I built my camper from scratch, including welding the chassis itself, and I put all of the DOT lighting on the body of the camper so I waited until it was pretty much done (water tight and drive-able, but the interior isn't completely finished).
Part of the reason it was easy is because I kept meticulous records. Most importantly, I kept a folder on my computer of all of my receipts. But! the DMV people on the phone said that instead of printing all that out, I could make a spreadsheet of all of the trailer components and get it notarized (they didn’t care about the things to build the camper like the wood and epoxy, they only wanted the chassis parts and DOT lights). So I got two copies of a notarized letter attached to that spreadsheet. (Happy to share the letter with those interested.)
Then I got my trailer weighed and got a weight slip. DON'T LOSE IT. You need that slip through this entire process. If it’s under 1000lbs it’s a much easier process in NY. Mine was 1400# (and there was nothing else I could take off of it to get it lower) so we started the process!
Next you have to call and request form MV-272.1 (Application for Vehicle Identification Number) be sent to you (for some reason it isn’t just online like many other forms). I sent that, an original insurance card for the tow vehicle, and a check for $25 to NYS DMV Division of Field Investigation then waited.
I got a Salvage Vehicle Examination appointment letter via email several months later for three weeks from then. Even though the appointment is technically at an examination site, since it’s only a trailer, all they cared about was being able to prove that I owned it. I had to bring the weight slip and my notarized receipt spreadsheet. When I showed up, he hardly looked at it before putting a VIN sticker on the tongue. He just said “Wow you built this? This is cool" and stuck it on. He also gave me a validated MV-272.1 that I would need to bring to the DMV.
Next was finishing all the DMV registration paperwork, which was just two extra forms (DTF-803 to prove I paid sales tax on everything I used to build the trailer and didn’t need to pay any more, and MV-82, the registration application).
I showed up to the DMV with all that, handed them the whole folder when it was my turn, and they immediately got me a plate! I was in and out in less than an hour and cost me $103. They kept all the paperwork and weight slip I handed them.
The only slight snag I ran into while there was the sales tax thing, but it was sorted quickly. Usually if you didn't pay the NYS sales tax when you bought a car/trailer, you pay it to the DMV. I had to write in a special case on my form because I paid sales tax on each individual piece I bought, rather than one big sales tax cost on the whole thing. They accepted my notarized form but I also at the last minute put the original chassis receipts in the folder as well which were helpful because they could actually see the “tax” line item proving I paid it. The lady I was working with just had to confirm it was okay with a supervisor and it was fine.
Within ten days after that, you have to go to your local mechanic to get an inspection. I took it to my usual place right down the street where we chatted for ten minutes about how cool it was while one of his employees got me a sticker (they didn’t inspect anything haha!) While it's technically illegal to drive a trailer in NY without an inspection, I know a lot of people with cargo trailers that don't bother because even if you get pulled over, the police often don't check.
Finally, I'm working on insuring it. I use State Farm for my other insurances and I've heard good things about them covering custom builds so I called them today and I just have to get them some more information about the total cost of the build then I'll get a quote. The guy I talked to was super nice and eager to make something work for me so I'm hopeful.
I'ms super excited to be street legal! First camping trip ever with her is one month away!
