?? OREGON REGISTERING HOME BUILT TRAILER??

[lilreddakota]

Hi, a newbie thinking of building my own can anyone tell me whats Oregons laws or regs on a homebuilt model? Tax and lincesing and all?
No plans on how big, will have a qween bed and a port a potty in it
so a lil bigger then a normal teardrop


Thanks for all and any help

Rudy

[rmclarke]

Hi Rudy.....welcome to the forum

here's one link to the part of the Oregon DMV website....other pages may apply more directly to your particular needs

http://oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/vehicle/light_trailer.shtml

(notice the "NOTE:" at the bottom of the page under 'Light Trailer Definition')


Hope this helps

Richard

[Mightydog]

Hey Rudy!

This was the point of discussion at the Tech Talk at Spring Fling this past year.

Utility trailers in Oregon don't have to have a tag on them. If your utility trailer is stolen, it's nice to have a little something on it for the police to check if they find it abandoned somewhere. It will be a tag that has the little 'u' in front of the numbers on it. Many people are able to licence their trailer before the build claiming it as a utility trailer. Show up at the DMV with a bill of sale and the money to cover the charges and you'll be in business.

We got the tag for ours after we were finished. Consequently, we had to show up with the bill of sale for the trailer and a big, pretty flowered box (my wife kept the receipts) to show the DMV that we bought everything in the trailer. Here's the fun part--we had to buy a tag for a camp trailer which is more expensive than the utility trailer tag. The camp trailer tag has the little 'r' in front of the numbers.

Adding to the fun-o-rama of the licence was the insurance company. Our insurance agent told us that without a vehicle identification number (VIN), they couldn't insure it, so we needed to go to the DMV. If it were a utility trailer, the coverage would be different than if it were a camp trailer. So, if we got the tag when it was the frame and claimed it as a utility trailer, the insurance would not cover it after it was modified into a camp trailer. It's good to know this prior to an accident or general need to make a claim with the insurance company. Check with your insurance company to see if they 1) insure camp trailers and 2) what their criteria for insurance might be.

At Spring Fling, we were able to talk to some folks who had a utility plate on their trailer. We didn't get details, but the DMV that they talked to and their insurance company probably looked on their tear drop differently than the DMV office in Sherwood and our insurance agent.

Other than that, there is no code to comply with or permits you need. We built ours in The People's Republic of Beaverton where you need a permit and compliance statement for walking to your car in the morning. What part of our fair state are you in?

[IR Harry]

This is why some utility trailers do not have tags on them in Oregon.

ORS 803.035
(5) A trailer is exempt from registration if it is equipped
with pneumatic tires made of elastic material and is not operated
in this state with a loaded weight of more than 1,800 pounds. A
trailer for hire, travel trailer or camper is not exempt by this
subsection.

But if you add cooking and sleeping accomodations, you no longer are a utility trailer - you are a travel trailer or a camper. Or if you loat one in excess of 1800 pounds, you have to have plates.

[rmclarke]

I think it is an important point to make that in the Oregon DMV definitions of both 'camper' and 'travel trailer', it states that both designations are designed to "to provide facilities for human habitation (permanent sleeping and cooking facilities). Soooo, if your mattress is removable and you do not have a stove or cooking unit built in, you are not a camper or a travel trailer. And if not those two designations, I'm thinking you're a utility trailer (if you meet all other utility trailer standards)

But that's just my take on it
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/vehicle/trailer.shtml

Richard

[John S.]

Hello All,
I see this thread is about DMV, but has there been a discussion of Oregon's RV inspection requirements?
I'm asking 'cause so far I haven't seen anything posted here or in JSC.
I may not have looked far enough.
Thanks,
John S. in Grants Pass

[nikwax]

I wanted R plates on mine, not U. I dunno, I like the color scheme better ;-)


I went through quite a bit of rigamarole with DMV to get the R plate, had to go through the process twice with them, but it got done. To get an R plate, you have to have permanent sleeping and cooking facilities, and then you have to figure out which category your trailer fits into. I went to DMV in person with my DOT certification. They have never inspected the trailer.

[MoparCzy]

This information is correct. If you go into an Oregon DMV office with your trailer and it does not have both cooking and sleeping facilities it is not a recreational vehicle. If it has no engine, then it is a utility trailer and if it has an engine it is a truck, car, or bus. If you add in the cooking facilities along with a bed then you have either a travel trailer or motor home. Also if the loaded weight of the trailer is under 1,800 lbs then you are not required to register or title it. So under that rule, most of the small teardrops do not even need a title or registration. However I would go ahead and title the rig anyway so I could get a Vehicle Identification Number assigned to it for tracking purposes. Also if you travel outside of Oregon it might be a good idea to plate and register it to avoid citations from police in other states that do not know about that law. Also as someone else pointed out, no matter how light the trailer if it qualifies as an RV then it must have R (travel trailer) plates on it anyway. Since Oregon registers RV's by length, you start out at $81.00 for 10' or less and go up from there. I do not remember the price per foot, I think it is around $6.75 so that would mean that a 13' trailer would cost about $101.25 to register plus the title, plate, and VIN inspection fees.

I think it is an important point to make that in the Oregon DMV definitions of both 'camper' and 'travel trailer', it states that both designations are designed to "to provide facilities for human habitation (permanent sleeping and cooking facilities). Soooo, if your mattress is removable and you do not have a stove or cooking unit built in, you are not a camper or a travel trailer. And if not those two designations, I'm thinking you're a utility trailer (if you meet all other utility trailer standards)

But that's just my take on it
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/vehicle/trailer.shtml

Richard

[MoparCzy]

Rudy, Most important thing with an assembled trailer is to have all of the receipts for parts such as axle and metal used to build the frame. Also no matter what size the trailer it must by state law have working tail, brake, turn signal and license plate lights. For more info on registering, see my previous post.

