Legality of Full Time Living

[OTRA15]

Happy Trails!

[Moodywelman]

We fulltimed 7 1/2 years and loved it (me more than her). We "adopted" Oregon as our domecile because licensing was far less expensive than our longtime home in Washington. We got our driver's license, registered to vote, rented in a RV park long enough to have a valid address and then signed up with a mail forwarding service.
We had no problems for several years until one summer when we were in Washington on a piece of property we owned, and my father lived on, we got a call from the fraud division of the State police. Apparently a neighbor had reported we were living their with out of state plates. However; since we had done tings right, he couldn't prove differently and dropped it. You are right that we were looked at as homeless.
It was more difficult back then, no ATMs, no cell phones, etc. but if you aren't used to them you don't miss them eh ?
We didn't nest, we moved every week or two and toured the entire country and it's still the best trip I've ever had (and we have seen most of the world). Enjoy!

[Moodywelman]

We bought a new 38' 5th wheel and a new dually truck for our full time rig. We joined Thousand Trails/NACO, RPI, and a couple other organizations and pretty much lived in them all over the country. Granted, it was a different world in our time (1988-1995). We almost never boondocked, other than at Quartzite, didn't belong to the "Walmart Camping Club", weren't "desert rats" or any of the other "free" camping lives. Made a lot of good friends all over the country and Canada, many of which we are still in touch with today.

[nickclifford]

Santa Cruz county has specific laws deeming it illegal to live in a travel trailer. Hard to make this stuff up, we have thousands living in squalor, thousands homeless, tens of thousands paying STAGGERING rents, simple homes here cost $750k, studio's go for $2k and yet it's illegal to sleep in a trailer or RV!

It's hard to monitor though and if you avoid streets with nighttime parking restrictions, it's not heavily enforced I think ... but never tried !!

[twrastall]

With the real ID law most states require you to have a physical address to renew your driver license. A P.O. BOX or UPS box will not work. Before I retired I cancelled many driver licenses that were using UPS boxes as a physical address. If you live in a state that requires a CDL to operate a certain size RV, federal law requires a physical address.

[chdeatley]

When a professional sports athlete plays a game in a certain city, it’s my understanding that taxes will be paid to that location/state. How is the full-time RV’er any different? They may be dodging taxes by claiming to be a resident of BFE but if the money they “earn” on YT is made while they are in a state with taxes and said state comes after
them for back taxes on earnings , please
don’t whine about tax laws. And who pays taxes on the “in kind” free stuff they get? Tax attorneys should jump on this and offer their services pro-bono. Sure.

[Jeremiwvu]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

If you are thinking of living in an Airstream in an urban area, parking in various places for free and undisturbed, I don’t believe you will find that.



Your best bet might be a long term site in a nearby campground.



Maggie

Agree, if you are considering parking on the street somewhere and avoiding paying for parking this won’t work.

You will be asked to leave unless you park in an area where nobody cares and then you probably don’t want to be there.

Last, airstreams and other campers (even with solar panels) are not intended to be off grid forever. You have to have power, water, and sewer connections at least every few days if you plan to use any of the facilities regularly.

Wife and I have been full time for over 2 years, we stay in campgrounds, and there are some near urban areas. She is a travel nurse and has worked in Roanoke, va, Charlotte, Nc, Hartford, ct, Richmond, va, and Cortlandt, ny. We have been within a 35 min or less commute to all of her jobs with full hookups.

The “Tax Home” is the other issue, but there are ways to do it. It is illegal not to have permanent residence because of taxes.

Even if you buy a vacant lot it’s not a given you can legally park your airstream there to live in.

[0557]

Originally Posted by Jeremiwvu

Agree, if you are considering parking on the street somewhere and avoiding paying for parking this won’t work.

You will be asked to leave unless you park in an area where nobody cares and then you probably don’t want to be there.

Last, airstreams and other campers (even with solar panels) are not intended to be off grid forever. You have to have power, water, and sewer connections at least every few days if you plan to use any of the facilities regularly.

Wife and I have been full time for over 2 years, we stay in campgrounds, and there are some near urban areas. She is a travel nurse and has worked in Roanoke, va, Charlotte, Nc, Hartford, ct, Richmond, va, and Cortlandt, ny. We have been within a 35 min or less commute to all of her jobs with full hookups.

The “Tax Home” is the other issue, but there are ways to do it. It is illegal not to have permanent residence because of taxes.

Even if you buy a vacant lot it’s not a given you can legally park your airstream there to live in.

Can you state the IRS regulation that says it is illegal not to have a permanent residence?

[urban]

I'm not trying to illegally triple park in the middle of an intersection in the busiest metropolitan area I can find and then put the awning out and start grilling. I don't know where some of you are getting this idea that I want to sleep in a camper in places that are illegal to even park in to start with or something? That being said I also don't want to be driving 30+ minutes to suburbs if avoidable.

I am trying to determine if an Airstream is compatible with a certain life style or whether it could possibly be a gigantic pain in my ass that I continually regret and ultimately loose money on. That being if I took a on a job or decided to further my schooling in an urban area, or really just took on any sort of geographically confining obligation. If you move all the time what I am asking probably won't be a problem and if it is you simply move.

