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When a camper shell can knock off a truck’s weight fee

April 14, 2023

Q. I read your answer to the question about truck registration fees with great interest. But it seems there needs to be some clarification. It concerns the difference between a “camper shell,” which to me is just that, and a “habitable camper.” I have a shell, it bolts onto the bed and protects items from rain, wind and theft. And I could sleep back there if I wanted to. But the Department of Motor Vehicles’ definition of a “camper” is much more if you want to avoid having your truck considered a commercial vehicle so you can knock off the weight fee. For the DMV, a qualifying camper is for “human habitation,” which is defined on form REG 256A as a “living space” that includes “closets, cabinets, kitchen units or fixtures, and bath or toilet rooms.” So you did get me excited that I might be able to get some relief – but I (and most people) don’t qualify.

– Tom Macfarlane, Temple City

A. Sorry, Tom.

But let’s consider the positives – Honk can go deeper into the answer now, and your name is getting some ink.

A camper shell can indeed cancel out the commercial weight fee that shows up on truck registrations, letting that vehicle carry auto instead of truck license plates (On a 2011 Ford F-150, that annual fee alone is $154).

“(But) the addition of a camper shell must meet the definitions for human habitation or camping purposes,” said Angelica De La Pena, a spokeswoman for the DMV.

And, yes, to hit that mark, Tom, you do need those elements you mentioned.

Winning approval doesn’t take a DMV inspection. But, as De La Pena pointed out to Honk, the owner “must certify under penalty of perjury the vehicle meets the definition for human habitation” or face a possible citation if nabbed.

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Q. Hi Honk: The curb out front of our house, from the driveway to the intersection with a stop sign, is painted red. This is quite good. However, it is so faded it is almost not visible. Neighbors took it upon themselves to paint their fading curb red. I was wondering who is responsible for maintaining the color on the curb? It is important and should be properly maintained. Very much appreciate the feedback.

– Mauricio B. Edberg, West Hills

A. In the City of Angels, and probably just about anywhere in the Golden State, residents shouldn’t head down to a store for a bucket of red paint and a brush and go clandestine. Even if city officials have let the residents down by not sending a crew out to update the curb.

(Honk has a neighbor with a red curb that just doesn’t have the right hue. Hmmmmm.)

Colin Sweeney, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said his agency oversees the city’s curb markings. The LADOT works with residents, businesses, council members and neighborhood councils to make sure the markings are efficient, he added.

Your neighbors, it sounds like, were just trying to make the curb look a bit more spiffy and to warn drivers to not park there.

But …

“Residents should not take it upon themselves to maintain or make any alteration to traffic devices and markings,” Sweeney told Honk in an email. “Instead, residents seeking service should contact the local LADOT district engineering office with any requests they may have.”

Messing with a curb is illegal, he said, and could come with a fine in addition to getting saddled with the cost of removal.

By the way, Mauricio, the LADOT just received $2 million to develop a digital inventory of, among other things, curb markings to better keep tabs on them.

To ask Honk questions, reach him at [email protected]. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

Orange County Register

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When a camper shell can knock off a truck’s weight fee

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