Ran into a bit of a problem getting my trailer titled and registered in West Virginia. Bought my '96 Tracker Sportsman 16 and '06 Valu-Line trailer back in July. Boat came with a title and trailer came with a certificate of origin from the dealer since the PO never got it titled. He bought the trailer and basically parked it in his yard. Thats great since the trailer is in awesome condition, but sucks when trying to get it registered. When I went to the DMV I was told the PO needed to get a bill of sale from the dealer to have the trailer titled and then transfer that title over to me. Problem is the place he bought the trailer from is out of business and since he never got it titled he can't just get a duplicate title printed out. The PO and his wife have been really helpfull in trying to get this squared away for me, but they keep running into dead ends as well. I'm hoping they can eventually get a title, but just in case I'm looking ahead as to what other options I have. So far I've come up with 2 options.
1. Register the trailer in Maine. From what I've been researching this is perfectly legal, and according to the West Virginia DMV a trailer needs to be registered and titled. Doesn't say it must be by the state of West Virginia.
https://www.transportation.wv.gov/dmv/vehicles/pages/titleinformation.aspx
So once the Maine registration ran out I should be able to just transfer that to West Virginia. Problem is it looks like in Maine if the trailer is under 3000 lbs. they do not title it. So, I'd be back at square one.
2. My Dad lives in Maryland so I have been thinking about having him register the trailer as homemade and then I can transfer his Maryland title to West Virginia under my name. I haven't been able to find any information that says you can register a trailer as homemade in West Virginia. Not the most honest way to go about it, but it is getting pretty ridiculous that the West Virginia DMV won't issue a title to the previous owner even though he has a certificate of origin from the dealer he bought if from with his name AND a notary stamp.
Any other ideas you guys have? Anyone else ever dealt with a similar situation in West Virginia?
I'm just trying to find the best way to get this thing registered, titled and tagged in my name in West Virginia. You would think a certificate of origin with the PO's signature would suffice. Crazy!! :shock:
1. Register the trailer in Maine. From what I've been researching this is perfectly legal, and according to the West Virginia DMV a trailer needs to be registered and titled. Doesn't say it must be by the state of West Virginia.
https://www.transportation.wv.gov/dmv/vehicles/pages/titleinformation.aspx
So once the Maine registration ran out I should be able to just transfer that to West Virginia. Problem is it looks like in Maine if the trailer is under 3000 lbs. they do not title it. So, I'd be back at square one.
2. My Dad lives in Maryland so I have been thinking about having him register the trailer as homemade and then I can transfer his Maryland title to West Virginia under my name. I haven't been able to find any information that says you can register a trailer as homemade in West Virginia. Not the most honest way to go about it, but it is getting pretty ridiculous that the West Virginia DMV won't issue a title to the previous owner even though he has a certificate of origin from the dealer he bought if from with his name AND a notary stamp.
Any other ideas you guys have? Anyone else ever dealt with a similar situation in West Virginia?
I'm just trying to find the best way to get this thing registered, titled and tagged in my name in West Virginia. You would think a certificate of origin with the PO's signature would suffice. Crazy!! :shock: