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David and Danette View Drop Down
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Posts: 1214 		Post Options Post Options   Quote David and Danette Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Utility Trailer
    Posted: 10 Jun 2023 at 7:13pm
  I have a question we have a utility trailer and in the county we live in Tennessee does't require a license plate. I am planning on towing it to Indiana driving through Kentucky then up to Indiana, without a license plate would I be legal?
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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Posts: 1446 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Tars Tarkas Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jun 2023 at 9:30pm
My understanding is that you don't need a plate as long as you stay in Tennessee.  If you go out of state, it might depend on which state, but you probably do need a plate.  You can get a trailer plate that doesn't expire for, as I recall, not much more than an annual plate.  One fee and you're done until the trailer falls apart.

Ask your county clerk -- there may be a weight limit, I don't know.  I have a plate on one of my utility trailers that I took to North and South Carolina once and haven't really thought about again.  And I don't know what happens if you're caught without a plate out of state, but it's probably not worth the potential hassle.

You can probably get specifics on your county clerk's website -- or the state website.

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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Posts: 1446 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Tars Tarkas Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jun 2023 at 9:35pm
Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I have the same kind of plate on my RPod.

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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Posts: 1214 		Post Options Post Options   Quote mjlrpod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jun 2023 at 12:59pm
If you go anywhere near Massachusetts, you best have a plate on it. They don't miss any opportunity to eff with you for any reason. I personally would get some kind of plate, cause I don't like finding out what absolutely idiotic penalty I'm going to have to pay. Just isn't worth it to me. 
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jato View Drop Down
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Posts: 3223 		Post Options Post Options   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jun 2023 at 1:26pm
Not sure about Kentucky but in Indiana you will need a plate, regardless of how small the trailer is.  Indiana is like Michigan, the govt. will squeeze any dollars it can out of its constituents.
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David and Danette View Drop Down
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Posts: 1214 		Post Options Post Options   Quote David and Danette Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jun 2023 at 7:57pm
I am going to the courthouse tomorrow morning to make things legal. Hope it's not to expensive because I may never leave Tennessee again with the trailer only need the plate most likely for one trip.
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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Posts: 1446 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Tars Tarkas Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jun 2023 at 8:48pm
You know, license plates are basically a symbol of vehicle registration.  You'll need to provide a bill of sale or maybe sign an affidavit for an old trailer (or one you built yourself, for example.)  And it's the opportunity for the state and county to collect the sales tax on your purchase.  I think you can talk your way through all that with an old utility trailer, but if you have a real bill of sale or title, it would be very helpful.

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David and Danette View Drop Down
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Posts: 1214 		Post Options Post Options   Quote David and Danette Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jun 2023 at 2:26am
Went to the courthouse and I got a new license plate. Yes I had to answer several questions like do I have a title,bill of sale,old registration and the color. I had a title from 1996 when I bought the trailer from Northern Tool but no bill of sale. Wanted to know if I paid sales tax I told her Northern Tool wouldn't have sold me the trailer without chargeing sales tax. It's aluminum so I told her It was silver. Was asked how much I paid for it I had a I idea but don't remember the exact amount so we agreed on the trailer value of $200.00. I have been fixing up the trailer new floor and tires and repaired a fender that had a broken bracket. The trailer has had a lot of use and several repairs over it's life and I wasn't going to pay sales tax over again for what I paid for it new. So I thought even $200 was too much to pay sales tax for it since I had already paid the tax when I bought it new. So ended up costing about $52.00 for a new plate and I now have peace of mind knowing I am legal to take it out of Tennessee.
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jato View Drop Down
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Posts: 3223 		Post Options Post Options   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jun 2023 at 3:52am
$52 for a plate on an old utility trailer for one trip? O well.  But peace of mind for that one trip . . . . priceless!
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Posts: 2629 		Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jun 2023 at 1:57pm
Originally posted by jato

$52 for a plate on an old utility trailer for one trip? O well.  But peace of mind for that one trip . . . . priceless! 
A one-time fee of $52 sounds pretty cheap to me. We pay > $200 per year to register our Rpod.
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