My bride and I are throwing ideas around for the first few years of our retirement. One of the ideas is buying an RV (used, of course) and exploring awhile. We want to establish residency in another state (most likely Florida) so I’m thinking about buying an unimproved lot with an address for that purpose.

Anyone ever do this? And before you FLA folks start bitching about an Oregonian, realize that I’m most likely more conservative than any of you.





P

I am wondering if a structure has to be on the land to warrant that? Hint don't move to Florida and it has nothing to do with being from Oregon.


Florida Statute § 196.012 defines a permanent residence as “that place where a person has his or her true, fixed, and permanent home and principal establishment to which, whenever absent, he or she has the intention of returning.”

I don’t see why not if that meets the requirements. It’s your retirement

Why would that be necessary?

A person moving in with a trailer and renting a space in mobile home park still gets residency privileges after the appropriate time.

I don't know about Florida, but in Colorado you can't claim residency unless you have a permanent structure to live in. You have to show proof of a mailing address which requires a building department to issue an address...which is only done when you have an approved structure to live in.

In TN you can get an address without any structures. It’s actually a prerequisite to get a building permit.

Are you saying that a person who decides to live in a trailer park cannot claim residency after the appointed time?

Proof of residency varies, but an active mailing address, utilities, rent or mortgage, property tax, and a drivers license are among the requisites. I’m betting a vacant lot with no abode won’t get you there. Research what is required to get a drivers license and resident hunting/fishing license and you should be established as long as you don’t work in another state.

https://www.stateofflorida.com/residency/

Florida Residency

There are many topics and issues related to Florida residency and becoming a Florida resident. Below are some examples where "residency" is referenced in Florida Statutes.

Florida Identification Card and Driver License Information
(includes U.S. citizen and non-United States citizen)

General Information: Manifesting and evidencing domicile in Florida
(Chapter 222.17, F.S. — Homestead and Exemptions)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

New to Florida or considering our state for your future home?
See our Moving to Florida section for additional resources and information.

None of the information provided below by State of Florida.com should be used for legal purposes and no warranty is made regarding its accuracy or completeness. This information is presented for reference and informal purposes only. You should review the actual Florida Statutes and consult a legal professional for guidance regarding your particular situation. Note that references below are excerpts or may be incomplete, incorrect or may be out of context and are provided as examples for use in seeking more complete information. See State of Florida.com Disclaimer & Terms of Use for full Disclaimer & Terms of Use related to information on the State of Florida.com web site.

Florida Statutes, Chapter 222
HOMESTEAD AND EXEMPTIONS
Method Of Setting Apart Homestead And Exemptions
222.17 Manifesting and evidencing domicile in Florida

(1) Any person who shall have established a domicile in this state may manifest and evidence the same by filing in the office of the clerk of the circuit court for the county in which the said person shall reside, a sworn statement showing that he or she resides in and maintains a place of abode in that county which he or she recognizes and intends to maintain as his or her permanent home.

(2) Any person who shall have established a domicile in the State of Florida, but who shall maintain another place or places of abode in some other state or states, may manifest and evidence his or her domicile in this state by filing in the office of the clerk of the circuit court for the county in which he or she resides, a sworn statement that his or her place of abode in Florida constitutes his or her predominant and principal home, and that he or she intends to continue it permanently as such.

(Note: This is not a complete statute. See full and complete Florida Statutes for additional information.)

TAXATION AND FINANCE
Florida Statutes, Chapter 196
[Property Tax; homestead exemption]

196.015 Permanent residency; factual determination by property appraiser. — Intention to establish a permanent residence in this state is a factual determination to be made, in the first instance, by the property appraiser. Although any one factor is not conclusive of the establishment or non-establishment of permanent residence, the following are relevant factors that may be considered by the property appraiser in making his or her determination as to the intent of a person claiming a homestead exemption to establish a permanent residence in this state:

(1) A formal declaration of domicile by the applicant recorded in the public records of the county in which the exemption is being sought.

(2) Evidence of the location where the applicant's dependent children are registered for school.

