Look it up then, post a cite.

 

I got pulled over in Missouri for 'Illegal Window Tint' in a car with AZ plates. The window tint in question was the cargo area of a '77 LTD station wagon. Not the windshield, or the front or rear side door windows, but the actual wagon windows behind the rear seats. I had just bought the car in AZ and was driving it back to Ohio... Rather than risk the trooper's wrath, I removed the tint from the cargo windows as he watched. This 'tint' was a perforated silver foil-like sunshade, not 5% dark 'limo' tint. FWIW, I could have ZERO transmission coating on the cargo windows and still have been legal, but... I didn't want to be impounded or go to court out-of-state, so it was easier to comply... Even in a four-door sedan, the windshield cannot be tinted below the Atsi indicator, and front door windows need to be at least 50% transmittance, the rear doors and rear window can be zero for that matter - but....why pizz off the trooper when I didn't need the tint anyways?

 

In addition, I bought a car in another southeastern state that DID have dark tint on the side and rear windows (Wife's '04 Crown Vic LX Sport) When I got it home, I actually went to the Ohio State Highway Patrol station and had them do a tint transmission measurement because I didn't want any hassles. The front door windows were right at the Ohio legal limit. The rear doors and rear window could technically be zero-percent transmittance or painted over and I'd still be legal...

 

I posted a link in post #16 to a .gov site listing the requirements for the trailer in the OP's origination state of KY. That is the requirements they must meet. Like mentioned here, it is a good thing to make sure all of your paperwork is in order when traveling across state lines, especially if you are not required to run a plate, but for all intents and purposes, if you are legal in your home state, you are legal everywhere. As a private citizen...

If there are other requirements (such as stopping in every state and becoming compliant with that state's laws as a non resident) please find a .gov site and post that. Also, some others here are confusing private owned vehicles/trailers with commercial/business owned vehicles/trailers. The laws are clearly different for a business than a private citizen, but that is not the discussion here. So, make sure the link you provide is for private owned vehicles and trailers.

Oh, and be sure the link is to an actual (.gov) site that explicitly says otherwise, not some random AI Google search...

 

It's been over a month, I wonder what he actually did. OP please report back haha

 

Yeah, when I saw this thread pop back up I thought he had reported back... maybe he will. Then again, based on this thread, he may have been caught, thrown in the deepest, darkest dungeon and then they threw away the key for such a heinous crime!

 

He probably got picked up by ICE.

 

My understanding is that you said there was a Federal Law that says you are right. Please post that. I looked and I did not find anything. I found a lot that does not agree with your opinion. I'm not going to invest time reading every law to prove there is not one.

If I have a radar detector permanently wired in my car [because it's legal in my state] will I get a ticket in a different state? Probably. As someone pointed out with window tint, you might get a ticket for that. Of course, the state patrol officer is the one that starts the process, so that is the person that you would have to convince. Once they right you a ticket, then you got a judge that will determine the law. By you posting the Federal Law that says you don't have to obey the local laws, that might help someone in the future.

 

This has been said time and again, but sure, I will say it one more time... I never said there is a federal law that says anything. I said as long as you are legal for the state in which you are a resident then you are legal. Period. Again, I did post a link to a .gov site that stated the requirements for his trailer based on his place of residence. It mentions nothing about do this or do that if you cross the magic line... Could you post a link to a .gov site (not an AI Google search or someone else's opinion) with a federal or even a state law that says you must become legal according to every state you are traveling through as a non resident? This has not been presented... But, if this is the case, just about everyone with an out of state plate is likely illegal in one way or another... that makes no sense. And if this were true, why have state laws at all and not a single federal law?

Here's an example, as a MS resident with MS plates, why do I not have to comply to CA laws and be smog tested when I enter the state? It's a CA state requirement for their residents. I am driving my personal vehicle in their state. So why have they not stopped me and told me I must be smog tested even though I am an out of state citizen? Because I am not required to do so for MS, thus making me legal according to my state, and now in CA too. CA also requires a tag on the front of a vehicle too... yet again, I only have one on the back of our vehicles because MS doesn't require them on the front.

Also, your example of the radar detector is a poor example that doesn't even make sense. We are talking about vehicles and trailers. Things driven or towed on a public road, requiring to some degree taxes, a title and in some situations (based on your state of residence), a tag. Your radar detector has nothing to do with these things...