Hi, a newbie thinking of building my own can anyone tell me whats Oregons laws or regs on a homebuilt model? Tax and lincesing and all?
No plans on how big, will have a qween bed and a port a potty in it
so a lil bigger then a normal teardrop


Thanks for all and any help

Rudy

[triker45]

Most TD's under 1800# do not need to be reistered or titled in Oregon. According to the local DMV person if the sleeping area is under 4'6" and the cooking area is not inside the sleeping area you are good to go. As far as traveling without plates, we drove from Oregon to Upstate new York and back without a problem. We have a homemade plate th says Oregon Teardrop. This has been my experience anyway. Jerry

[MoparCzy]

"http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/vehicle/trailer.shtml" is the link to the trailer info page on the DMV website. The actual phrasing of the information is: "A travel trailer is designed to provide facilities for human habitation (permanent sleeping and cooking facilities). Travel trailers are not used for commercial or business purposes. A travel trailer is any of the following that is 8.5 feet wide or less" So if the trailer has both cooking and sleeping facilities permanently installed, it is a travel trailer. If not it is a utility trailer. If you live in Oregon and have a teardrop that you take outside of Oregon with you it never hurts to carry a copy of the info about not having to register trailers that weigh less than 1800# and also the definition of a travel trailer in Oregon.

My wife went back to Michigan a few years ago to pick up a motorcycle for me. Hauling a light trailer with the bike on it behind my Neon. She got pulled over in Illinois for no plate. She had the paper in the glove box and showed it to the officer. They let her go with no further hassles.

On a separate note, the fees for title and registration went up in Oregon effective 10-1-2009. Titles now cost $77.00 and passenger/light trailer registration is $86.00. Travel trailers saw no change, a 13' trailer costs $101.25 (I think that is the right price) to register. The registration is still good for 2 years.

Hope this clarifies everything a bit more. If you are in the process of building your teardrop and have anymore questions, you could either call Oregon DMV at 503-945-5000 or even email them, there is a contact link on the website. The advantage to the email is the person who responds can take a bit more time to research your question.

Most TD's under 1800# do not need to be reistered or titled in Oregon. According to the local DMV person if the sleeping area is under 4'6" and the cooking area is not inside the sleeping area you are good to go. As far as traveling without plates, we drove from Oregon to Upstate new York and back without a problem. We have a homemade plate th says Oregon Teardrop. This has been my experience anyway. Jerry

[mountainminded]

I recognize that this is a really old thread but I found the information posted on it useful and wanted to contribute to it. Perhaps Oregon is somewhat unique in that light trailers meeting certain criteria do not need to be registered with the DMV. There are many good reasons to register your teardrop trailer anyway, such as easier recovery from theft, and I’m not interested in furthering that discussion here. Rather I wanted to help clarify whether teardrop trailers meet the definition of “camper”, “travel trailer” or “light trailer” in Oregon. Here is what I have found.

According to the Oregon DMV Title and Registration Handbook dated 01/01/20:

“Campers and travel trailers
A campers is a structure that has a floor and is designed to provide facilities for human habitation (permanent sleeping and cooking facilities), or for camping. It is designed to be mounted on a motor vehicle, but is not permanently attached. It is six feet or more in overall length, 5-1⁄2 feet or more in height from floor to ceiling at any point, and has no more than one axle designed to support a portion of the weight of the camper. (ORS 801.180).”

By this definition a teardrop trailer is not a “camper” as it is not designed to be mounted on a motor vehicle.

“A travel trailer is a tent trailer or any other trailer that is designed to be used on the highways and provides facilities for human habitation. It is not more than 8-1⁄2 feet wide when the trailer is in a travel position. It is six feet or more in height from floor to ceiling as measured with the trailer telescoped to its full extent, or with the sides (tip-outs) expanded. Except for a tent trailer, it has four permanent walls when it is in travel position. (ORS 801.565).”

By this definition a teardrop trailer is not a “travel trailer” unless it is six feet or more tall from floor to ceiling.

“Light trailers
Trailers with a loaded weight of 8,000 pounds or less are registered as light trailers. Trailers that are for hire, travel trailers, special use trailers, or manufactured structures are not registered as light trailers.

Trailers equipped with pneumatic tires of elastic materials with a loaded weight of 1,800 pounds or less are exempt from title and registration requirements. (This does not include trailers for hire, travel trailers, fixed loads, or manufactured structures.) However, trailers exempt from title and registration requirements may be titled and registered if the owner chooses to do so. Any trailer with a loaded weight of 1,801 pounds or more must be titled and registered if used over the highways.”

Using this definition I believe that a teardrop trailer that does not meet the definition of “travel trailer”, and Is not for hire, and does not have a loaded weight of greater than 1,800 pounds would be exempt from the title and registration process in Oregon.

[tony.latham]

...and does not have a loaded weight of greater than 1,800 pounds would be exempt from the title and registration process in Oregon.

Out of curiousity, why wouldn't you?



I'm wondering if you could insure an unregistered teardrop... And having worked as an LE officer for most of my adult life, it would surely be easier to recover.

Is it a cost issue?

Tony

[Pinstriper]

I went to the DMV office to register my teardrop. Had receipts and origin and everything.

They said "It doesn't qualify, so we wouldn't know how to register it" and declined my offer of registering it anyway.