Full Timing

[brown774]

We are selling our house and plan on full timing for a few years. Can someone explain the method and benefits of establishing residency in South Dakota? We would like to take necessary steps this June.

[tbutler]

We went through this in 2001, moving into our motor home July 7 and into a mobile home in a resort in June 2010. It was a wonderful experience and I would recommend it to anyone who can afford to do it both from a financial standpoint and also from a comfort level of being totally footloose and fancy free! It isn't for everyone. I've known any number of people who say they just couldn't give up their house. For Louise and I it worked.

We started in South Dakota with a company, My Home Address. We stayed with them until we made the official move to Texas in the fall of 2010. They handled our vehicle registration, we got South Dakota drivers licenses, and we registered to vote in South Dakota. We also moved our estate documents to South Dakota so they complied with the state laws. In effect we did everything we could to make ourselves South Dakota residents. The web site I've linked above will give you more detailed information. There is at least one other organization that provide mailing services and I'll include their web sites so you can look at their services and rates and make informed decisions.

Dakota Post is located in Sioux Falls. It provides services similar to My Home Address. FMCA has transferred its mail forwarding services to this organization. Their site also gives a good account of the benefits of becoming a South Dakota resident and the process involved.

I liked My Home Address (MHA) because it is located in Emery, SD. This is a small community and other than farming, My Home Address is the big dog in town. There were occasions when I called the post office and talked to them regarding a situation we had and there was no question from them about who we were or what our situation was. They knew MHA because most of the mail they handled was for MHA! The same was true when we dealt with the county government regarding voting registration. Some people worry about jury duty. In Hanson County where MHA is located the court routinely excuses full time RVers from jury duty. We also had no problem dealing with the drivers license office in Sioux Falls in this case. Basically, full time RVers is a major industry in South Dakota.

I Googled "Choosing a Home Address" and came up with a link to this web site. It is a brief summary of all the implications of choosing any particular state as a home state. It is worth reading. When we went full time we found a book on this subject that gave more complete information but it was also dated because all these things change over time. I will say that as far as I know, South Dakota doesn't have any period of time that you have to live in the state to be a resident. We spent one night in a hotel in Sioux Falls, got our drivers license the next day, visited MHA and signed up with them, registered to date and returned to our motor home. We only "had" to go back to renew our driver's license every 5 years. Everything else could be handled through the mail and/or e-mail.

Another topic that could help is to Google "RV Home Base." There are many sites listed here, could be helpful. I checked one and here is the link for that one. Again, this could help compare different states to see which would work best for you. The site lists many things to be considered, similar to the site above.

[ClayL]

The service - Dakota Post - Tom mentioned (Used to be Alternative Resources) has a lot of info on the advantages of being a SD resident on the web site he posted.

We used them for eleven years and they did a good job for us.

[HighwayRanger]

We just signed up with Dakota Post. Just let them know you're interested and they will take care of you. Just two forms to fill out. Once they assign you an address you can start changing address with whomever you like. Then, you will need to make a trip to South Dakota (Sioux Falls, in Dakota Post's case) to visit the DMV. You'll end up with new drivers licenses and plates for your vehicles. Dakota Post can also help you register your vehicles or you can do it yourself while there. We'll be there in July to consummate our change of domicile from California to SD. There is a bunch of info on the DP website, including a link to the South Dakota DMV, etc which provides a bunch of info.

Roy