On 8/15/2019 at 4:05 AM, docj said:

The key point is that I am a "visitor" who does not engage in gainful employment or any other activities that would indicate that I am seeking TX residency.

No, the key point is that you leave this vehicle garaged in TX fulltime, year round. Somewhere in the Tx code, like most other states, their is a limit of how many months you or your vehicle can be considered visiting. You may be visiting for less than x months. But your vehicle is not visiting for 12 months a yr.

Edited August 15 by JRP

  On 8/15/2019 at 4:12 AM, JRP said:

Somewhere in the Tx code, like most other states, their is a limit of how many months you or your vehicle can be considered visiting

I've yet to find a section of the TX code that states that.  As long as my insurance company is happy with the arrangement, that's all I really care about.  

  On 8/15/2019 at 4:20 AM, docj said:

I've yet to find a section of the TX code that states that.  As long as my insurance company is happy with the arrangement, that's all I really care about.  

Yes I doubt you'll ever have an issue as long as Progressive goes along. Most insurance companies would refuse to write a policy for a vehicle they were told is garaged in TX fulltime but is registered in SD. 

TX & SD don't really care enough to investigate. Some other more aggressive states do go after these types of violations.

But for others reading this, the general rule in most states is that if your vehicle is garaged within that state for the majority of the year, then it should be registered & insured in that state, regardless if you are a resident or not. I have personal experience with spare vehicles left at properties that had to be reg & insured in CO, NM & FL, even though I am a SD resident and 6 of my 9 vehicles are SD reg & insur. It would be simpler & cheaper for me to do all in SD, but when asked, both states DMV's, my insur and my lawyer all said the proper way was to reg & insur where garaged.

JRP, what if you are a fulltimer and your car in never garaged anywhere? I am a fulltimer and domicled in SD. All my vehicles are registured and insured in SD. I am almost never in SD. My insurance company knows this because they wrote me a fulltimers policy. I have stayed in AZ for 5/6 months in the winter. This year I will be in FL for 5/6 months. My vehicles travel with me, and I am a visitor everywhere I go. 

completely different situation when you & your vehicles are on the move year round.  

since you don't garage your vehicles for more than 6 months in any other state, your garaged location is your domicile.

Edited August 15 by JRP

  On 8/15/2019 at 6:09 AM, JRP said:

ince you don't garage your vehicles for more than 6 months in any other state, your garaged location is your domicile.

Since I don’t garage my vehicles how can my garaged location be my domicle. You can choose any State to domicle. Where you domicle is where you get your drivers liscense, and usually registure your vehicles, unless your vehicle is in another State and does not enter your Domicle State. Where your vehicle is registured is where you insure it. It’s where it is registered that determines what location you insure it, not what your domicle is. 

"Garaged" is the insurance term for where you 'live' or where the car spends a significant amount of time.   In the case of Fulltimers, the insurance company that writes your insurance knows that you are traveling all of the time, but that is the term that they use because most people's vehicles are garaged at their residence and that is the field in their database.      I'm not sure why you feel it necessary to tilt at this term?

  On 8/15/2019 at 6:09 AM, JRP said:

completely different situation when you & your vehicles are on the move year round.  

since you don't garage your vehicles for more than 6 months in any other state, your garaged location is your domicile.

 

NO, you can be in another state(s) for more than 6 months.   There are states that allow people to stay more than 6 months and still not be considered residents for licensing, etc.  

  On 8/15/2019 at 4:05 AM, docj said:

However, I am  not a TX resident and the following is the section of the code (502.0079. VEHICLES OPERATED BY CERTAIN NONRESIDENTS)  that I believe applies to our situation and that of other "winter Texans":

Where is Big5er when we need him? 

It is strange that such a question was addressed here. This is a legal issue, here you can only hear advice, and not a plan of correct action. I would rather consult a lawyer. I hope you solve your situation