registration In New jersey.

Robripple62

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I am a pa resident and getting a new boat,(out of state) and for the sake of paying half the sales tax, can i Title and Registration it in NJ, as it will live at a marina year year round in Neptune New Jersey. Can this be done? Thanks.
 
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If you have both a PA and a NJ residence, one will be your primary. That probably would be PA and that is the state that you would register the boat. Same goes for a trailer if one is used. If you spend more than a set number of days in NJ and I think that number is like half a year, then NJ would be your primary residence and vehicles would be required to be registered in that state.

If the boat is kept at a marina it is unlikely that you will have issue with a PA registration unless there is some sort of widespread crackdown on out of state vehicles. ( who knows if that would happen).
You may run into an issue with insurance though. The insurer will need to know your residency address ( PA most like) and where the boat will be sailed ( NJ) That may cause an issue and I advise against not telling the truth on the insurance application.
So I think you should look into the insurance first and not so much the boat state registration
 
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If you have both a PA and a NJ residence, one will be your primary. That probably would be PA and that is the state that you would register the boat. Same goes for a trailer if one is used. If you spend more than a set number of days in NJ and I think that number is like half a year, then NJ would be your primary residence and vehicles would be required to be registered in that state.

If the boat is kept at a marina it is unlikely that you will have issue with a PA registration unless there is some sort of widespread crackdown on out of state vehicles. ( who knows if that would happen).
You may run into an issue with insurance though. The insurer will need to know your residency address ( PA most like) and where the boat will be sailed ( NJ) That may cause an issue and I advise against not telling the truth on the insurance application.
So I think you should look into the insurance first and not so much the boat state registration
A couple of years ago i had My Marlin slipped at the same marina year round and had PA registration (ouch) 6% sales tax ! My boat insurance used my home address in PA and had no problem mooring the boat in another state , ( (Progressive ). NJ has a 3.5% sales tax on boats and that's significant on a late model Grady that i want. not looking to break the law just want to stretch dollars. P.O.box ? address at Marina ? No doubt i'll need to speak to the owner for Advise. Thanks for your input .
 
Buy the boat and register in NJ. Where you live doesn't make a difference. If you are buying the boat from a NJ dealer they can collect the sales tax. Otherwise you pay the sales tax to NJ MVC at time of registration.

For an example I had a customer abandon a vessel at my storage facility. The owner lived in Philadelphia. His in-laws had a house in Stone Harbor NJ. The boat was purchased from a NJ boat dealer. Wachovia held the loan. The boat was titled in NJ and had the owners Philadelphia address on the registration and boat title.

NJ 4925 HA.jpeg

NJ is more interested in verifying the sales tax was paid. A number of boaters register the boat in DE to avoid paying sales tax. Revenue agents visit the marinas every so ofter and check the boats that are not registered in NJ. They will go back after the owners that have not paid at least some sales tax somewhere.
 
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Buy the boat and register in NJ. Where you live doesn't make a difference. If you are buying the boat from a NJ dealer they can collect the sales tax. Otherwise you pay the sales tax to NJ MVC at time of registration.

For an example I had a customer abandon a vessel at my storage facility. The owner lived in Philadelphia. His in-laws had a house in Stone Harbor NJ. The boat was purchased from a NJ boat dealer. Wachovia held the loan. The boat was titled in NJ and had the owners Philadelphia address on the registration and boat title.

View attachment 35959

NJ is more interested in verifying the sales tax was paid. A number of boaters register the boat in DE to avoid paying sales tax. Revenue agents visit the marinas every so ofter and check the boats that are not registered in NJ. They will go back after the owners that have not paid at least some sales tax somewhere.
Interesting ! On the NJ MVC site i found (universal Title application ) and ( boat Registration application ) it seems easy enough and even mentions not needing a NJ driver license. can this be done on line or in person with completed form somewhere at a NJ notory public ? or the NJ MVC ? I'm used to local notory's that handle things like this in PA. do you handle paperwork like this at your business ? Thank you , very helpfull.
 
It very much depends on where you live, unless Washington state is for some reason an exception to the rule, but with all 3 of my boat purchases I tried paying the sales tax in Maryland because it's about half of what it is out here in Washington state. Each time, I was told by the dealership or my insurance company/credit union that you pay the taxes when you get back to the state that you live in. Which again is quite frustrating as Washington State is up over 10%, compared with Maryland which is down around 6%, or almost half that rate. You can register the boat in a different county, or even state though, if you have one and if you can show that you live there a certain percentage of the time. Or at least you can do that in Washington state.
 
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Its my understanding that most states will require registration if the boat is slipped or moored for 6 months or more within the state.(even if you move it around)
I hear there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there trying to register in a cheap landlocked state and slip their boat permanently in FL or NJ or MA. They will get you.
 