I am not saying that an officer in another state won't stop you, or that one won't even give you a hard time, or even give you a ticket. Heck, the laws are so convoluted and stretched that many officers don't actually know all the laws... But please provide a real life situation of someone getting stopped for this situation, fined and then actually made to pay the fine.

 

This is an apples to oranges comparison, because they'd have to actually SEE the radar detector to even try to pull you over - and know it's not actually a dash cam, which many people have today.

And even if you DO get a ticket for no plates on your trailer, once you contact a judge to contest it, they'll most likely throw it out - because they know that if you're legal in your home state then those are the rules you operate by.

Again, this isn't to say you WON'T get pulled over, so it's a good idea to know the rules of your home state so you can calmly explain them to the LEO if they do pull you over. The explanation alone is more than likely going to be enough to get them to wave you off with minimal time lost. Being a jerk about it, though, is likely to help them FIND an excuse to ticket you.

 

They have radar detector detectors, they don't have to see the actual radar detector, they just got to detect it, very simple to do. It's the same comparison.

I have yet to read anyone that has posted actual laws that says your state trumps the one you are in. I suspect the reason is because there are no laws. Until I see some facts, I would make a decision based on what I believe is true [and common sense]. When you are visiting a state/country, you should abide by their rules. It's just the polite thing to do. If you elect not to follow their rules, then you pay the price. You know.....FAFO.

 

It appears that there is no federal law that governs this topic. But there are a series of state laws that handle how registration for out of state vehicles is to be handled. From the little bit of time i put into this, all states have passed reciprocity laws that honor the registration laws of the vehicle's home state.

this makes sense. If you live in Iowa, you are required to have a front plate, but the front plate does not get a registration sticker. If you live in South Dakota, you are required to have a front plate and the registration sticker is required on both plates. It would not be reasonable to expect and Iowa resident traveling through South Dakota to have a sticker on the front plate - Iowa only issues ONE sticker and it is to be placed on the rear plate. It is impossible to get a second sticker just so you can travel through states like South Dakota that require two stickers. Front plates would be the same. Flordia (as far as i know) only issues one plate per vehicle. It is not reasonable to expect that they would have two plates just to travel through states that require two. Even if they do issue two plates, the front plate is not legally required in Florida, so there is no reasonable expectation to see a front plate on a Florida vehicle. The reciprocity law in the state you travel through states how non-resident vehicle registration is handled.

The same goes with trailers. Some states do not require plates on certain types of trailers (or trailers at all, in some cases). It is not reasonable to expect a trailer coming from a state where no plate is issued for trailers to have plates when traveling through a state where plates are required. This is the EXACT reason every state has a reciprocity law that honors the home state of the vehicle. You could still get stopped and questioned. You could even get a citation, but the reciprocity law in that state would govern whether that citation was valid - and in almost every case i can think of, it would not be valid if the trailer was properly registered in it's home state.

Here's the list of reciprocity laws that i was able to find.
I did NOT vet them all - i don't have that kind of time.


