The key here is: "Enroll in an institution of higher learning as a California resident or enroll their dependents in school (K-12). "

If you are going to school as a "resident" and paying "in-state" tuition - then you would need to have the car registered in California. Any non-resident student can drive their car with home state plates in most any state.

AFAIK - if your car is registered in another state, for example Arizona, you are only required to meet Arizona requirements and not California. I was pulled over in California in my S2000 and the CHP never asked/checked anything regarding CARB parts.

On another note - Utah is very restrictive on window tint. I was with a friend that got pulled over in Utah with limo tinted front windows on a car with AZ plates. The officer looked up the AZ tint law in his little book, pulled out his light meter for testing the darkness of the tint and then handed my friend a razor-blade. His option were to scrape it off the front windows, receive a ticket and/or possibly get his car impounded. Of course he scraped all the tint off - took him a good hour.

Now I know this is different from CARB - but I think as long as your car is legal in its registered state - California CARB laws would not apply. Of course they may have a little book of emission laws for all states and could find that you do not meet your home state requirements.

If in doubt - call the CHP

 

Great info, thanks guys

 

Damn!!!

 

If your out of state, you are still subject to all state laws of the state your in at the time of being pulled over. (confusing eh?)

Basically, if I have window tint and I'm from, say, florida where its legal and I get pulled over in NJ for tints. I can still get a ticket for tints regardless if my car is registered where tints are legal.

Its stupid....

 

I dont believe that that's true, with regards to emissions legality anyway. What happens if a california cop pulls over some guy driving an out-of-state turbo s2000 that is just visiting for a few months? You're not telling me the cop is going to tell him that he needs to revert his car back to stock while he's just visiting there.

now, of course you need to observe their speed limits and stuff like that, but to say that your out-of-state vehicle needs to comply with their emissions laws, I dont believe for a second that that's true. Once you register it in their state, that's when you have to comply with their emissions laws.

 

^yeah... that really doesn't make sense.

However, let's say I transfer the car to my mother and put it in her name, so it's registered here in Georgia. I could get away with driving it cali for as long as I wanted right? I can see the officer now:

"So, you're trying to tell me that your mother has a 450 hp S2000 and she lets you live in another state driving it for as long as you want?"

I'm really looking into finding a post bac school in either Florida or California (I like warm weather and the beach ).

 

This is generally true but not tyically enforced. I have heard of Arizona folks getting tickets in California because they had their side windows tinted. My experience is that if you are just visiting and you are not abrasive - they will not mess with you. If you are being a dick - they will probably find some way to penalize you.

I would think that the only thing the friend of the OP has to worry about is if the turbo MR2 will make it cross country.

As far as afwfjustin is concerned - if you retain your current state DL and have a student ID, you would probably be fine. Doubt they will investigate if you are paying in or out of state tuition.

Here in Arizona you see tons of high-end cars (Modena's, Murcielago, etc..) running around with Oregon plates. The reason being is that Arizona licensing costs are based on the value of the vehicle - in Oregon it is $20 for 2 years (was when I lived there - assume it has not changed). A $150k car in AZ will run you $2800 year to register.

 

Very interesting. How do they get out of state registration when they live in AZ? Do they have to own property out in Oregon?

 

I think in Oregon you can register a car with a PO Box number.

 

Is this some kind of well kept secret (well, not so well kept anymore)? There has to be something more to it, otherwise everyone in California would be doing it. This would be a good way to avoid smog too (assuming they don't check in Oregon)