CA dmv. Commercial vehicle

Hi All

So i just got my registration and license plates. I was surprised that it is registered as a commercial vehicle. Doing more googling I guess pickups in cali are registered as commercial.
Further googling. There are things you can do to qualify as non commercial such as campers, etc... But I wanna ask CA law savvy people here if there are other exceptions.. hard tonneau? Hard roll on tonneau?
Or just suck it up and pay the $400+ reg to enjoy a truck in CA?

Btw since my tacoma is black i'll get the classic black and yellow plates.

 

Mine is also reg'd as a commercial vehicle. Didn't know why, but I guess this explains it.

 

It's just another ridiculous california thing. I believe the only thing that goes around the rule is a camper shell. Other than that, you are stuck with the higher registration.

 

In 1994 i moved from Atlanta to Sacramento (Woodland, actually) and along with me i brought my 1992 Toyota P/U. I was charged a $250 (22 years ago... $250) smog impact fee upon arrival at the DMV to register my truck for bringing a vehicle purchased outside the state of California into the state. I guess that was the states way of saying, "Thanks for moving to sunny California!.... Fuck you very much!!!" Interesting thing about that.... The truck was built in Fremont CA. They said it didn't matter... if it wasn't sold here, it didn't comply with CA emissions regulations. i see it hasn't gotten any cheaper to live there. Thank god i was transferred back to the southeast three years later. IMHO, CA is a beautiful place to visit... not to live. Unless govt ass rapings are your thing... then i'd say you should head on over!

 

So it only cost about 400 to register? In Maine I will pay over 850 plus to register, that after the 2 grand in sales tax I will pay. So when all said and done thats 3 grand to the state to buy and drive a new taco

 

Floods, tornados , hurricanes , hail , humidity, and snow aren't my thing
So I live in California

 

Mine was 500 something to register in california + 8% sales tax

 

To get a truck non commercial you need running water, a toilet, and a permanently mounted hard shell all verified through visual inspection.


I know.. I know..

 

You are correct on all pickups being registered as Commercial Vehicles here in the Sunny state. Sucks complete ass, but gotta pay to play out here I suppose. Also, from my understanding, things like tonneau soft/roll up covers don't count. It has to be a "permanent" shell that you promise won't be removed under any circumstances. I dont know if it needs a toilet, running water, etc.... just needs to be a hard top that cannot be removed. I was going to buy a pickup last year ( 2001 Silverado) that wasn't registered as commercial because the guy had a hard top on the back and a sleeping bag rolled up. I could be wrong though.... maybe for inspection, you must have all the "camper" style necessities like water, toilet etc.

 

They require running water and a toilet because too many guys were buying shells and having their registrations changed.

I went through this 8 months ago. The initial requirements were changed to include running water and a toilet.

This topic is heavily covered. After initial inspection you are able to inspected at any time and failure to have the required modifications result in fines and loss of passenger registration. They can't be put in only for DMVs inspection. Modifying them voids your eligibility.

 

Makes sense then. I can't imagine how many people abuse(d) the shit out of that. I didn't end up getting that truck last year because I couldn't fathom having my bed covered with a shell for all eternity unless I wanted to switch the registration on it again. Might as well buy a 4Runner or similar in that case.

 

I bitched about it at first, but found solace in the fact I can legally occupy/park in loading zones now - which is a fair trade off for my situation.

Worth the cost for me.

 

Then you just like droughts, wildfires, and mudslides...?

 

Sorry, not law savvy, but my dad explained when I was a kid that the camper shell creates a legal "living space" that cannot be used for commercial purposes (hence, the name "camper" shell). As @DCSBFTMFW said, it's probably supposed to have all the other stuff, but they never check...

 

They do check. As can any LE officer who pulls you over and cares that you're violating that law.

No reason to spread misinformation.

 

Wait, dumb question maybe.....we can park in yellow loading zones with our trucks? Sweet.

 

$700 registration fee in Wyoming. For the next 5 years I will be paying a gradually lower fee based off original selling price so 5 years will end up being close to $3k. This does not include sales tax. Just letting you know that regardless of where you live you're still going to get raped by the gov't.

 

Coming from Iowa, Ill have to agree with JS760 on this one. negative wind-chill, humidity, astronomical amounts of snow and ice(with no mountains to ski on) tornadoes, flooding..... yeeeeek! Been there, done that. The droughts and wilfires do suck, but ill take my chances.

 

Here in Ky., a pickup can get a regular vehicle tag, a truck tag, or even a farm vehicle tag, all for different costs. the clerk, at least in the county where I live, will simply ask you which you want!
Thing is, the difference in the tag cost is minimal, you still pay the tax rates annually based on the book value of the vehicle, so it's a minimal difference. I pay a bit more each year since I have a personalized plate, but I could put farm plates on the truck if I wanted.

 

You guys are making me love Texas even more. $65 registration and 6.25% sales tax.