(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Ownership paperwork for old tractors - DMV

P

Paul007

Member
I recently purchased two old tractors from a municipality. I received state (California, also where I live) titles for each. Both were road registered and had plates, though I did not get the plates as they were special E plates. The municipality filed releases of liability including the purchase prices with the Ca DMV.

I have no intention to use the tractors on the road, and my friends tell me most old tractors are bought and sold only using a bill of sale and that I should do nothing as far as the DMV. I am fine with that, however my concern is that if I do not go to the DMV, I will be afoul of some law and they will come looking for me at some point. I'm guessing I could probably just request a change of ownership with the DMV and not re-register for road use, in which case I would still pay change of ownership and sales tax fees at minimum, which would still be a fair chunk of change.

Any thought appreciated.

Paul
 
Could you surrender the titles? Or turn them in a scrapped? As these tractors will never see license or insurance for the road again I would think you could do either. The damn state will probably still want money...If you bought them from the state you should have already paid sales tax and if not THAT they will come after you for.
 
Sounds like Ca. intent would be to get the sales tax out of you by having you report the sale to them. Thats the only reason I can see for reporting it to them although I do not live in Ca. so don't know the laws there.
 
One of the most aggravating things about living in CA is dealing with the DMV. Nothing like standing in line for a couple of hours, then having someone tell you that you need to get another document, then coming back, standing in line another two hours and having someone else tell you something entirely different. One thing is certain, you won't get a straight answer from anyone at California DMV.
 
or you could claim you bought them for agriculture use and therefore they are exempt from sales tax.. at least in Texas.
 
Thanks for the quick replies guys, Monday is the last day I have to report to DMV without penalties. It was a city municipality and they collected no sales tax. Good points on the surrendering titles or scrapping, hadn't thought of those.

Yes I'm sure they will want their sales tax, which bothers me a bit since for example if I was to sell my neighbor my rototiller or some such he wouldn't be paying sales tax. But I suppose since these did have state titles they are subject to the state sales tax, even though they needn't be state titled or road registered any longer.

I'm not certain they will come after me if I do nothing, based solely on the releases of liability that were sent in by the previous owner. They contain my name etc., but were not filled out by me and do not contain my signature.

I'm guessing it's going to cost me $500-$1000 if I go in, money I'd much rather spend fixing up the tractors.
 
If you bought them from a municipality, I'm sure the municipality would have charged sales tax if it was applicable. Up here there's no sales tax on used unless you buy from a dealer or a business. Phone the DMV and find out what rules apply to farm tractors. You might not have to even register them. A municipality may have to register and insure them because of liability issues where a private owner wouldn't. Just ask general questions and don't disclose too much information until you know more. Dave
 
Maybe talk to local implement/tractor dealer?
If it was me I would wait to hear from DMV. I wouldn't go anywhere near the DMV office to ask questions. Maybe the phone (friend's cel) and do not give them you correctly spelled name.

Gordo
 
Arnuld and the losers that run California need your money more then you do. The California budget crises is causing him to steal from the taxpayers anyway he can.

Remember to vote for him so he can pump you up.
 
One thing you could do if they are not going on the road is register them as "non-operational". It dosen't cost anything. If one ever gets stolen it would be good to have it registered with DMV, then CHP would care, and they are always checking serial numbers on equipment going through the scales to see if it is stolen. Just my thoughts.
 
I have a few home made trailers that are licensed for road use .

The titles have a computer generated vin number issued by the state but have no real bearing on the actual trailer .

Check to see if your paperwork actually has the same numbers as your tractors .
 
Well the short story is I did noting with DMV. I did call them, twice, the first woman said don't do anything, the second guy said I should transfer title for liability reasons. Didn't make sense to me, they are on my property and I am liable, DMV title or not. They both agreed that the release of liability filed by the prior owners using my name as the new owner will not generate any nasty-grams from the DMV, so that's good.

Thanks again for the replies,

Paul
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Joe Ferguson
Less tractors for sale in photo ads
Replies
16
Views
1K
DoubleO7
DoubleO7
Black Dragon
New to tractors
2
Replies
20
Views
1K
Black Dragon
Black Dragon
L
Ford 535 Loader Tractor (Looking for input)
Replies
4
Views
257
lkell93
L
S
Scrap or Sell old tractors??
Replies
3
Views
889
J Hamilton
J Hamilton
S
Need source for 50-75 AMP batteries
Replies
19
Views
651
Koolaid
K
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top