(3) The place of employment of the applicant.

(4) The previous permanent residency by the applicant in a state other than Florida or in another country and the date non-Florida residency was terminated.

(5) Proof of voter registration in this state with the voter information card address of the applicant, or other official correspondence from the supervisor of elections providing proof of voter registration, matching the address of the physical location where the exemption is being sought.

(6) A valid Florida driver's license issued under s. 322.18 or a valid Florida identification card issued under s. 322.051 and evidence of relinquishment of driver's licenses from any other states.

(7) Issuance of a Florida license tag on any motor vehicle owned by the applicant.

(8) The address as listed on federal income tax returns filed by the applicant.

(9) The location where the applicant's bank statements and checking accounts are registered.

(10) Proof of payment for utilities at the property for which permanent residency is being claimed.

https://rvlife.com/florida-domicile-rv/

Apparently it’s quite common. We don’t want to establish in an RV park.




p

Regarding FL, why not buy a lot in park? For example I owned an RV lot for years in a park, a deeded lot. Had full hookups, nice concrete pad, shed etc. Paid property tax. If I had wanted I could easily have claimed my residence there. I have since soldthe lot and bought a home in the park. My primary residence is PA but I could claim FL if needed.

I guess if you have a relative or friend that has a physical address no problem.

I think you’ll have to show that you stay in Florida 183 days per year to avoid Oregon income tax. You will probably want to register vehicles and get a Florida license. You might need to receive your mail there and then register to vote.

a lot of RV'rs use So Dakota as their residence, in fact there is a business called mailbox express in Rapid City you go in sign up for a mail box stay a day or 2 and it becomes you residence for legal matters such as insurance , registration etc. the only catch is since you are given a PO Box you will not be allowed to purchase guns because you have to have a normal address. we did that for awhile then bought a 1/2 acre and put an rv spot on it for a few years then bought acreage and a house and now live here and love it

This would be cheaper

https://escapees.com/education/domicile/florida/

I'll be in a similar situation after I sell my house in LA. I won't own or rent a residence. I do own a lot in TN, but that's not enough to establish residency. With a tax receipt for my property and a bank account in the state, I can register to vote. With those boxes checked, I can get a driver's license. Once that is done I am a resident.

It will vary from state to state.

You better talk to a tax attorney. I doubt what you’re considering would constitute residency in the low tax state.
I friend has a home in Mn and Fla. Both are permanent structures. He keeps detailed records and gas receipts to prove he was in Fla more than six months per year. Saves him $60 grand plus per year, plus inheritance tax when he dies.

You can do the same in NV, but it in no way qualifies as a permanent residence. My west hay field has an address. I guess the gophers would qualify as permanent residents.

Idaho requires that you physically live there for 6 months to be a resident.

Is one allowed to leave the state for work or vacation while "physically living" there and still establish residency?

Don’t know about Idaho, but probably similar. Nebraska, You have to be physically present in state or your place of residence 181 days out of 365.

So lets say a person takes a job on the pipeline, or a ship, etc. Their job requires them to be away from home for 2 out of every three months, with a month off after 2. By my way of figuring, said person would not be in the State for 2/3 of the years, or approximately 245 days, therefor leaving only 120 days or so to be "physically living" in the State.

Would they lose their residency, let's say having grown up there, married, started a family, perhaps even own a business their partner runs?

I see your point , but ultimately you’re arguing against common sense instead of state legislature .

Where’s your mailing address going to be established

Yes, permanent resident laws aside.

I kinda tried that in Kentucky

can't get an address unless you have electric, can't get electric unless you have a septic system - at least that how it was in my little part of the state.

If I owned Florida and Hell I’d rent Florida out and live in Hell!

Arizona is supposed to have some laws that you have to have a septic system installed before they give you an address.

I have property in the northern portion of the State and we were down in Sierra Vista attending a Sheriff Joe Tea Party gathering on the Southern Border

When into a DMV or what ever they call them in Arizona to get my Truck & Quad's licensed and Ids for my girl and myself.

