Georgia Liveaboard & GA resident??

[FBoykin]

Hi. Just retired & looking to sell house in GA & liveaboard in a marina along GA coast. Our daughter is starting college @ U of GA this August. We need to maintain GA residency so we can keep in-state tuition & Hope Scholarship. Anyone on TF who's doing this? Using boat as address to keep GA state residency? Would love to talk to you.

 

[BandB]

Hi. Just retired & looking to sell house in GA & liveaboard in a marina along GA coast. Our daughter is starting college @ U of GA this August. We need to maintain GA residency so we can keep in-state tuition & Hope Scholarship. Anyone on TF who's doing this? Using boat as address to keep GA state residency? Would love to talk to you.

I haven't done it but here's what I've gathered and we have dealt with residency issues elsewhere.

As long as you are living on the boat and haven't bought a house elsewhere, should be no problem.

If she completed her entire senior year of high school in GA and she has a GA address (probably your boat) then it should be no problem. I would think by now she's already been classified, so all she'd have to do is submit change of address to the location of the boat at some point.

If they initially classify her as out of state, then you fill out the petition form. A copy of the required documentation is on the form. Now it must be done by July 1 so it's key she's been classified by then.

http://www.reg.uga.edu/files/forms/...ssification_In-State_for_Tuition_Purposes.pdf

One reason to look at it is to understand what they do base their decisions on.

Some other requirements such as continuing to file Georgia Income Tax Returns, W-2 Forms, checks with your Georgia address on them and a GA bank account. Now, you may want to have a PO Box and a Mailing and Actual address.

Basically you must maintain all the elements of residency. Much like doing the reverse and establishing it.

Unless you're also in some other area claiming to be a resident of another state, such as for tax purposes you shouldn't have an issue. For all practical purposes once she's established at the start of this year, it should be easy all the way through. If suddenly she gave an out of state address as her home address that would obviously throw up red flags.

 

[FBoykin]

Thanks for the detailed response! "Luckily", we're still living in our GA home of 19 years so daughter is classified as in-state for start of her Freshman year. We are in the midst of boat hunting, but I've been a local elected official in my GA city for 15 years and I've seen how a Catch 22 can soak up all sorts of time, effort and become a true PITA. The"you should have filled this form out 1st" sort of stuff that can drive you crazy.

We're in the Atlanta area, so no one around here has a clue when you start asking questions about using a boat as your state residence. And I wanted to do my homework BEFORE we empty the house and move aboard.

I know the state where you file taxes is a big determinate. That's easy - you can use a PO box. You can use a PO box for mailing purposes for a GA driver's license, BUT you have to submit (or show) a street address to get your license changed. We've visited Brunswick Landing Marina and think that might end up as home port & possibly I can use their street address.

I "think" we could get a PO box at the local UPS store for use when we're gone cruising (so they could sort the mail for us & send on what we want) since there doesn't seem to be a mail forwarding service in GA like St. Brendan's Isle. But if someone is using a GA service, please let me know!

Best I can come up with would be to use the marina as our "street address" (assuming they'd let us), but that means keeping a permanent slip even when away on an extended cruise. Anyone else in the same "boat"? Thanks.http://www.sbimailservice.com/

 

[BandB]

Yes, you might have to keep a slip for some form of permanency as it must be a permanent address. Obviously, have your boat registered there.

Look at it this way. First and foremost it must be her home address. So, it has to still exist in some way even if you're out cruising. Is she going to be living on campus?

Many of the UPS and Mail type stores will forward mail to you or hold it. The issue is that they don't provide the other services St. Brendan's does.

Is your daughter going to be with you on the boat in the summer or stay on land?

Her mailing address doesn't have to be the same as yours.

Traveling Mailbox has an Atlanta address and is a forwarding service. They scan your mail and more. They have locations around the country. Virtual Mailbox for Travelers & RVers | Traveling Mailbox

They seem to provide all St. Brendan's does as far as mail.

Intown Business Center in Atlanta forwards but I think most postal places will.

Obviously your daughter could receive it and forward but I realize you may not want her seeing it all.

 

[FBoykin]

Good comments, thanks. She'll be on campus during the school year. Doubt she will want to spend the whole summer on a boat with Mom & Dad! But that will be a year away. Keeping a GA slip full time (whether we're there or not) appears to be the workable solution at this point. Will keep researching mail options. Love my kid, but not so sure I want her responsible for our mail!