Alabama Ala. Code § 32-6-10 Reciprocal for nonresidents from states with similar laws.
Alaska Alaska Stat. § 28.10.121 Valid for 60 days; recognizes home-state plates.
Arizona Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 28-2001 Exemption for nonresidents as long as car is not used for business.
Arkansas Ark. Code § 27-14-704 Reciprocal for visitors; 30-day limit for new residents.
California Cal. Veh. Code § 6700 Exempts nonresidents if vehicle has valid home-state plates.
Colorado C.R.S. § 42-3-117 Registration and plate exemptions for nonresidents.
Connecticut Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-34 Full reciprocity for nonresidents for registration and plates.
Delaware 21 Del. Code § 2102 Nonresidents exempt if registered in home state.
Florida Fla. Stat. § 320.37 Recognizes out-of-state plates for nonresidents.
Georgia O.C.G.A. § 40-2-90 30-day grace period for visitors; recognizes home plates.
Hawaii H.R.S. § 249-9.2 Requires out-of-state permit, but honors home registration.
Idaho Idaho Code § 49-432 Reciprocal exemptions for nonresidents.
Illinois 625 ILCS 5/3-402 Grants reciprocity for nonresident registration/plates.
Indiana Ind. Code § 9-18.1-2 Exempts nonresidents if properly registered in home state.
Iowa Iowa Code § 321.53 Explicitly honors registration laws of the home state.
Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 8-138 Nonresidents exempt from Kansas plate requirements.
Kentucky Ky. Rev. Stat. § 186.140 Full reciprocity for nonresidents.
Louisiana La. Rev. Stat. § 47:511 Honors out-of-state tags for visitors.
Maine 29-A M.R.S. § 501 Reciprocity for nonresidents registered elsewhere.
Maryland Md. Transp. Code § 13-402 Exempts nonresident vehicles with valid foreign plates.
Massachusetts M.G.L. c. 90 § 3 Honors out-of-state registration and equipment.
Michigan MCL § 257.243 90-day exemption for nonresident "pleasure vehicles."
Minnesota Minn. Stat. § 168.181 Authorized to enter into reciprocity agreements.
Mississippi Miss. Code § 27-19-143 Honors foreign tags if home state honors MS tags.
Missouri Mo. Rev. Stat. § 301.271 Full reciprocity based on foreign state's laws.
Montana Mont. Code § 61-3-701 Exemptions for nonresidents based on reciprocity.
Nebraska Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-3,151 Exempts vehicles with valid out-of-state registration.
Nevada NRS § 482.385 Nonresidents exempt; requires registration upon residency.
New Hampshire N.H. Rev. Stat. § 261:44 Reciprocal for nonresidents.
New Jersey N.J.S.A. § 39:3-15 Honors out-of-state registration/plates for nonresidents.
New Mexico N.M. Stat. § 66-3-301 Honors foreign plates for 30-180 days.
New York N.Y. VTL § 250 Broad reciprocity for plates and registration status.
North Carolina N.C.G.S. § 20-83 Exempts nonresidents if registered in home state.
North Dakota N.D. Cent. Code § 39-04-18 Broad list of exemptions for nonresidents.
Ohio Ohio Rev. Code § 4503.37 Reciprocal agreements for nonresident registration.
Oklahoma 47 Okla. Stat. § 1125 Honors out-of-state registration for nonresidents.
Oregon ORS § 803.305 Exempts nonresidents from registration requirements.
Pennsylvania 75 Pa. C.S. § 1303 Reciprocity for nonresidents from compliant states.
Rhode Island R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-7-1 Honors foreign registration for nonresidents.
South Carolina S.C. Code § 56-3-150 Reciprocal registration/plate recognition.
South Dakota SDCL § 32-5-46 Key Statute: Honors all home-state registration laws.
Tennessee Tenn. Code § 55-4-120 Reciprocal exemptions for nonresidents.
Texas Tex. Transp. Code § 502.091 Reciprocal agreements handled by TxDMV.
Utah Utah Code § 41-1a-202 Exempts properly registered nonresident vehicles.
Vermont 23 V.S.A. § 411 Full reciprocity for nonresidents.
Virginia Va. Code § 46.2-655 Exempts nonresident vehicles with foreign plates.
Washington RCW § 46.85.060 Proportional and reciprocal registration rules.
West Virginia W. Va. Code § 17A-5-1 Honors out-of-state registration for nonresidents.
Wisconsin Wis. Stat. § 341.40 Reciprocity for nonresidents; honors home-state rules.
Wyoming Wyo. Stat. § 31-2-224 Exempts nonresident vehicles for 120 days. D.C. D.C. Code § 50-1501.02 Requires reciprocity permit for longer stays.

 

Thanks for investing all that time to set the record straight.

 

@meborder That's some good investigative work, even if it was only for a few minutes.

And it all makes sense - while you'd think something like that WOULD have a federal statute, the states taking it upon themselves to do so means the feds don't have to - even if it IS an inter-state issue and therefore falls into the federal jurisdiction.

Regardless, it lays to rest the issue - your vehicle (including trailer) has to be legal in your HOME state, not necessarily every state you're traveling through. Would it hurt to bring the statues that state your home state does or doesn't require plates on your trailer? No, it wouldn't. But it absolutely is NOT necessary.

 

Fayette Co, Ky. It was easy to miss. I see I strayed into equipment earlier.