They asked if I owned property and I gave them the name of our Community , Unit and Lot #.

They came back with the Id cards and a physical address attached to them.
They also licensed all 3 vehicles for me at about half of what Commyfornia wanted for just my truck.

No Septic System installed , No Electricity (that is 7 1/2 miles away from my property) and no gas line.

There sometime are ways to get past some of the bureaucracy.

When I traded that truck in for a new truck Commyfornia would not accept that the truck had a current license and it took the dealer almost 2 years to clear the license before they could resale the truck.

I once lived in a place where I lived in a lean-to and had a wall phone hanging on a tree. This was temporary arrangement (a couple months) while I set up a trailer house.
I lived in my current location for almost ten years before it occurred to the tax assessor, if I had a phone and an address, I must have a house (not necessarily so, see previous). So, I had to start paying taxes on the house, but, since I was now officially living here, I got a discount on my taxes so it was a wash. The only reason I had not claimed the discount before was, I liked the privacy. It wasn't long before the planning people realized I was living in an unpermitted house. We had some semi-confrontational discussions but it all got ironed out in the end; to my satisfaction anyway.
We usually spend a couple months in Florida each year, and we thought about buying a place there. Truth is though, if our daughter and her family didn't live there, we likely would not even visit the state anymore. We just don't like it well enough to own a place there. GD

Trying to change your residency is completely different than trying to keep it.

If I had property in Florida... and I liked you... I would give you a rental agreement that you could take to DMV for a DL. With a DL you could Register to Vote/claim residency et al.

$1 a year kinda thing.

FYI... Florida DMVs suck donkey balls (or at least they used to).

Then buy land however you see fit independent of whatever.

Yes, but if you vote elsewhere you're not a resident.

So the rules are different for different folks? Hardly seems American.

Don't think the OP mentioned voting in the first post.

It’s only us conservatives and law abiding citizens that are concerned with following the law and worrying about minutiae….if we were wetbacks we’d do whatever thefuck we wanted to do and the government would pay for it. You wanna be a resident of multiple states?…..no problem if you’re Mexican. You demand free rent, healthcare, food and entertainment?….no problem if you’re a wetback but God help any productive,native citizen who has contributed to the betterment of our nation for 50++ years because they don’t deserve any accommodations or consideration..only little brown bastards..

If you're a resident, you have a right to vote, whether you do or not. You can't legally vote in 2 states. There are a lot of residents who live in RV's year round and they take them south in the winter. There is dual residency but not dual voting rights. You can only vote where you're 'domiciled'. You need to dig through the laws of both states to figure out your status. I'm not the one to ask for legalities. When they come knocking, don't say that Rock Chuck was your legal advisor.
Then there's the state tax commission and all their residency rules.

Good for you pharm!
I’ll be leaving and resettling in nampa Idaho next summer. We Put down earnest money and they should brake ground in July.
I’m selling my 5th wheel now to have less stuff to move next summer
Hope you won’t mind, I’m going to post a link to the trailer just in case
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/rvs/d/palm-springs-reflection-290-bh-150/7623116034.html

Domicile.
Domicile is the place an individual intends to have as his or her true, fixed, and permanent home. Even if the individual is absent at times, domicile is the place to which the individual intends to return. Actual residence is not necessarily domicile. An individual establishes domicile in Nebraska on the date he or she arrives in the state for other than temporary or transitory purposes. Once domicile is established, it remains the individual’s domicile until it is abandoned. Domicile in Nebraska is abandoned when an individual leaves the state with no intention of maintaining his or her true, fixed, and permanent home in Nebraska; and establishes a domicile in another state while present in the other state for other than temporary or transitory purposes.

Partial-Year Resident.
A partial-year resident is an individual who is a resident for part of the year, but less than the entire year. To be a partial-year resident, a taxpayer must change domicile during the year, either moving into or out of Nebraska.

Permanent Place of Abode.
A permanent place of abode is a dwelling place permanently maintained by the taxpayer, whether or not it is owned by the taxpayer. A dwelling means a house, apartment, room, or other accommodation including those used for vacation purposes, suitable for human occupation. It does not include a vacation rental, or dwelling place occupied only temporarily.

