>I'm thinking of transferring my CA registered '75 westy to a friend
>in MA (needs MA plates for resident parking) while I'm off to Japan
>for a year.  I'll most likely transfer the car back to me and mostly
>it will be in CA.  Do I have to pay the smog impact fee when I go to
>re-register it?  How about if I keep paying my CA registration but not
>wear the plates?

I believe you don't have to pay the fee when you come back. When I moved
to Calif. from Colorado four years ago, I brought three cars, and was
unpleasantly surprised by this little "feature" of CA residency. So,
I studied the law VERY closely, looking for an out.

It read at the time, that if you could demonstrate that your car had
been registered in CA in the past, then you don't have to pay the fee.
So, I think that if you keep your CA registration papers safely in a
drawer and show them to the minions of gummint here when you get back,
you'll be in the clear.

Or, if you can show somehow that it has all the "correct" CA emissions
equipment for its year, then you don't have to pay. I think method 1 above,
is easier.

But I was "none of the above", so I was allowed to pay three $300 fines
in a row ("fee" is a misnomer, since it pays for no services, and goes
into the general fund-- same place traffic ticket fines go). This did
not make my day. Save your paperwork!

Steve Maher   smaher@gi.com