transfering ownership from wa to ca with expired reg?

[unclejtl]

hello, we are getting a old trailer that is in the state of Washington. it has been parked for years. the last registration expired in 1986. the trailer was acquired in a land purchase when the owner passed away. his children sold the land with the trailer on it. no title. now the new owner is selling the trailer. we live in California and plan to tow it home. I can use the plate off my current trailer and if no problems, get by with that just to get it home.

does Washington state give trailer owners titles, or just a registration? the registration certificate is signed by the desist, is that enough? if I just got it back to calif. and went to the dmv can I get by? has anyone had a similar experience?

i'm out of state for 8 days working, so internet is limited to night and mornings.

thanks for your input

[unclejtl]

there is a lot of good info here! thanks everybody!

my father in law lives less than 4mi (back road) from where the trailer is, and we're not going up there till august to get it, so it sounds like the best to have the owner "sell" it to him, then he signs it over to me.

as far as inspecting/repairing it, I had planned on new tires and rims (it has split rims), going thru the bearings/seals, lights, structure, etc... i'm a mechanic by trade, so that, I got covered... nothing for you to worry about Golden_HVAC,

I was more interested about the paper work. thanks everybody.

thanks for the link path1, I will look into it tomorrow. not much time when traveling for work.

[path1]

Wa licenses vehicles goes thru agents. Here are some for King county. Pick your county where vehicle is located at bottom of page and call them much for better info https://fortress.wa.gov/dol/dolprod/vehoffices/DisplayOffices.aspx?County=17

(opinions,s not facts from lic experiances in CA & WA states)

Someones is going to have to apply for a replacement title (or pink slip). While WA does have temp permits (to tow home) I wouldn't touch it till I had proper paperwork. Probably much easier to get new title in WA versus CA. Because CA will have to "inspect" before lic being vehicle will be from "out of state".

[Tom_Barb]

WyoTraveler wrote:
I would check with WA DMV first. Some states allow statement of non use to avoid back DMV fees. If the title of ownership cannot be cleared I doubt CA will register it. The hoops you have to jump through is to prevent stolen vehicles being registered in another state. Be sure to check how WA handles back DMV fees and who has to sign that form if they have a non use form. It may be easy or it could turn into a bucket of worms. May cost more to gain clear title than TTis worth. Going directly to the WA state DMV with the present owner should clear up any problems. Take present license plate and registration with you. JMHO being retired CA LEO.

Wa. does not charge back usage fees. They will issue a trip ticket to move the trailer, I don't know if Ca honors that.

They could simply license the trailer in Wa. then move it, then Ca would have no issues.

[Tom_Barb]

When you know the last license number the DMV can look up the title. and issue a new one for your seller to sign off to you. then you can register it in Ca.
Other wise you must deal with Ca's lost title laws.

[WyoTraveler]

I would check with WA DMV first. Some states allow statement of non use to avoid back DMV fees. If the title of ownership cannot be cleared I doubt CA will register it. The hoops you have to jump through is to prevent stolen vehicles being registered in another state. Be sure to check how WA handles back DMV fees and who has to sign that form if they have a non use form. It may be easy or it could turn into a bucket of worms. May cost more to gain clear title than TTis worth. Going directly to the WA state DMV with the present owner should clear up any problems. Take present license plate and registration with you. JMHO being retired CA LEO.

[Golden_HVAC]

Hi,

I agree with the post above, if the tires are more than 8 years old, they need to be all replaced. Also check the brakes. There is a possibility they are rusted to the drums, and will not let the tires spin at all.

Also with the last registration over 10 years ago - a LOT over 10 years, you might have found that DMV dropped the title to the vehicle, and it might become impossible to register it again? Check with the California DMV and see what it might take.

When I left California to move to Oregon, my DMV was expired, and I was able to buy a trip permit for only a few dollars. If you get stopped, say something happens, you do not want the wrong plates on the trailer, they might ask questions like "This does not look like a 2005 Shasta Ultra lite" It is better to get the trip permit, and run the expired plates on the old trailer.

It must be a pretty neat old trailer to make it worth spending $400 on fuel to go and get it from Washington! Even if you buy used tires, it will cost something around $200 for them to be installed. You might also need to spend another $400 to get the braking system working again, but you might get lucky and they work.

The bearings probably have not seen new grease in 30+ years, so they need attention too.

Good luck, and hopefully I will be off the freeway when you tow it past Portland OR.

Fred.

[korbe]

You should be able to get those answers on the DMV websites. I would see if it is necessary to deal with the state of Washington at all.

[downtheroad]

To answer part of your question...yes, WA gives a title for trailers in addition to the yearly registration just like they do for motor vehicles.
In CA we called it a "pink slip." In WA, the pink slip is green.

[icanon]

Before making any transaction, my concern is that the TT needs a good inspection, check for rust on the frame, brakes, replace tires to name a few. Travel that great of a distance is the TT worth it and is it road safe?