...we are considering moving our state of residence from CA, for several reasons, and South Dakota has been recommneded to us. Keep in mind that we won't really live there, our home is where we are parked, but apparently we need to own property in SD before we can become residents. Anyone here from SD who can answer some questions for us???

what's the question? I'm in Sioux Falls (SE corner of the state). No state income tax is nice, vehicle registration is dirt cheap,

I spend four years going to college in Brookings, SD back in the eighties. It was nice then except for the bitter-cold winters. Talking to friends who are still there indicates those winters have returned...

-Blast

"...No state income tax is nice, vehicle registration is dirt cheap..."

Wow, you just answered the two most important questions, and I like the answers! Just been searching some realestate ads, we can buy a corner lot in the little burg of Edgemont (southwest corner of the state) for $2,500. I guess that would make us instant residents.

Thanks for your info, if you can think of anything else, positive or neg, please send me a pm...

"...the bitter-cold winters..."

Not planning on spending too many winters there. Snowbirds we are (or at least that has always been the plan, we have been snowed on some the last three winters. Yuk...

I have nothing positive or negativ to say about either of the Dakotas. I've never been to either.

But one other state you might consider if you want to avoid income taxes is a neighboring state, Wyoming. If you avoid Jackson Hole and that area, it's relatively inexpensive. The state government gets much of it's money from mineral, oil and gas rights.

You don't have to own real estate to be a resident, leasing property works just as good. One hint is to find a business that has a mail drop service and use their address, although that may not be entirely legal, but it can be awfully cheap.

Knowing how much OBG likes the white stuff, every county in Wyoming has historically had snow in every month of the year...

That's probably true. But how different are the Dakotas in that regard? I doubt it is that different.

OBG,

I would make sure what the "domicile laws" are for the state you are looking at. I'm not completely sure that owning a chunck of dirt qualifies as residency. You may have to have active utilities on the property.

MoBOB

Residency is based on a physical address, where mail is delivered. Having utility bills helps, but really all you need is to be able to receive mail there for over 6 months out of the year. An RV park, an apartment, even an extended stay hotel room will do, so long as you can get mail delivered to it. That's how a lot of people get away with having just mail drops and establishing or maintaining their residency requirements from that. It usually works pretty good unless you are trying to avoid alimony or some such.

Thanks ben.

Now that sounds like a great idea!!!

I established my Colorado residency by putting the address of the hotel I was at on my Colorado drivers license. I think I was there for two months in 2006. It may be that the drivers license is the key, because the state determined my residency requirements for hunting purposes based on what my drivers license said, and I gotta think if you can get a resident hunting or fishing license, then you are considered a resident by that state. Considering most state agencies are going to ask for your drivers license to determine your resident eligibility requirements, I would amend my previous recommendation to include getting a state drivers license for your desired state of residence. For that, any address you use in that state for the drivers license application should suffice.

I can say it was almost impossible to convince the state fish and game department I was a resident without a drivers license from that state, and almost automatic with it. It is far too easy these days to get a drivers license from any state, so long as you have a current valid one from another state.

"...find a business that has a mail drop service and use their address..."

Talk about timing, we met a couple last night who do exactly that, they say it works like a charm...

Another way to prove residency is to register to vote in that state...

As usual it depends on the state. One state I lived in had a list of all the UPS Store/Mail Boxes Etc stores and would not let you use one of those as your physical address. They also had a physical address location element, if you did not receive mail at your physical address you had to provide a map of how to get you your "home".

Best suggestion would be to try the mail drop address first. Sometimes they want you to bring in a piece of mail delivered to that address when you apply for your DL. Again it depends on the state. YMMV.

South Dakota Residency Requirements:
http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/hunting/Info/Residency.htm

"To purchase or to apply for a resident license, a person must:

* Actually live within and be a bona fide resident of South Dakota for at least 90 days with the intent to make it home, and
* Have a South Dakota driver's license, and
* Have their motor vehicles registered in South Dakota, and
* Make no claim to residency in another state.
* Nonresident minors under 18 years of age who are legal dependents of residents are entitled to resident licenses.

* The following are entitled to resident licenses without the above requirements if they have resided in the state for 30 days immediately before buying or applying for a license:

* U.S. Armed Forces personnel stationed in South Dakota.
* Nonmilitary persons residing on restricted military reservations in South Dakota.
* Employees of the U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs or VA hospital or patients in a VA hospital.
* Full-time students attending a South Dakota post-high school institution.
* Foreign exchange students at either public or private high schools (hunter safety card required for those under 16 years of age).

PROOF OF RESIDENCY

To buy a license, a resident needs a valid South Dakota driver's license or valid SD ID card.

Sue

The "make no claim to residency of another state" is important. It's kindly like U.S. citizenship, you can;t claim allegiance to another country.

As far as the bitter cold winters returning that Blast was speaking of, I don;t think you have to worry. Don;t forget, we're suyffering from "global warming" (and Man-Made at that!)
((( )))

Considering the high cost of CA registration, just on our P/U (about $1000 a year right now), we could buy that $2500 lot, get a P.O. box, and break even in no time at all...

That's fairly typical of most states I've checked with, with some variation as to residency time etc.

The bottom line is if you have a SD driver's license and the date of issue is more than 90 days prior, then you have de-facto established your residency requirements. As for the motor vehicle issues, you can claim you don't have your own vehicle but will be riding with others, which waives that requirement. As for other state residencies, I've yet to have any agency check on my state resident status once they've seen my state issued drivers license.

There is a bit of deceit perhaps in the process I described, but if I go to the trouble of getting a drivers license in a certain state, and that is the predominant means by which states are verifying residency, then I believe I am within the spirit of their rules. Unless I give them great cause to think otherwise, I don't see where there's a big problem. If it's good enough for invaders from another country to get state funding for welfare and services free of charge, then it ought to be good enough for an average joe like me to go hunt pheasant on my cousin's ranch.

Keep in mind as well that some residency requirements may be changing for some states starting around May 11, 2008, as that is when the REAL ID Act takes effect (unless that specific state has been granted an extension to December 31, 2009). The REAL ID Act may be bolstering some states’ residency and due diligence requirements to comply with the federal standards.

Good point, we will have to look into that...