Curious About Registering Car

 Am wondering how long someone can live in Massachusetts before they need to register their car here? I live in a large apartment building and roughly 1/4 of the cars (with stickers for the bldg, meaning they live here) have out of state plates. Don't these people have to register and pay fees, be insured in MA, and pay excise tax to the local municipality? - Joe, Quincy

Yes, they're supposed to.

The state Dept. of Transportation says drivers are supposed to get Mass. plates and a new driver's license as soon as they move here.  If police pull them over, officers could charge the driver with operating without a registration.  There's an exception for students, since they're not considered permanent residents.

There's even a phone line set up if you want to drop a dime on someone who registers their car out of state but lives here.  It's called the "I Pay Tax" hotline at 1-800-472-9829.

Do you see this a lot?