Resident.
A resident is an individual whose domicile is Nebraska, or an individual who is physically present in this state and maintains a permanent place of abode within this state for an aggregate of more than six months. Nebraska residence will be determined by Nebraska law. If an individual maintains a permanent place of abode in Nebraska and is present in Nebraska for at least 183 days during the tax year, that individual is a Nebraska resident even if domiciled in another state. For this purpose, Nebraska considers any part of a day spent in Nebraska as a day spent in the state.

Do you have property in Florida?

Do you like me?

I have a dollar.






P

Buy your lot, rent a PO Box in nearest town to establish mailing address, build a one room shed and install hookups for your RV (power, water, sewage - on grid or off), register to vote, convert Driver License, register vehicles. Make sure you don't spend more time in any other single state than in Florida. Boom! you're a resident!

You don't actually have to own real estate to be a resident - but you need to demonstrate somehow that you actually intend it to be your home state.

Residency for what purpose?

I could avoid 6% sales tax on my next major purchase, if I could show Oregon residency. But I would have to actually LIVE in Oregon for six months.

Lots of folks get caught trying to establish residency for purchase of fishing or hunting license and tags. But again, they are subject to prosecution if they have not actually resided in the state for the requisite months.

Some used to bounce back and forth over the Idaho/Oregon border. Then they bought resident license in both states. But the game commissions started comparing lists and those guys started getting busted.

A Great Uncle got busted many years ago at a game check station with an Idaho resident license. He was driving an automobile with Wa plates.

Just a few humorous anecdotes I have seen. Not insinuating you have nefarious intent.

Sorry no real estate in Florida... Used to live aboard a ketch there... and had a FL DL... many years ago.

DeFlave lives there... he loves folks from Oregon... I am sure he can hook you up.

I see references to Oregon tax rates. I can understand. I have paid Oregon State income Tax every year since 1976. And I have never lived in the state.

But no more. My SS check comes to the house in Idaho. My pension check comes to the house in Idaho. Momma's SS comes to Idaho. After 2023, I never have to prepare an Oregon return again. Yeehaw.

Check into what the state defines as legal residence/domicile.

Years ago, the area around Rupert, iD was a pheasant mecca (before pivot sprinklers). At that time the fine for not having a license was less than the cost of a non-res license. Huge numbers of Salt Lake hunters would drive to Idaho to hunt pheasants and wouldn't buy a license at all. Getting caught was cheaper than being legal and most didn't get caught. The IDFG finally figured it out and jacked the fines way up, as it should be.

I know SC DNR licensing regs specifically address what constitutes residence status as applies to getting resident hunting and fishing (especially commercial fishing) licenses. Can't recall details. Don't know what else it applies to.

We used Americas Mailbox in Box Elder South Dakota for 5 years when we were full-timers. They have a rv park and motel to take care of business Drivers License office is close by in Rapid City, stay a few nights and you become a South Dakota Resident. We moved every 5-6 months working Rv Parks. They are very dependable no problems ever with mail deliver anywhere you go it was on time. We have settled down now so don't use them anymore would use them again if needed.

Colorado actually put that law in place because of hunting tags. They had people who were not CO residents buying small pieces of property and then putting in for the premium hunting tags as residents. One guy drew a sheep tag that way and the state began cracking down when word got out. Some of the harder to get tags can take 10 or 12 more points for a non-res than a res hunter so there was an incentive to game the system. I have owned property in CO for years that as an actual address but I don't want to risk trying to pull something off. I have 26 elk points and wouldn't want them negated by trying to pull a fast one.

We want out of Oregon. Taxes, politics, unfunded mandates, drugs, you name it.

Got no problem spending 183 days out of the year in Florida.





P

We wanted to do that in MT for various reasons. In the end I registered my LLC with the State and was able to realize a few benefits.

No hunting licenses or supressors though, but I haven't looked into that yet.