 

[Gabe n Em]

Hey Boykin!
We're new transplants to GA from Maryland. We've been here about 2 months and our "extension for liveaboard privileges" form is in the mail currently. Hopefully there are no hiccups as this needs to be approved within 90 days of moving aboard.

We are at a marina in the Savannah area that has a lot of empty slips in the off season and were happy to have us. They have OKed us listing the marina address as our physical and mailing address. I had no problems getting a GA license with the marina's address so the schools should have no problem with that.

We're happy to chat, especially over beers/wine on the bridge if you're ever down in Savannah. cell: 4zero1 two o seven six six 32

 

[FBoykin]

Hi Gabe n Em, sorry for the delay in responding - family issues with elderly mother-in-law plus our daughter is about to head off to college in 6 weeks. Lot of life going on right now.

Thanks for your comments. I've got plenty of questions and appreciate the cell number. Good news about being able to get a GA drivers license using marina address. Do y'all plan any long cruises? If so, would you keep the GA marina as home base so you still have a place to receive mail?

I was down in Savannah for 3 days last weekend for the state municipal association (I've been an "elected city official" for 14 years). But drove down with a fellow "elected" so didn't have my own transportation. How close is your marina to downtown Savannah?

I'll be in touch w/questions when things slow down a bit.

 

[FF]

Your marina WILL have a street address , so no problem, use it,as your own.

Joe Smith
123 River Front Road
Mosquito GA 11111

Will get all your mail , and when you move , the USPO will forward it before it gets sent to a marina.

Just like in a condo with 100 tenants.

 

[BandB]

Your marina WILL have a street address , so no problem, use it,as your own.

Joe Smith
123 River Front Road
Mosquito GA 11111

Will get all your mail , and when you move , the USPO will forward it before it gets sent to a marina.

Just like in a condo with 100 tenants.

Many marinas will not receive mail for you. Even with the ones that do, there are a lot of issues with getting it plus with lack of security and privacy of your mail. I'd recommend the marina for your physical address as needed for driver's license and other things, but a mail service or PO Box for mail.

 

[Larry M]

Many marinas will not receive mail for you. Even with the ones that do, there are a lot of issues with getting it plus with lack of security and privacy of your mail. I'd recommend the marina for your physical address as needed for driver's license and other things, but a mail service or PO Box for mail.

Whether or not you can use a marina for a physical address may vary state to state. I'd check fist before you go changing addresses.

In the 90's, Friday Harbor Marina was our physical address with a PO box for mail. When we went to renew our drivers licenses in 2003 or 2004, the State of Washington, at least for us, no longer allowed marinas as a physical address siting new regulations.

 

[BandB]

Whether or not you can use a marina for a physical address may vary state to state. I'd check fist before you go changing addresses.

In the 90's, Friday Harbor Marina was our physical address with a PO box for mail. When we went to renew our drivers licenses in 2003 or 2004, the State of Washington, at least for us, no longer allowed marinas as a physical address siting new regulations.

We're talking about the state of Georgia and it's allowed there.

How did they know the address you were giving was a marina? Seems like had you just given them the address and a unit number if necessary, would they have looked it up to see what it was? I really don't see how they could deny the use of a physical address when that's physically where you were. What did they say then? You don't have an address so can't get a license?

 

[Larry M]

We're talking about the state of Georgia and it's allowed there.

How did they know the address you were giving was a marina? Seems like had you just given them the address and a unit number if necessary, would they have looked it up to see what it was? I really don't see how they could deny the use of a physical address when that's physically where you were. What did they say then? You don't have an address so can't get a license?

When went to renew, I was told the address shows up on their computers as a commercial address not residential. I believe this was a post 9/11 Homeland Security guideline.

To renew then, we used the address of our mail forwarders business and even then we would get a notification that this was a commercial address not a residence and it affected some transactions.

With the DVM office in Friday Harbor only open 2 days a month, we asked what we needed to do to renew and we did it.

 

[BandB]

When went to renew, I was told the address shows up on their computers as a commercial address not residential. I believe this was a post 9/11 Homeland Security guideline.

