Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual

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Section 7 of 38

Chapter 6: New Vehicles Sold by California Dealers

6.055 Recreational Vehicles (H&SC §18010)

A recreational vehicle is a motorhome, housecar, travel trailer, truck camper, or camp trailer; with or without motive power; designed for human habitation or other occupancy.

Recreational vehicles are built on a single chassis and are self-propelled, a recreational vehicle is a motorhome, housecar, travel trailer, truck camper, or camp trailer; with or without motive power; designed for human habitation or other occupancy. Recreational vehicles are built on a single chassis and are selfpropelled.

Truck-mounted, or permanently towable on the highways without a permit. They must contain less than 320 square feet of internal living room area (excluding built-in equipment and including, but not limited to wardrobe, closets, cabinets, kitchen units, fixtures, and bath or toilet rooms) and 400 square feet or less of gross area measured at maximum horizontal projections.

Vehicle License and Title (VLT) Stops —As of January 1, 2007, DMV places a VLT stop Reason Code: 60 on a recreational vehicle used as a methamphetamine lab when requested by local health officials. When this stop is on the record, the vehicle registration cannot be renewed, and ownership cannot be transferred. The stop will remain on the record until DMV is advised to remove it by local health officials (H&SC §25400.22).

If an application is submitted and the vehicle record displays RCC:05 U: 12 R:60 stop on an R67 or R60 inquiry, the procedures below must be followed:

  • Call the Involuntary Transfer Section (ITS) in DMV headquarters, at (916) 657-7704. ITS will give you the name of the agency that requested the stop, the contact person for that agency, and the agency’s telephone number.
  • Do not accept the application; return it to the applicant.
  • Give the applicant the information provided by ITS.
  • Not give the ITS telephone number to the applicant.
  • Inform the applicant that the application may be resubmitted for processing after the agency that requested the stop has the stop cleared from the record.

Refer local health officers inquiring about placing or removing VLT stops on recreational vehicles to ITS.

Camper Recreational Vehicle Definitions (VC §243)—A structure designed to be mounted upon a motor vehicle to provide facilities for human habitation or camping purposes. Any canopy or similar structure mounted upon a motor vehicle for purposes of human habitation or camping purposes is considered a camper. A one-axle camper is not considered a vehicle.

Camp Trailer (VC §242)—A vehicle designed to be used on a highway which is capable of human habitation for camping or recreational purposes and does not exceed 16 feet in overall length from the foremost point of the trailer hitch to the rear extremity of the trailer body or 96 inches in width. A tent trailer is a camp trailer. A camp trailer is not a trailer coach. Camp trailers are registered under the Permanent Trailer Identification (PTI) program, as explained in Chapter 14.

Fifth-Wheel Travel Trailer (VC §324)—A vehicle designed for recreational purposes to carry persons or property on its own structure and constructed to be drawn by a motor vehicle by means of a kingpin connecting device.

A pickup with a kingpin connecting device for a fifth-wheel travel trailer must be registered as a commercial vehicle.

Oversize Fifth-Wheel Travel Trailer—A vehicle exceeding 40 feet (480 inches) in overall length , or 8 1/2 feet (102 inches) in width. Oversize fifth-wheel trailers cannot be registered by DMV or the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and cannot be sold in California. Refer the customers to the dealer or person who sold the vehicle.

A structure too large to be mounted upon and fully supported by a motor vehicle, independent of the axle attached to the structure, is a trailer coach or camp trailer, depending on the overall length of the vehicle.

Housecar (VC §362)—A motor vehicle originally designed for, or permanently altered, to be equipped for human habitation, or to which a camper has been permanently attached. A housecar is not a motortruck.

Truck tractors with living quarters cannot be registered as housecars. A horse trailer with an area equipped for human habitation remains a trailer and is subject to the PTI program. The living quarters are secondary or incidental to the primary function of the vehicle, which is transporting property.

The following vehicles are identified as housecars for registration purposes:

  • Motorhome—A motor vehicle designed to provide temporary living quarters, built as an integral part of, or permanently attached to, a self-propelled motor vehicle chassis or van and includes a motorhome manufactured by a licensed motorhome manufacturer.

    Motorhomes must contain permanently-installed independent life support systems which meet the criteria of the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) and provide at least four of the following facilities: cooking, refrigeration or ice box, self-contained toilet, heating and/or air conditioning, a portable water supply system including a faucet and sink, a separate 110 to 125 volt electrical power supply and/or liquid petroleum (LP) gas supply. Van campers do not contain the permanently-installed independent life support systems identified by the ANSI for motorhomes.

    Motorhomes that do not exceed 45 feet (540 inches) in overall length or 8.5 feet (102 inches) in width may be registered in California.

    Manufactured motorhomes are registered under the make and year model of the motorhome manufacturer and the VIN of the chassis. For example, a motorhome manufactured by Southwind using a Dodge chassis is registered as Southwind (make) and year model with the Dodge chassis VIN.
  • Pickup with Camper—A pickup with a camper (previously defined) is a camper that is permanently attached to a pickup for human habitation or camping purposes. Do not verify facilities for human habitation. A pickup with a camper temporarily attached is not a housecar. Adding a camper shell to a pickup truck does not necessarily constitute the vehicle being changed from commercial to auto registration.

    The addition must meet the definitions for human habitation or camping purposes. Otherwise, the vehicle owner may be subject to citation from law enforcement for not meeting the definition for auto registration.

    Human habitation is defined as living space which includes, but is not limited to: closets, cabinets, kitchen units or fixtures, and bath or toilet rooms. Refer to Chapter 13 for additional instructions.
  • Van Camper—A van camper is a complete vehicle purchased from a recognized vehicle manufacturer and converted (usually by the installation of carpet, curtains, additional seating, etc.) for human habitation or camping purposes.

    Van campers are registered using the original manufacturer’s make, VIN, and year model. However, completed van-type vehicles altered prior to original registration to meet the ANSI specifications of a motorhome are registered using the make and VIN of the original manufacturer.

In addition to usual registration requirements, the following must be submitted:

  • A Miscellaneous Certifications (REG 256A) form with the Vehicle for Human Habitation section completed to determine the type of housecar being registered.
  • Forms with the value of any added equipment, the camper, and camper axle, if one is attached include the value of the vehicle (for determining the vehicle license fee (VLF) classification).

Additional documents as follows:

If the Vehicle Is aThen
Manufactured motorhome

Motorhomes that do not exceed 45 feet (540 inches) in overall length or 8.5 feet (102 inches) in width may be registered.
• An Application for Registration of New Vehicle (REG 397), Application for Title or Registration (REG 343), or Statement of Facts (REG 256) form showing the length and width of the motorhome in inches.
• A REG 256A completed by the selling dealer or buyer.

The procedures below must be followed:
• Key the correct motorhome make, year model, and body type model as shown on the application.
Pickup with camper (permanently attached)• A REG 256A, with the Certification of Vehicle for Human Habitation section completed by the buyer or owner, as appropriate.

The procedures below must be followed:
• Key the body type model (BTM) “PM” (pickup with camper).
• Not change any other information.
Van conversion (van camper)• A REG 256A completed by the buyer, owner, or dealer, as appropriate.

The procedures below must be followed:
• Key BTM “VC” (van camper).
• Not change any other information.
Motorhomes and house cars modified from their original design to be modular-mobile equipment, such as a bloodmobile, are assigned BTM “MM” and registered with auto license plates. Refer to the Modular-Mobile Equipment section in this chapter for procedures.