Boat trailer license

[sglass]

My aunt works for the county clerk in Fayette and she told me KY does not require a plate but if you go out of state one is required. I think it is 20 bucks to get one and this includes all trailers not just a boat trailer. I am guessing this is for the states that do require one. I would rather pay the 20 bucks and be safe than try and fight a ticket in another state.

[bigrod]

Tell your aunt she is sadly mistaken.

[zx150]

Tell your aunt she is sadly mistaken.

No she is not. If another state requires people to have a license plate on a boat trailer it is for all people who want to drive in their state.

Hersey you missed the point I was trying to make. KY does not care if you have assets to pay for the other's damages if you are at fault in an accident. They want auto insurance.


Trust me I know what I am talking about. I deal with this stuff everyday.

[Hershey102]

"Trust me I know what I am talking about. I deal with this stuff everyday."

Not sure what "stuff" you deal with every day, but I'm always open to being educated. Please cite an instance where a KY resident driver was convicted in a court of law out-of-state for driving a KY registered vehicle pulling a boat trailer without a plate. And I don't mean voluntarily paid a ticket, but rather contested the ticket and lost.

And I'm going to assume that while you are at the DMV picking up that trailer plate, you'll also purchase a license plate for the front of your truck.

[bigrod]

Ryan I will bet you whatever you want that you are dead wrong. I've been pulled over numerous times in TN, OH, FL, GA pulling my unlicensed 21foot Triton and have never gotten a ticket for my trailer. KY does not require it so you are waived in all the states but to exit the country you are required to license it. I'll stand by what I know, why don't you call a police buddy in another state and see what they would do. I have and it's what I have said from the start. Not Required!!!

[zx150]

Because you don't get a ticket that is law? If a state requires it's residents to have a license plate on their boat trailer than anyone who enters that state pulling a boat must have one as well. Unless their is specific law that grants some type of exception, which most states don't include exceptions to laws like that.

If a state requires all boats on their water ways to be registered then to put a boat in that state water way you must have it tagged. Even if in a state like KY does not require a canoe to have a registration.

[270Coastal]

As someone who has talked to other states DMV's and permit services, ( boat is 9'8" wide ). If the state you take your trailer through requires a tag, Legally you should have a tag on your trailer. With that said, I've never tagged my boat trailer, and always given my truck tag # for the permits. From KY to FL I've never been pulled over.

[artcarney_agr]

If a state requires it's residents to have a license plate on their boat trailer than anyone who enters that state pulling a boat must have one as well.

False.

A non-resident is exempt. Non-residents shall follow the laws of his/her state of residency.

A trailer license allows a state to collect more motor registration taxes. If you live in KY, you certainly don't pay motor registration taxes in TN, or any other state for that matter. Therefore, no trailer license is required.

KY merely sells the trailer license so as to avoid conflicts in other states, and/or lost time.

My gawd this is such a ridiculous display of know-it-alls......

[bigrod]

I'm right!!! Everyone else that doesn't agree with me is wrong!! LOL

[BPenrod]

False.

A non-resident is exempt. Non-residents shall follow the laws of his/her state of residency.

A trailer license allows a state to collect more motor registration taxes. If you live in KY, you certainly don't pay motor registration taxes in TN, or any other state for that matter. Therefore, no trailer license is required.

KY merely sells the trailer license so as to avoid conflicts in other states, and/or lost time.

My gawd this is such a ridiculous display of know-it-alls......

Preach on brother!!!!!

[FlyLie]

So many OPINIONS....

If I had a concern about this issue, believe I would just contact officials at "each state of interest" and inquire as to what "their law requires". Simple, yes.

Good Fishing to All,

[RoadToad]

Rather than just post an OPINION, I really wanted to know for sure what the truth was about this, so I made a few calls just now (hey, I'm home sick, not much else to do ). Of course, I got bounce around a bit, but I finally ended up speaking with a lady at Kentucky's Motor Vehicle Licensing, and she gave me the facts. Kentucky does not require a tag on your boat trailer, and other states are constitutionally required to honor each other's laws. I did a Google search, and found that it's the Full Faith and Credit Clause (Article IV, Section 1) of the Constitution that requires this. However, she also confirmed that it's not uncommon for police officers to issue citations anyway. If you go to court and show them a copy of the statute, you will win, but they strongly recommend just getting the tag to avoid being hassled. And she told me about one guy who went to court to fight one of these tickets, and failed to bring with him a copy of the statute, and the judge almost gave him 30 days for contempt of court, saying "It's not my job to look up other states' laws."

She also gave me another very valuable piece of information. There is a place on your registration for your signature, although in KY you are not required by law to sign it. But they are starting to hear stories of people being cited in other states for having unsigned registrations. It's the same deal, if you go to court with the statute in hand, you win, but me, I'm going sign all my registrations immediately, just to ward of hassles.