I moved to FL four years ago partially to escape state income taxes. I have a home in MS also. I discussed it with my accountant before moving and he told me that for income tax purposes what determines your residency are your driver's license and voter's registration. To get a driver's license in FL they're going to want to see some proof of domicile, I showed them my lease and power bill which satisfied the DMV gal. She then registers you to vote, FL has the "motor voter" thing. An empty lot isn't going to get you a driver's license, they want to see that you actually inhabit something there. I left some things in MS like a couple of my car registrations because they're cheaper there and insurance is cheaper. You only technically have to tag a vehicle in FL if you work in the state. I don't work here, my job is out of TN. I spend the majority of my time in FL (mainly because I like it here) and can prove it through credit card receipts if they want to come after me, my domicile change is legitimate.

Florida is friendly to RV'ers and even though you can't use one of the Mailboxes etc. services to establish residency, once you do have a legitimate residence in FL you can subsequently get rid of your domicile and use one of the mailbox services addresses to receive mail while you live on the road in your RV and still maintain FL residency.

Buy land, put a meter pole on it. Pay minimum electric charge every month. Use electric bill for residency address.

Unless you are drug-addicted and homeless.

Had a family friend here move his residency to FL from VA.
He has many car dealerships here in VA along with a few in TN.
As the Patriarch of everything his income was very high and VA state nails you if in a higher bracket.
The first year that he didn't file Va State Income they came after him, stating his 'move' was invalid due to the amount of time spent in VA that past year.
They produced flight records for his plane and how long it stayed parked in VA etc
He lost-for that year and quit flying back and forth for the most part, just hired drivers and a RV so he could sleep on the trips.

Most states tax income in the state where it's earned regardless of residence. If you live in one state and drive across the state line to work, you pay the taxes where you work. If you earn money in both states, it's pro-rated.

In our case it will be post-work.

Retirement income only.




P

Not really..

I saw a list of states most retirement friendly last week and clicked on it.
I think Florida was #1 in part because they don’t tax retirement income.

Residency is state law specific, historic rule was residency was where you intended to reside. Out of state college students, non resident hunting licenses and carpetbaggers have all caused rewriting of statutes.

Florida must have a pretty robust legion of attorneys answering these questions every day.

Vehicle license, drivers licenses, voting registration, and taxes are all circumstantial evidence of residency.
Cell phone data catches many non resident fraudsters.

Apparently you answered your own question. It's good to know all the answers.

Several options exist. South Dakota happens to be a bit of a haven for this. Since we have no state income tax, we're an easy place to say yes to.

For everyone's benefit, states have measures for residency which are internally inconsistent as well. It might be 30 days to vote, 180 to hunt/fish and a year to qualify as a resident for tuition purposes all in the same state.

Pretty easy if you play by the rules..

You just gotta know the rules....first.

I worked in Alaska but had major land holdings in Montana.
I used my Alaskan work address when I would file my federal taxes just to avoid paying Montana state taxes.

My time was divvied up about 50/50, maybe even leaning a bit more toward Alaska, so why not.

Some years went by, all was well until the day I got this letter from the state of Montana looking for $86,000.00 in unpaid state taxes.

I took it to court, I wasn't payin' them no 86 grand.

Since I didn't know the rules first I was able to negotiate my unpaid Montana State taxes down to a lump sum of $30,000.00.

If I'd only rented a apartment or RV lot even in Alaska I wouldn't have had to pay Montana a dime.

I bought my cabin in Alaska shortly after that and proceeded to take the nessasary steps of becoming a legal Alaskan resident.

Resident hunting license and all after 12 months, never filed for my PFD since my length of stay was still a bit shaded.

Haven't paid Montana a penny in state taxes since, they get my share in county property taxes there.

Switched my residency to Florida a few years back for some property tax breaks, probably switch back to Montana some day for resident hunting rights.

I pretty much hunt in Montana every year with a non-res small game and fishing licenses. I just play guide for the kids during Elk season.

One's gotts to know the rules....

Fl does have residences that cater to RV owners.


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