Registering an M1078 in Washington State

[Third From Texas]

Just received this email from DMV. Don't think it will effect me as I have an Oregon w/o the ORV use only stamp:

Good afternoon Corey,

Thank you for contacting us. I understand your concern regarding the vehicle. I’m not sure what ownership document you may have for your vehicle.

Decommissioned military vehicles (such as “Humvees”) sold at auction by the federal government were never manufactured to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Because of this, any decommissioned military vehicle can never be eligible for on-road use. When sold to civilians, the federal government ownership document (Form 97) is marked as “Not suitable for highway use”. This designation requires the customer to title and license the vehicle as an off-road vehicle. Since they receive the designation, “Not Suitable For Highway Use” Department of Licensing does not have the legal authority to approve these military vehicles for use on public roadways in Washington. The law does not provide a process for inspecting these types of vehicles to declare them street-legal. Even if a decommissioned military vehicle owner added the features needed to meet FMVSS, Department of Licensing would still not be able to change the use type from off-road vehicle to on-road use type. I hope this helps to answer your question. Thank you, Donna Customer Relations Email Team WA Department of Licensing DOL is in the process of modernizing our legacy systems. Please be patient with us as we transition to our new technology. Our new system (DRIVES) will be implemented on Tuesday, September 4th. You may experience slower turnaround times from now through the end of September, but we are assuring our systems and processes will serve you better. For more information visit us at DOL.WA.GOV

True for HUMVEES

Not true for LMTVs and other MVs

(at least from what I've gathered)

 

[Seq]

Just got my M51A2 titled and registered with no problems in Sequim this evening. Had an Oregon title before.

Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk

 

[functionalsolenoid]

Sorry to revive a dead thread, but there's no sense in making a new one. Purchased an M35A2 with a Louisiana title and was told it couldn't be registered for on-road use at all at one auto licensing location. A second told me that she was under the impression anything M## couldn't be registered for on-road use... and then told me that I had to have an SF97. I told her that the SF97 is destroyed the same way an out of state title would be. She agreed to call the state tomorrow for me, but I'm not optimistic. Yakima area.

 

[functionalsolenoid]

Second location (in Yakima) called back - super helpful woman who thought it was a cool rig - said that the state told her that my M35A2 (M109) is only titleable as an off-road vehicle despite having current registration and title in Louisiana. I asked about whether registering commercial made a difference; she said no.

I’m in a unique position that I can move myself and my business out of WA right now and that’s what I’ll be pursuing. I was prepared to get bent over on tax and weight fees, but not for the full purchase price of my truck. The intent is to convert it into a camper / mobile power center for display and use at camping events and festivals- my business builds off-grid power systems.

 

[Third From Texas]

Second location (in Yakima) called back - super helpful woman who thought it was a cool rig - said that the state told her that my M35A2 (M109) is only titleable as an off-road vehicle despite having current registration and title in Louisiana. I asked about whether registering commercial made a difference; she said no.

I’m in a unique position that I can move myself and my business out of WA right now and that’s what I’ll be pursuing. I was prepared to get bent over on tax and weight fees, but not for the full purchase price of my truck. The intent is to convert it into a camper / mobile power center for display and use at camping events and festivals- my business builds off-grid power systems.

You might want to look into forming an LLC in a more friendly state. A company vehicle can operate legally across state lines. And due to reciprocity, what's legally driven in one state may enter another state. So start an LLC, register your truck under the LLC, lease it to yourself for a dollar, insure it in your name with an "also covered" clause for the LLC. It's 100% legal.

Another option might be to pursue converting/titling/registering it as an RV. It also might require first titling/registration as an RV in another state then simply re-titling/registering in WA. But the RV title negates a lot of the hassles.

I've seen military trucks with WA tags. Not sure how it was done, but it's not uncommon to get different answers from every clerk you talk to.

Does WA have a "former military vehicle" classification? It would limit use to events and such, but that sounds like what you plan to use t for.

But yeah, if you can move to a state with more freedoms then more power to ya....

 

[spankybear]

I've seen military trucks with WA tags. Not sure how it was done, but it's not uncommon to get different answers from every clerk you talk to.

Does WA have a "former military vehicle" classification? It would limit use to events and such, but that sounds like what you plan to use t for.

WA will not plate some "decommissioned military Vehicles" . People get around this by NOT asking too many questions when the are trying to get a plate when using a 97. DO NOT CALL THE DOL and start to ask stuff. This will get the bureaucrats in an uproar and put you on a list. There are ways to get a plate and most have just been over looked by lazy bureaucrats. They say they want a 97 that say it can be plated for on highway use... There is an LMTV round up this weekend in Lewis County... I am going to try and be there. I can show you some things... Look for the LMTV with a big teddy bear or 3 in the gunner seat.... if I am there...

 

[functionalsolenoid]

I definitely didn't want to get into the legal advice territory. I saw that there was a House Bill shelved about classifying these vehicles as collector vehicles in 2020/2021, so I wanted to update the community on what the current state of things is like so that maybe we can get a renewed push for change in legislation. As it stands, I can't find any RCW statute that would justify keeping these off the roads. My lease expires in two months and my business will move elsewhere, luckily I was already looking - this just gives me the push I needed as this is a large project for it.

 

[functionalsolenoid]

Interesting tidbit in RCW46.09.310.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Oregon gave me a rash of shit over my truck and I wasted 4 hours at the DMV only to find that my money isn't good enough for the state of OR so I just licensed my truck in Utah with these guys:

www.dirtlegal.com

Cops don't give me any problem. I live literally across the street from my city police station in an wealthy neighborhood. I wave to them. I'm legal with good tags. In fact I was approached by a county sheriff the other day asking about my truck and what it was and so forth. He said it was "way cool" and to have a nice day.

Oh and mine is my daily driver. Don't be afraid to do it - I drove all the way from Houston to Portland with no plates, no tags, no visible indications at all (I was completely legal with bill of sale, insurance, etc). Was followed by many police for the 2700 mile trip. Never once given any shit about my truck (2008 M1079 van). Cops aren't going to hassle you unless you give them a reason - it's a slow moving truck that is likely to contain either troops (for which they have basically no jurisdiction), or some civilian with a lot of guns and possibly hand grenades. A friend of mine that was a cop put it best: "If I don't bother the rabid ReTrumplican insurrectionist with hand grenades that dweleth within..... no one gonna get hurt!"