This is a fairly common situation: you’re moving out of your old state, establishing Florida residency, but leaving a car or motorcycle stored at a family home elsewhere. Here are the main considerations:
1. Vehicle Registration
Florida is one of the few tax-friendly states where you can register a vehicle without physically bringing it into the state. Registering in Florida helps build ties to your new domicile and cut ties with your old state.
That said, most states have laws requiring vehicles to be registered locally if they are primarily kept or used there for more than a short period (often 30–90 days). If your vehicle will remain stored in another state, be aware that local authorities could require it to be registered there as well. To learn how SavvyNomad helps you register your vehicle see this related article.
2. Insurance Considerations
Insurance companies base their rates on the vehicle’s garage address—that is, where it is stored when not in use. If the vehicle stays at a family home in another state, the insurance company will generally want that local address, not your Florida domicile address. See here for a related article.
3. Residency & State Ties
Simply storing a vehicle in another state does not, by itself, make you a resident of that state. Residency (or “domicile”) is determined based on multiple factors. Vehicle registration is one tie among many that states consider, along with:
Where you spend most of your time
Whether you maintain a permanent place of abode
Your driver’s license and voter registration
Where your children attend school
Where you maintain doctors, dentists, or other service providers
Registering in Florida supports your residency claim, but if the vehicle is physically kept in another state, that state may still apply its own registration or insurance requirements. See here for a related article.
Bottom line:
To strengthen your Florida residency, it helps to register your vehicle in Florida.
If the vehicle is stored long-term in another state, that state’s registration and insurance rules may still apply.
Ultimately, this is a balancing act between reinforcing your Florida domicile and complying with the requirements of the state where the vehicle is actually kept.