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Its my understanding that most states will require registration if the boat is slipped or moored for 6 months or more within the state.(even if you move it around)
I hear there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there trying to register in a cheap landlocked state and slip their boat permanently in FL or NJ or MA. They will get you.
I'm one of the unscrupulous people who got caught. I registered my Islander initially in DE (I live in NJ) to avoid the NJ sales tax. The girl in the marina warned me the State was in checking boats. Took a number of years. Sure enough I got a letter and a call. I negotiated a settlement with the agent and subsequently changed my registration to NJ.

Interesting ! On the NJ MVC site i found (universal Title application ) and ( boat Registration application ) it seems easy enough and even mntions not needing a NJ driver license. can this be done on line or in person with completed form somewhere at a NJ notory public ? or the NJ MVC ? I'm used to local notory's that handle things like this in PA. do you handle paperwork like this at your business ? Thank you , very helpfull.
My business is self storage. We do not deal NJ MVC. As a long time NJ boater and having gone thru a year working with NJ MVC to acquire a title to abandoned vessel they are not difficult to work with. More things have gone online or thru the mail. I would recommend going to MVC office in Neptune (probably not that busy). NJ MVC is fussy about documentation. Make sure you have what they need.

From NJ MVC: If you purchase a used vehicle from an individual owner, dealership or auction, or transfer a vehicle into New Jersey, you are required to register that vehicle at a New Jersey motor vehicle agency. If you purchase a vehicle with no financing, the dealership may give you the title paperwork to be filed and transferred along with new registration.
Schedule an appointment for a New Title or Registration

NEW TITLE OR REGISTRATION
97330 Appointments Available

  • Register or transfer registration/title of a new vehicle, boat, or trailer (private sale)
  • Title or Registration transfer (survivor)
  • License plate transfer
  • License plate replacement
  • Required Documents
 
I'm one of the unscrupulous people who got caught. I registered my Islander initially in DE (I live in NJ) to avoid the NJ sales tax. The girl in the marina warned me the State was in checking boats. Took a number of years. Sure enough I got a letter and a call. I negotiated a settlement with the agent and subsequently changed my registration to NJ.


My business is self storage. We do not deal NJ MVC. As a long time NJ boater and having gone thru a year working with NJ MVC to acquire a title to abandoned vessel they are not difficult to work with. More things have gone online or thru the mail. I would recommend going to MVC office in Neptune (probably not that busy). NJ MVC is fussy about documentation. Make sure you have what they need.

From NJ MVC: If you purchase a used vehicle from an individual owner, dealership or auction, or transfer a vehicle into New Jersey, you are required to register that vehicle at a New Jersey motor vehicle agency. If you purchase a vehicle with no financing, the dealership may give you the title paperwork to be filed and transferred along with new registration.
Schedule an appointment for a New Title or Registration

NEW TITLE OR REGISTRATION
97330 Appointments Available

  • Register or transfer registration/title of a new vehicle, boat, or trailer (private sale)
  • Title or Registration transfer (survivor)
  • License plate transfer
  • License plate replacement
  • Required Documents
Thank you , you have been most helpful ! I now have a clear path forward .
 
Not sure about the trailer. When I bought my Islander the trailer was registered in NJ and all I got was a bill-of-sale. Last two trailers I bought new came with a certificate of origin.

It might be easier to register the trailer in PA since you have auto insurance there.
 
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I am a pa resident and getting a new boat,(out of state) and for the sake of paying half the sales tax, can i Title and Registration it in NJ, as it will live at a marina year year round in Neptune New Jersey. Can this be done? Thanks.
Which model are you buying and which Marina? I'm in Belmar just across from Shark River Island.
 
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boats are usually supposed to be titled and registered (often the same) in the state of PRIMARY USE
 
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If you have both a PA and a NJ residence, one will be your primary. That probably would be PA and that is the state that you would register the boat. Same goes for a trailer if one is used. If you spend more than a set number of days in NJ and I think that number is like half a year, then NJ would be your primary residence and vehicles would be required to be registered in that state.

If the boat is kept at a marina it is unlikely that you will have issue with a PA registration unless there is some sort of widespread crackdown on out of state vehicles. ( who knows if that would happen).
You may run into an issue with insurance though. The insurer will need to know your residency address ( PA most like) and where the boat will be sailed ( NJ) That may cause an issue and I advise against not telling the truth on the insurance application.
So I think you should look into the insurance first and not so much the boat state registration
The rule is the boat is to be registered in the state where it is primarily used, doesn't matter where you reside. I registered my previous boat in DE, the new one in PA. I trailer it to MD, VA, DE, OH and PA. (haven't paid the tolls yet to cross the bridges into NJ just yet) I'd worry more about the safety course requirements for where you plan to boat, each one has different requirements, and they will fine you if you don't have the correct credentials.
 
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Brother in-law bought a custom 82ft yacht in Taiwan. He lives in Las Vegas. Had it delivered and registered in Washington state. This saved mucho $ in sales tax. Had to keep it there for 1 yr, then moved to Newport Ca. Talking to him this was common place behavior with mega boats. My 14ft Carolina skiff bought in NY and registered in Fla prob saved me enough to fill the 6 gallon tank once.