To renew then, we used the address of our mail forwarders business and even then we would get a notification that this was a commercial address not a residence and it affected some transactions.

With the DVM office in Friday Harbor only open 2 days a month, we asked what we needed to do to renew and we did it.

Wild. Your mail forwarders address is 100% a commercial address. The marina is as much residential as is any apartment building. I think somewhere between the intent and the results their wires got crossed. Thousands of Florida residents all live at a single address in Green Cove Springs. Each state different and different from month to month. Some states will absolutely not accept mail service addresses as one's street address.

 

[Mule]

Do not try to make sense out of it. The government has no respect or accommodation for vagabonds, but they gladly take our tax dollars! New, senseless rules. Be it drivers Licence, Medicare if you want an in network primary care physician, other insurance, even American Express. You have to have a dirt address.

I use St. Brendends Mail forwarding service, as thousands of other vagabonds. Now American Express, after 15 years of money flow, they said they were sorry but had to have a dirt address. St Brendends as my mailing address would not cut it. I am using my Marina Address. Good luck.

Hummmm, business opportunity... Buy an acre of land. Deed it out by the sq inch! There is your Home address. For mail use PO box or mail forwarding service. Post office forward to mail forwarding for government and others that do not accept a mailing address......hummmmm

 

[caltexflanc]

We use Escapees and they provide a dirt adress. Never a problem with Amex or anyone else.

 

[psneeld]

NJ also quoted Homeland Security requirements for new digital licenses.


Yet just used the marina street address for a NJ drivers license "change of address" and it was accepted.


So....who knows????????


I did read up on postal regs as I got conflicting info from postal workers on whether you can just stick a mailbox out in front of a marina and call your slip "unit xxx". while some said yes, some said it is more complicated (has to be approved by postmaster/PO review)...but none really said it can't be done.

 

[Mule]

The biggest PITA was not AMX but a Social Security Address and my ATT retiree address. I was not successful in getting them to accept a mailing address and a residing address. They only took a residing address. The Medicare plans in concert with ATT then keyed my primary care physician from what ever that was. If I used the mailing service address my list of primary care physicians to choose from were 2-300 miles away.

Then there was automobile insurance. They wanted to know where the car was parked every night. No explaination would suffice, no amount of reasoning would apply because of the way the flow chart was programmed I guess. I had to lie, sort of. I just told em where I was at the time. I have NO intention of saying mother may I when I want to move my boat and especially cars.

What the hell about motor home vagabonds and boaters that stay in one place no more than a month.....if they want to be truthful?

 

[Gabe n Em]

When we lived aboard in Maryland, the marina was our physical address but we have a po box down the road to keep the marina from having to handle all our mail. Here in ga, we haven't set this up yet but we may soon.

Not a peep from anyone when we got our ga licenses about residing at a commercial address.

 

[rwidman]

Not a peep from anyone when we got our ga licenses about residing at a commercial address.

The other side: When my wife and I moved from MD to SC and went to get drivers licenses, we not only had to show a SC address, we had to prove we lived at it by showing utility bills. Since all the utilities were in my name, they gave my wife a hard time but eventually gave her a license.

The best plan is to ask the authorities in the actual state in question. And get it in writing.

 

[The Other Gary]

Your results may differ but,,,, Once you have a lease for a slip in a marina there is no difference than a lease of an apartment. The only problem is bureauocrats that have trouble wrapping their heads around our lifestyle.

 

[marcail]

I retired from a state university in GA a couple of years ago and was faced with a few of your issues. I wanted to keep the boat in Ga for convenience and insurance reasons. I searched a number of Georgia marinas and did the same comparisons that you have done. I ended up buying a condo on deep water with a marina included for the same price of monthly rental at at nice marina. Might be a solution that would work for you. I personally am very happy with my choice. My wife loves because she relaxes at the pool while I do bright work.

 

[ulysses]

Perhaps there are other reasons than the one you stated in maintaining a particular address in Ga. If it is entirely for your daughter to maintain Ga. eligibility for HOPE or other State Programs including PELL, etc.. please review the forms and FAFSA applications. It is her address and her residency that is required for eligibility not necessarily yours. While it is difficult in seeing your children grow up and start out on their own this might be a good starting point for her to maintain her own address which I am sure she will do anyway up in Athens. Good luck to her and I hope they get a new football coach very soon.