So let me ask more specifically:
Do any of you free camp a lot? Has anyone bought or rented a lot and stayed on it that was not originally intend as camper parking? How about in a more urban area in perhaps a paid lot that was not intended for camper parking. Any other experiences involving a trailer downtown anywhere, camping or not? Does anyone live downtown somewhere and own a camper? Do you have to store it for other reasons than not having enough space? Has anyone been asked to move before? have you ever had complaints from other residents about your airstream? Has anyone been woken up in the middle of the night for "sleeping in vehicle"? Has anyone had interaction with law enforcement due to free camping? Has anyone told they cannot park their camper somewhere, occupied or not besides the obvious it's illegal to park here? Has anyone ever stayed in a friends driveway a few days? How long was it? How urban or sub-urban was the area? What was the lot spacing and maybe the ballpark average home value there? Other pertaining details and/or general vibes of situation?

This is the kind of situation I am trying to find out. When I first imagined getting an Airstream I had idea I could pay someone a few hundred a month for a driveway or yard. This would help them with their bills while also having a place to live but it seems like an arrangement like this or any other conceivable station might not really be possible.

Hire a crane and have it set on a roof for a while? Still probably cheaper than rent in a lot of places and I'm 100% sure there's no codes anywhere making that illegal, jk.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by urban

. . .
Hire a crane and have it set on a roof for a while? Still probably cheaper than rent in a lot of places and I'm 100% sure there's no codes anywhere making that illegal, jk.

. . . and you would probably be wrong about that!



Welcome to the talkative world of AirForums -- "when in doubt, start typing . . . "

[ . . . sense of humor optional . . . ]



Peter

[Lily&Me]

Your thread has gotten a fair amount of attention, yet no one has chimed in to say “yeah, I did that for a couple of years in....””.

Have you ever been in downtown Chicago?

Should you find places to park, you would need to frequently maneuver your trailer and tow vehicle from one place to another, which is unimaginable just in Chicago due to the streets themselves and how full they are.

You want to know if others here have done this, and it seems the answer is unequivocally “no”, and that it is not possible for many reasons, but you remain unconvinced.

It might be helpful for you to research parking ordinances in the cities you wish to stay in, and also visit them personally to determine for yourself where and how you might achieve this goal. Perhaps rent or borrow a van, and try stealth camping for awhile, just to get the lay of unfamiar land...it would give you a great idea of whether it could be done in a trailer.

In fact, I would say both of these is required to be done, and by you.

There is a lot of life wisdom, experience and travel years on those who have chimed in on your thread, but in spite of their input you seem to remain firmly attached to something no one seems to feel...from their knowledge and experience...is achievable.

It is not the responsibility of users here to convince you beyond a reasonable doubt. It seems the next step in your research must be done by you.


Maggie

[OTRA15]

Well said, Maggie. Starting at Post #39:

Originally Posted by OTRA15

. . .
As someone who has truly lived in “ a van down by the river” [RIP CF] I would suggest a used van, not a fancy RV version, and hitting the road.
. . .

Originally Posted by urban

Yea, I was thinking about getting a very cheap trailer or something of the like first before I invest in what I believe now to be the ideal one. I'm sure that idea will change with some experience

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Happy Trails!

[Jeremiwvu]

Originally Posted by 0557

Can you state the IRS regulation that says it is illegal not to have a permanent residence?

This article discusses part of it, it’s not illegal to live in an rv, just illegal to not pay taxes, to pay taxes you have to have a residence of some kind, there are carrying ways to handle legally, but moving into an airstream and not having anything setup is not one. For instance you have to have the trailer and tow vehicle registered and a valid drivers license, all of these require a valid verifiable address, and “proof” that you “live” there.

http://www.technomadia.com/2012/07/c...ng-and-voting/

[Rocinante]

"Uninformed decisions driven by fact free opinions every day or your money back."

Seriously - every city, borough, town or village will have different codes, laws, restrictions, etc. with respect to parking an Airstream (or any other RV) within their jurisdiction. You're going to have to check specifically for the areas you are considering vs. asking a cast of highly opinionated folks who will either tell you what they've experienced or what they think about the subject. None of that input will help you in any way at all.

Given your plan, my mostly fact free opinion is that your urban camping plan will indeed prove to be a gigantic pain in your backside that you continually regret and ultimately loose money on, especially if you live in a northern climate during the winter. (Airstreams are, at most, 3-season RV's.) So yeah, you'd probably be better off renting an apartment or finding an apartment where you can become a roommate.

[TexAirS]

Originally Posted by 0557

Can you state the IRS regulation that says it is illegal not to have a permanent residence?

I cannot find a IRS regulation stating you need a permanent address. There are several instances where there are benefits to having a permanent address such as business travel deductions. If you live in two or more countries during a tax year, counting days might be to your advantage.



Residency deals with states and their taxing ability. This usually requires the taxpayer to count the number of days in a state, usually 185 days to be taxable. Other states use the domicile method. So, an empty lot might work for some and not for others. Depends on the state.


Get some local professional knowledge before you jump.


John

[0557]

Originally Posted by Jeremiwvu

This article discusses part of it, it’s not illegal to live in an rv, just illegal to not pay taxes, to pay taxes you have to have a residence of some kind, there are carrying ways to handle legally, but moving into an airstream and not having anything setup is not one. For instance you have to have the trailer and tow vehicle registered and a valid drivers license, all of these require a valid verifiable address, and “proof” that you “live” there.

http://www.technomadia.com/2012/07/c...ng-and-voting/

Pay Taxes? if you’re talking about property taxes that leaves some of us out nor does it apply to anyone paying income tax. The Nomadic life isn’t supposed to be regulated
by busy bodies and the right to privacy in a free country.
Unless....somebody has become a nuisance or a threat to another persons wellbeing.