Since you asked, this is for a California House Car...
The Stealth Camper is now registered as a California House Car, or at least I assume it is…. The registration document certainly reads differently, but the guy at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) had no idea what a California House Car was, and I can’t figure out how to read all the codes on the registration. Here is a summary of the codes, what they were and what they are now. If anyone wants to enlighten me, or confirm that I am now registered correctly I would be grateful.
Old Data Entry Field
VLF Class DF
TypeVeh 32Y
Type LIC 31
Body Type Model TB
MP (Motive Power?) D (Diesel?)
MO QP
AX (Axels?) 2
WC (Weight Class?) A
Unladen/G/CGW 15000
Type Vehicle Use Commercial
New Data Entry Field
VLF Class DF
TypeVeh 12J
Type LIC 11
Body Type Model MH (Motor Home?)
MP (Motive Power?) D (Diesel?)
MO RX
AX (Axels?) No Such Field
WC (Weight Class?) No Such Field
Unladen/G/CGW No Such Field
Type Vehicle Use Automobile
So here is the story. I made a standard appointment to discuss registration issues with my local DMV office in Santa Clara, CA. I arrived a few minutes early, took my number at the front counter and waited for about 15 minutes. The man at the window was intelligent and professional but obviously hadn’t done anything like this before. I told him what I wanted and gave him my paperwork, and he immediately ran off to talk to his supervisor. A couple of minutes later he was back and ready to move forward with no hassle.
I had provided him with a CA DMV “Statement of Facts” form, with the key part being section G., where it says, “I the undersigned state:”
“My personal, privately held vehicle, VIN XXXXXXXXXXXX, Mitsubishi Fuso FE650, has been converted to a California House Car per VC Section 362. It is permanently altered, and equipped for human habitation. It includes sleeping quarters for 2 people, and permanently installed facilities including: fresh water supply, toilet, microwave, stove, oven, heater, and air conditioning.”
I did not sign the CA DMV “Statement of Facts” form ahead of time, but waited to sign it in his presence. (I don’t think he cared.)
I also provided him with pictures of the inside of the living quarters showing the toilet, sink, beds, etc. (I don’t think he cared about that either.)
I also gave him my then current registration.
He asked me if I had a picture of the outside of the truck, which caught me off guard as I didn’t happen to have one. He said he just wanted to know what kind of a truck it was so he could classify it. I told him it was a “box truck” but that didn’t seem to mean much to him. He asked me if it was a “flat bed” and I told him that it was fully enclosed and showed him the pictures of the interior again. I also told him repeatedly that it needed to be classified as a “California House Car” and I was trying to avoid the use of the words “RV” as some folks had suggested in various posts on this and various other forums. The term “California House Car” didn’t seem to mean anything to him, so he asked me if it was a “mobile home”. I said yes, but not the type that just sits there (still trying to avoid saying RV). He seemed to understand that it was a fully mobile vehicle and was happy at that point.
I offered him my recent weight certificate but he said that it no longer mattered.
He gave me a form (I don’t remember what) and asked me to fill out name and address and then sign it. He also asked for $31 which I gave him. He then gave me the new registration with the new stickers for the license plates and sent me to a different window to pick up the new plates. I still have to install the new plates, and drop the old ones back at the DMV, but other than that it appears I am done. Hopefully it is done correctly… The whole process took maybe 10 minutes, plus the 15 minute wait.
Now I assume I can remove the weight stickers from the sides of the cab and I should never have to stop at a weigh station.
The next step is to get the truck insured as an RV, and hopefully start saving some money. That brings up a whole bunch of new issues I will have to work through, like how do they value this thing, can I (should I) insure it for replacement value, can I get liability insurance (like homeowners insurance) for people who slip and fall off my back bumper etc. There is also the issue of making sure they don’t refuse to pay when they discover that I am living in the truck full time (which I am not just yet.)
More recent update.... I have long since removed the weight stickers on the side of the truck. It is also now insurred as an RV, not a commercial vehicle. It didn't save me all that much but it is probably not a fair comparison considering the different levels of coverage. I will say that insuring an RV that you made yourself (not commercially made) is not a trivial matter and your choices are very limited.
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