Establishing Residency In Nevada Or Washington

I got my CDL and am waiting for a trainer to become available. I'm being paid while waiting and I'm not a huge fan of having to fork over 9% of my check every week to a state that I soon won't be living in very much. I want to give myself a raise by moving to either Nevada or Washington, but I don't want to actually rent an apartment because once I'm on my own and am sure this is what I want to do long term, I'll be living on the truck other than occasionally crashing at friends places and motels while I save up to buy a place. How did you establish residency in one of those states and what service did you use?

My disclaimer is that I haven't done this yet, and it's not Nevada or Washington, but I'm seriously considering doing something similar in terms of establishing residency in South Dakota once I'm out on the road. There are no state taxes, it's easy to establish residency in SD, and there are services that will handle your mail digitally. Since I'm planning on living in the truck too, I see no reason to pay high Illinois state taxes.

Check out these services/websites:

South Dakota Residency Center (I talked to them on the phone, and they seemed very helpful and accommodating.)

Dakota Post

I think establishing residency in other states is typically more complicated. For many, you have to show that you have a residency there (owned or rented) for a certain period of time. You can usually google what the specific requirements are for a given state. South Dakota just requires an address (an address with a mailing service works) and one night spent there with your South Dakota address listed on the bill.

I'll be living on the truck other than occasionally crashing at friends places and motels while I save up to buy a place. How did you establish residency in one of those states and what service did you use?

Missing lot of info.. What lines are you going to run? Where your friends live? What are your plans for future residency? Etc.. Meanwhile, you can sell off all of your "stuff" from the place you reside now, "move" in to one of your friends, who lives in the area of your future desirable residence, just to have your mail and license registered to, rest of it is technical. WA and NV are expensive, like really. If you don't mind winds and freeze during winter, may as well consider Matt's advise. Otherwise wish you make your mind up without rush and with lots of option considerations.

To Art's point, you do have to consider whether your company hires/has employees that live in those states, whether or not you intend to be there very often or not. It would still be your "home," technically.

Because I can't resist a bit of research sometimes, here's some residency info for Washington state (read it through, but it seems like you have to either register to vote or get a license to be considered a resident, but both of those seem to require having an established residence in the state):

Washington State Residency Definition

Become a Washington Resident

Nevada has kind of a strange definition, but it does seem to require a street address.

Nevada New Resident Guide

3 Steps to Nevada Residency: This blog has lots of info and seems to indicate that you have to establish an address and stay there for at least 30 days before you can get your license and residency. I would make sure to verify all this before you make the jump.

Escapees RV Club. Only works for Florida, South Dakota and Texas. They'll provide you with an address you can legally use for residency without the joy of having a partner share your paycheck. They have different tiers of membership, but they're all under $140/yr.

Can I use my Escapees mail service address for my driver's license, voter registration, etc.?

Yes, you can use your Escapees Mail Service address in Texas, Florida or South Dakota as your residence address for driver’s licensing, vehicle titles, voter registration and other legal purposes. Please see our information on domicile for more details.

Escapees RV Club. Only works for Florida, South Dakota and Texas. They'll provide you with an address you can legally use for residency without the joy of having a partner share your paycheck. They have different tiers of membership, but they're all under $140/yr.

Can I use my Escapees mail service address for my driver's license, voter registration, etc.?

Yes, you can use your Escapees Mail Service address in Texas, Florida or South Dakota as your residence address for driver’s licensing, vehicle titles, voter registration and other legal purposes. Please see our information on domicile for more details.

Pacific Pearl....I'm curious now. Does a person need to have an RV to join?

No. I've known several drivers who use the service.

Do I have to be domiciled in Texas, Florida or South Dakota to sign up for the mail service?

No, you can be domiciled in any state. Although many members use their mail service address as their legal address for establishing domicile, it’s not required. Many other members keep their existing domicile, and use our mail forwarding service just for the convenience it offers.