Late in July 2020 I found a small roof rack trailer for sale in a neighboring town. It came with a canoe and the cost was reasonable. I had been eyeing a trailer buy for some time considering, well, permit'due south not go into this now. The reasoning is multi-faceted and warrants a separate mail service.

So, I contacted the seller and nosotros met so that I could inspect the setup. The seller gave me what looked similar a copy of the Certificate of Origin. He asserted that this was all he had and he was able to register it. I quickly wrote upwards a Bill of Sale, and I towed it habitation.

Up to this point, I hadn't really idea much about what it would accept to register a trailer, other than that I wanted to do it. Then the enquiry started.

Registration Requirements

The RMV website does not actually spell out the registration requirements for trailers purchased from an private – they are the same as for other vehicles:

  • A completed Registration and Title Awarding
  • The previous possessor's certificate of titleor the previous owner'south registration and bill of sale for vehicles that are exempt considering of its age
  • Applicable fee

The site further mentions that trailers with a gross weight of less than 3,000 pounds exercise not require a title (mine has 1,200). And the person registering must exist nowadays in person (lawful presence when registering/titling your vehicle).

With this data, I downloaded the awarding, filled it out, and printed it. There is besides this checklist on the RMV site. It mentions proof of insurance. I did but a superficial search on insurance requirements for trailers, something that would come dorsum and seize with teeth me later.

The commencement striking that Google brought upwardly was an insurance site, and information technology said this:

Although it's non a legal requirement to maintain insurance on your trailer, …

At this point I stopped reading and decided that I wouldn't demand an insurance stamp on the awarding form. I had the balance – a bill of sale AND the document of origin signed over to me.

And so I went to the website and began the process of getting an appointment at i of the RMV offices that were open during the pandemic. The ones that were open for business organization to the public were all at least an hour away, so I decided I would have the Harley and option the 1 with the well-nigh breathtaking ride – Plymouth, MA.

Starting time RMV Visit

The primeval engagement that I found came with a 2 calendar week expect fourth dimension. I booked information technology. During those initial two weeks, I made several trips with the trailer and two canoes, a couple around town to the Charles River, one to Lake Cochituate in Framingham on a decorated summertime weekend. I made sure I had the paperwork with me. Luckily, I did not go pulled over, so I tin can't tell you what would have happened.

Cerberus, the mythical hound of Hades, garding the gates to the Underworld

Finally the appointment came. Information technology was a warm August day and I arrived on time for my appointment. I was a little irritated that there was a line of people wrapped around the edifice, but I wasn't in a hurry, so I waited the 45 minutes or then until I was finally called inside. Cerberus awaited me in the lobby and demanded to review my paperwork. After a brief glance, he pointed at my Certificate of Origin and said: "Nosotros don't take copies". I tried to explain that this was all the previous owner had given me, and that the trailer had previously been registered in Massachusetts, only he wanted no function of this. He would non let me in. I had to ride back with nix accomplished, having wasted one-half a mean solar day in the process.

Regrouping

The things I looked into to resolve this were

  • reaching out to the seller again and ask him to double-cheque for the original title (negative) or his registration (too negative – already discarded)
  • researching the home-congenital path for trailers (seemed sketchy – I had ordered a listing of accessory parts from the manufacturer already that price more than what I had paid for the trailer, but would this be sufficient evidence?)
  • researching out-of-land registrations

The best option seemed to be to ask a friend in New Hampshire to register information technology temporarily and then sell it back to me. With the NH registration, so said many forum posts, I would be able to register information technology in MA.

Duplicate Certificate of Origin

But just when I was most to reach out to my friend, I remembered that the folks at the manufacturer had been friendly when I ordered parts – shouldn't they be able to ship a duplicate certificate? I called, and – bingo. They took my information and promised to transport a duplicate Certificate of Origin. Meanwhile, I scheduled several new appointments at the RMVs in Worcester and Fall River (just in case, using dissimilar email addresses and phone numbers).

A week passed and the envelope did non arrive. It seemed that they had forgotten to post it. I cancelled my appointments and called again. This time, advice worked better, and the letter with the new document arrived within a week.

2nd RMV Visit

One time I had the document, I contacted the seller and then that he could sign it over to me again. Unfortunately he was out of land and we could not meet until Friday that week. It was already belatedly in August by now. I scheduled more RMV appointments, but I had found out that the RMV in Milford, MA offered drop-off service for awarding packages and would turn them around in a few days, much shorter than the await for an in-person engagement at some other location. Once I had the signature that Friday, it was three:thirty pm. I checked the hours of the service center on their website – 9 to 5 pm – and was on my manner with the Harley to the RMV office. I arrived there at 4:15 pm, but earlier I could go in line, I was told that drop-off packages were only accepted until 4 pm. So I rode dwelling house once more, having achieved zippo – a familiar feeling by now.

Third RMV Visit

Undeterred, I returned starting time matter the following Mon forenoon, right when they opened. I already had the educational activity canvass and the bar code that I needed to scan with my phone from the Friday visit, and within 10 minutes I was inside.

Once again, someone reviewed my awarding documents, and once again they were rejected. I learned that I needed an insurance stamp later on all, fifty-fifty though insurance was not required.

And so I hopped on the bicycle and went to the AAA office ane town over that would postage my class. On the way there I was almost killed, but I made information technology to the AAA. They were open for business without an date and willing to provide the required stamp. I learned that, fifty-fifty though a policy information technology not required and there is no price, a trailer rider needs to exist added to the auto insurance.

4th RMV Visit

Back to the RMV I went. I briefly considered registering there via SMS prior to leaving the AAA location, merely dismissed the thought equally something that could crusade embarrassment if the wait was brusk and I wasn't there yet. Mistake. When I arrived, there were twenty people ahead of me.

And on the mode I lost the AM/FM of my Harley! I thought I would simply order a replacement and not worry near it. This was another error – I had not only lost the antenna, but also the stud, and replacing it turned out to be a plush and complicated project. Once I realized this, I even returned that aforementioned evening and rode the stretch of Interstate iii times, but I was not able to find it again.

Anyway, the wait ended up existence less than an hour and I was finally able to drop off my application package late that Monday morning.

Fifth RMV Visit

Wednesday afternoon I received a telephone call that my application was processed and that, later on payment, I could option up my plate and registration. This was a 4:15pm. Knowing that it would take me 30 minutes to get there, I quickly sent payment and got in the car (it was raining, and then no riding that mean solar day).

The much coveted registration and (temporary) license plate
The much coveted registration and (temporary) license plate

I arrived at 4:55 and stormed inside, mask on. My envelope was ready and I received

  • 1 temporary plate (they were out of metallic license plates)
  • 1 temporary registration (to get with the plate)
  • the Certificate of Origin

The woman who handed me the documents was kind enough to mention that the Certificate of Origin was not needed because THEY HAD THE ORIGINAL ON FILE!

I broke out into a hysterical laughter. And then much gas wasted.

Conclusion

The permanent plate will arrive in the postal service, I was told, so I won't accept to go dorsum over again for this.

The take-away for others and myself for future trailer purchases and the Massachusetts trailer registration process:

  • If the trailer was registered in Massachusetts before, you DO NOT NEED A Document of ORIGIN!
  • Practice non bother bringing a copy that the previous possessor may take had – it will confuse the heck out of RMV guard dogs
  • If your trailer was NOT previously registered in MA, you will need the original or a duplicate Certificate of Origin, or the previous registration. Make sure y'all have one or the other!