How To Register A Trailer Without Title In Ma

Even for a Massachusetts native, there are plenty of reasons to visit New England'south northernmost state. Become for the legendary lobstah. Cheque out the vast beaches or historic hiking trails. Shop the famed outlets, and score your favorite fashions for less.

But if you're looking to score a bargain on your trailer'due south registration, you're wiser to stay close to dwelling house.

In recent years, many Massachusetts residents and business owners take succeeded in registering their semi- or utility trailers in Maine. Learning that registration fees and taxes are lower there, these drivers have made the trek upward I95, the appropriate documentation in hand. They've headed back down with Maine-issued registration for a trailer that their Massachusetts-registered vehicle will pull.

The continued prevalence of this exercise is understandable. It's an up-front toll saver, and at that place's a widespread notion that the Bay Land allows it. Unfortunately, this notion is inaccurate in most cases, and a registrant's lack of awareness may be irrelevant to a country trooper who catches the infraction.

Maine-ly illegal

State law requires that if a commercial or consumer vehicle registered in Massachusetts pulls a trailer, that trailer also must be registered in Massachusetts.

Exceptions apply for "apportioned" vehicles (more than on that below).

The country potentially loses hundreds of dollars in taxes for every trailer that "lives"here but is unlawfully registered elsewhere. Given the increasing number of Maine-plated trailers traveling Massachusetts highways and byways, that puts missing revenue in the millions for a single twelvemonth. The state's active and escalating crackdown on this trouble is non merely unsurprising; information technology'due south been a long time coming.

To be off-white, "offender" probably would exist a harsh label for many of these trailers' registrants, who are honestly unaware they've even broken a constabulary until they learn the hard way: a fine of up to $500 for every year of illegal registration. Even professionals in the transport and related industries may lack the facts.

And then why such pervasive confusion around this statute? A couple of principal reasons are likely:

The "apportioned" exception. But wait, a trailer possessor might think, I run across legit Mass.-based businesses hauling Maine-plated semi-trailers all the time. Are they all breaking laws? Non necessarily. Next fourth dimension, detect the plate on the vehicle itself. If a Massachusetts license plate displays APP, PRP and/or the word APPORTIONED, that vehicle may legally pull a trailer registered in Maine (or some other state). Apportioned registration is based on regular interstate travel and other specific criteria, and mostly only applies to large commercial trucks.

It doesn't matter to Maine. The police in question is a state police force, and the state is Massachusetts. Therefore, if a trailer possessor comes to the Maine Agency of Motor Vehicles (BMV) with the required documentation (such as neb of sale) and payment, the BMV is generally within its legal rights to issue the registration. Indeed, there are even contained companies that provide online services for obtaining Maine trailer registrations. But as one of these businesses, Maine Trailer Registrations, explicitly states on its spider web site: "It is your sole responsibleness… to go educated of any applicative laws specific to your land regarding trailer registration."

Insurance companies take a responsibleness, also: their client'southward fiscal protection. To this end, some may pass up to insure a Maine-registered trailer that a not-apportioned Massachusetts vehicle plans to pull. Inconvenient, perhaps, merely a registration transfer today beats a hefty citation tomorrow.

Your best bet? Work with your Dowd agent from the start to make sure your choices are legally audio. Stops around town or destinations abroad, you can get there from here—and we tin can help.