I just left the local tax office where I tried to get Texas plates on a boat from Illinois (I just moved back). They are telling me I have to have the boat unloaded and the weight certified by a certified scale. I don't recall this being a problem last time I had a boat here. I have the title, a good registration sticker, photos of the trailer ID plate and the trailer was once registered in the state of Texas. She wasn't interested in listening to me so I hope somebody here can help me understand this. Oh the gross weight is 4400 so it shouldn't need an inspection.

just part of txdot's new process ,truck stops and feed stores that sell bulk have scales feed store will be cheaper fee.

Ok, now that I have confirmation the lady wasn't just being mean... Anybody know a place near fork with a scale? What should I expect to pay for this?

I think you have it backwards. You have to have the boat on the trailer because that is what determines
if you have to have it inspected. If it is 4501lbs. or more it has to be inspected. Or maybe I didn't understand what you meant by being unloaded.

Johnny

actually the gal at the registration office told him that, and we can guess she's clueless. Machinist is correct that the gross weight (trailer + load) is what matters. If you are under 4501 pounds, and you have manufacturer documentation of this (such as gross wt. stated on manufacturer certificate of origin or the label on the trailer) then you should be able to make a claim that you are not required to inspect.

Take a photo of the placard on the trailer. You'll need it to show the VIN, and that the Gross wt. rating is 4400 pounds. Make sure it is readable. Get that printed, don't just try to show them on your phone. Go back to the county office and try again - a different person may have a better outcome for you.

Here, this will help you.
http://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/trailers

I've been reading people getting different responses fro, the tax offices. Some have unloaded the boat and weighed just the trailer and they have accepted it. Others follow the state's definition of gross weight and require the boat be weighed also. If your trailer has already rated it, then that is all you should need, especially if the old registration has a rating on it. Otherwise, just weigh it all and get a certificate under 4500 and you're good.

It's always been required by law but they are just now enforcing it.

Sorry guys just got back from a long trip. Yes the lady at the office said I had to unload the trailer to get a base weight on it. I agree with machinist in the 4500 limit, and I already had photos of the weight limits on the trailer. I guess I just need the total weight of the boat and trailer. It's frustrating when you try to do things the right way and you keep getting the wrong direction from the tax office.

Yeah. Just checked the paperwork she gave me and she clearly wrote that the empty trailer needs to be weighed. So frustrating. I'm going to attempt to clear this up tomorrow.

She's wrong. Just because she works there doesn't mean she knows what the state wants. She's basically a cashier who thinks she knows.....if you documentation of the loaded weight simply speak to a supervisor and you'll be on your way - unless the supervisor is clueless as well.

If you think about it, why would the state care about empty weight? The state cares about what normally rolls on the road, and that is loaded....

i just went through this and the weight of the trailer was 1000lb and the capacity was 4ooolb which put me over the 4500lb limit. the lady at our tax office suggested that i re-register the trailer at 3000lb capacity and then be under the limit. so i did, she gave me my tag and i was outa there. in your case, instead of her being helpful, she was PITA. try going to a different tax office.

Weight of the boat has nothing to do with it. Gross weight is determined by trailer(actual)+trailer(capacity). The actual weight is without the boat on it. They allowed me to change my capacity on my registration so that I could get it under 4501lbs. My trailer weighs 1300lbs+3400lbs capacity which gave me a gross of 4700. My boat weighs 1800. The boat is not a factor in determining your gross.

Well son of a B. I got a weigh slip from Potts Feed store which had to be hand written. I then went to a different tax office to try and talk to new people. Well guess who was there, same lady from the last tax office. And to my surprise, they didn't like the handwritten weigh slip. So I proceeded to argue, err debate, the limits that require trailer inspection and how the trailer itself is right at a thousand. So after discussing the matter with her supervisor she relented and gave me a plate; using the same documentation I had last time we talked. Good grief. But it's legal now....

It is a true pain in the buttocks. I bought a couple of travel trailers trailers from out of state and had to go to the trouble of getting them weighed. I had to pull the trailers onto the scales then unhook the truck and pull away to get trailer weight. Some politician in Austin that sells scales must have pushed that thru. I will never buy another trailer from out of stste.

You also have to have the boat inspected to get it registered as well.

Here is what I did:

Procrastinated for 2 years....

Took my boat to the Loves Truck Stop in Sulphur Springs - had the trailer weighed.

Then took my trailer to D & J in Yantis for the Inspection

Then back to the tax office with both pieces of paperwork and whala...I got it done!


D & J Tire & Lube
Oil Change And Lube
Hwy. 154
Yantis, TX
903/439-7079