14.030 Trailers Excluded

The following trailers are excluded from the PTI program and are subject to annual registration as usual:

• Coach Boat Trailers (body type model CCHBT)—A trailer coach with a hull and it may be registered as a vehicle/vessel (dual registration).
• Park Trailers California Health and Safety Code (CH&SC §18009) (body type model CCHPT)—A trailer designed for human habitation for recreational or seasonal use only; that contains 400 square feet or less of gross floor area; excluding loft area space if that loft area space meets the requirements of CH&SC §§18009.3(b) and 18033; is built on a single chassis; and may only be transported upon the public highways with a permit issued by the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) pursuant to VC §35780.

Park trailers and manufactured homes should have a label or data plate identifying the construction standards followed as either:

• An American National Standards Institute (ANSI) label for park trailers, which are licensed and titled by the DMV.
• A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data plate for manufactured homes, which are licensed and titled by the California Department of Housing Community Development (DHC).

The distinctions between a park trailer registered with DMV and a manufactured home registered with DHC are:

Park Trailer	Manufactured
Definition:
A trailer meeting ANSI requirements is not a manufactured home.	A manufactured home meeting HUD requirements is not a park trailer.
Label/Data Plate Type:
ANSI Label	HUD Data Plate
Licensed and Titled by:
DMV	DHC (not DMV, regardless if the unit was previously registered by another out-of-state motor vehicle division).
Trailer Size:
Less than 400 square feet of gross floor area not counting attached porches. Cannot exceed 14 feet in width at the maximum horizontal projection.	Over 320 square feet of gross floor area; more than eight feet in width and more than 40 feet in length.
Construction Standard:
ANSI A119.5 Standard for Recreational Park Trailers.	HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards.
Label/Data Plate Issued by:
Recreational Park Trailer Industry Association (RPTIA)	HUD (on the back of the unit)
Label/Data Plate Size:
Optional	3” x 4”
Label/Data Plate Material:
Adhesive	Red aluminum
Label/Data Plate Location:
Exterior of the trailer, often by the front door.	Manufactured after June 15, 1976. A HUD data plate should be located on the left rear of the unit. Manufactured before June 15, 1976. A California label should be located on the left rear of the unit.
Additional Information:
Park trailers do have a vehicle identification number (VIN), but no additional serial number (SN) stamped into the front cross member of the chasis.	Manufactured homes do not have a VIN; instead, they have a SN stamped into the front cross member of the chasis. The HUD data plate will verify the: manufacturer’s name, trade/model name, year of manufacture, SN, and HUD construction code label and zone.

Both trailer types have a plate indicating the Manufacturer/Model/Year/VIN or SN as follows:

Type	Size	Material	Location
Park Trailer	Usually 2” x 4”	Adhesive or metal	Near the electrical panel.
Manufactured Home	8 1/2” x 11” to 8 1/2” x 14”	Adhesive or metal	Inside the home, near the main electrical breaker box, usually in a nearby cabinet.
Important: Park trailers do not qualify for PTI registration and are subject to annual registration fees.

In addition to regular or nonresident park trailer registration requirements, the applicant must submit a Statement of Facts (REG 256) form stating:

• “This unit being registered is an ANSI park trailer and contains XX square feet and is XX feet in width at the maximum horizontal projection.” Cannot exceed 400 square feet of gross floor space, not counting attached porches, and cannot exceed 14 feet in width at the maximum horizontal projection.
• How they determined that the trailer is a ANSI park trailer (for example, the ANSI data plate was present on the trailer at one time, but fell off during transport) if no data plate is identified in the Comments Section of the REG 31 and the gross floor space is less than 400 square feet.

The trailer must be moved by permit, so normally DMV will not be completing the Verification of Vehicle (REG 31) form.

Many manufacturers make park trailers just under the 400 square feet size restriction (for example 396 square feet), and a manufactured home can be as little as 320 square feet; therefore, it is important to locate the identifying data.

• Park Trailer Boats (body type model CCHPTBT)—A trailer with a hull which may be registered as a vehicle/vessel (dual registration).
• Trailer Coaches (VC §635) (body type model CCH)—A vehicle, other than a motor vehicle, designed for human occupancy or human habitation for industrial, professional, or commercial purposes, for carrying persons and property on its own structure, and for being drawn by a motor vehicle. A trailer coach cannot exceed 8 1/2 feet (102 inches) in width or 40 feet (480 inches) in length.
• Travel trailers and/or fifth-wheel travel trailers (VC §§242 and 636) that exceed the maximum length and/or width requirements for a camp trailer are trailer coaches (body type model CCH) and cannot be registered under the PTI program.

Converter gears and auxiliary dollies may be registered under the PTI program, but it is not required. The maximum length limitation for fifth-wheel trailer coaches is 48 feet (576 inches) and the maximum width is 8 1/2 feet (102 inches). Fifth-wheel travel trailers that do not exceed any of the following lengths may be registered, regardless of the date first sold or operated:

• All: 48 feet in length from the kingpin point of the trailer to the rear extremity of the trailer.
• Single-axle: 38 feet in length from the kingpin to the rearmost axle.
• Two or more axles: 40 feet in length from the kingpin to the rearmost axle.

A kingpin is the main vertical bolt that locks the fifth-wheel to the semi-tractor or pickup truck.

For original registration of a travel trailer that exceeds 40 feet (480 inches), but does not exceed 48 feet (576 inches), the applicant must submit:

• All regular registration requirements.
• A Statement of Facts (REG 256) form, which describes the vehicle and lists the length in Section G.