day FedEx delivered plates and
registration. Two weeks had title mailed and in hand. The bad news is that they issue 2 plates, one front and one rear. That means that your Prevost Community plate will have to go someplace else.(2) I have called
Explorer three times and have been on hold over 10 minutes each time with no
one answering. After the ten minutes I hang up because International
calling from Panama can get expensive. -
Fred,
Do you want me to get them to call you? If so, e-mail me your phone number.
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If the organizer of a No Rally Rally is looking for interesing discussions to put on the schedule, I’d like to suggest “Montana Registration vs Your Home State, With Pres Reagan vs Buddy Brown One-on-One”. Let them debate the issue until the liquor runs out.
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It’s such a touchy subject, I’m reluctant to even make any comments, but I’ll do this one. Other than your own state of residency and your neighbor squealing on you, show me one statute or code in any state that makes the practice of having your coach licensed in a Montana LLC and your toad in your resident state a traffic or moving violation. This is assuming both are properly licensed and insured.
Put aside all the tax evasion warnings for the moment and issues with your state of residency and just think about the guy traveling cross country with his bus sporting MT plates and the toad in a different state. Tell us what state will have laws that make that illegal. Forget about all the horror stories and BS over the Internet, please give us the facts.
This will likely be a long thread.:)
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One thing I find interesting is of the lawyers I know that are PC members, I am not aware of any that have used the Montanna LLC as a way of evading taxes.
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Dick, that would be a pretty short disscusion for me, two beers and I don’t make much sense !!!!
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IMHO, Montana LLC’s can be difficult unless you’re a full-timer and then a lot will depend upon your chosen home state. Bennett Law Office started the Montana LLC for vehicles and I think they have the best research on what will and won’t work.
A number of states have tried to make public spectcles out of people using Montana LLC’s. Not all states have been successfull. Louisiana lost a case some years ago that went all the way to the state supreme court. With all successes and failures, the details of each case made the difference. The LLC route is an individual choice because everyone’s situation is different.
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I have seen the Police in Louisiana pulling over every RV with a Montana plate where the toad wasn’t also Montana plates… This was at the gates of an FMCA Rally on the Red a few years ago…they had every gate being checked as the Rvs left the grounds probably 20 0r 30 officers there… sure felt great to be honest !!
Seems like something more was going on there !!
A Prevost is classy and expensive… why would an owner want to be cheap and deceptive…. just doesn’t make sense to me. I enjoy my sleep too !!
Cheers, Diane
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A dealer that sold coaches suggested looking into a Montana LLC back when I was looking for a bus in 2007. I did investigate and ultimately decided I could not do it.
After buying our bus a Pastor friend of mine said I should have moved to Montana and lived at his church or at his house and then I would not need a LLC at all. At that time I owned no property and only had a PO Box in Ohio. I could have lived any where I wanted. I was in Montana once or twice a year just like Ohio so it could have worked and saved a pile of sales tax.
Yearly tags and insurance are cheap to reasonable in Ohio so the sales tax was the biggest bite.
Davy
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Diane,
And was was the outcome of all those coaches being inspected for different license plates? Were there citations issued and if so, for what?
Jon – Of course there are no lawyers using the Montana LLC, why would then need to save any tax money, it’s chicken feed, just ask Cole.:)
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