Montana Trailer Registration

How to Buy a Trailer and Pay No Sales Tax

You can purchase a trailer for work or recreation and not pay any sales tax, if you use a Montana LLC to purchase the trailer and have the trailer licensed in Montana.

Many clients form a Montana LLC and buy a trailer with their Montana LLC to avoid paying sales tax and licensing it with the Montana Department of Motor Vehicles. Montana does not have sales tax. Montana has permanent plates for trailers, making it very cheap to license over the long haul.

How Does Our Montana LLC Trailer Registration Work?

Here’s what we do. We help you form and maintain a Montana LLC. Your Montana LLC is a resident of Montana, which means that you–as your legal, natural self–do not have to be. What we do is help you form a Montana LLC and maintain it, making the Montana LLC a resident of Montana, not you personally. Your Montana LLC will be listed on the trailer registration, not you. You control the LLC, but you personally do not own the trailer.

Steps to Use a Montana LLC to Buy a Trailer Tax Free

We operate here in Flathead County, Montana. What’s good about that? Flathead County does not have an excise tax on titled property. So, we provide you with an LLC office address, registered agent services, and act as a liaison with the state to register your trailer and LLC in Montana. Your Montana LLC will be at our address, and your trailer will be registered to our address. Here’s the step by step process to buy a trailer without paying sales tax to Montana:

  1. Form a Montana Limited Liability Company (LLC).
  2. We will provide you with filed LLC documents, operating agreement, and resolutions documenting you, the members, sole authority to make decisions for the LLC.
  3. The LLC will then purchase the trailer. As a member of the Montana LLC, you have the power to act as a decision maker and purchaser for your the company.
  4. Send us the title work for your trailer (or have your dealer send it). We’ll register your vehicle with the state.
  5. Once we receive your plates and registration from the state (typically 8-12 weeks), we will overnight these to you. Please note that the state sends us your title separate from your plates and registration (roughly 40 days later). Once we receive your title, we upload it into your online account and send you the physical copy via USPS Ground Advantage™ within 10 business days (tracking number included).

How Do I Maintain My Montana LLC?

Once your LLC is formed, there are a few steps you must complete to maintain it and keep it in compliance with the State of Montana. They are as follows:

  1. Maintain a Montana registered agent (we charge $49 a year) to provide you a physical address in MT at all times.
  2. Maintain your Montana LLC with the Secretary of State. It costs $20 a year and you can file online. We can file it each year for you if you’d like.
  3. You can always use your Montana LLC to buy a trailer, tow vehicle, airplane, or any kind of asset that can be titled.
Get a Montana LLC and Trailer Registration Today

We offer our full service trailer registration service for $649 and that includes the Flathead County DMV fee. Keep in mind that Montana has a high volume of registrations, so processing by the state can take several weeks. When we receive your plates from the state (typically 8-12 weeks), we will overnight you your registration and new plates. The state processes and sends your title separately, which can take roughly 40 days after you receive your plates and registration. Once we receive your title, we upload it into your online account and send you the physical copy via USPS Ground Advantage™ within 10 business days (tracking number included).

Montana permanent trailer registrations are governed by MCA 61-3-321(3)(a-b).

We form Montana LLC’s for $300 in 1-3 days and act as your registered agent for $49.00 a year. With your Montana LLC, you can have the LLC own the trailer and take advantage of Montana’s no sales tax, no matter where you live in the country. To see the nuts and bolts of registering a trailer in Montana please see: Montana vehicle registration.

We’ll have you up and running in a couple days with your new Montana LLC and save you thousands. Plus when you go to sell the trailer you can just transfer ownership of the LLC with the MT SOS for $20 and you’ll be selling a permanently licensed trailer to your buyer.