I have found information on the NJ web site that indicates that a trailer < 2,500 lbs in NJ does NOT have to be title, but HAS to be registered.  Is this correct according to how you understand NJ laws.  How does one get registered without a title.  In VA, this would be impossible as a title is the building block of registration.

I ask because the VA DMV douchebags look at you like you're trying to pull a fast one when you tell them that other states don't require things that VA does.  I bought a boat on a small trailer from SC which doesn't require titling or registration (no plates are even necessary), and had to go through hell to get VA to issue me a title, even though I had a bill of sale with notary seal.  I might try to do the same with a NJ trailer in the future.

Go to the DMV and tell them you want to register a homemade trailer.  You fill out a form and they give you the plates.  Don't tell them that you bought it from someone, tell them that you made it from 2 other trailers you had lying around in your backyard.  I did this with my jet ski trailer and they asked no qusetions. Hope this helps.

If it makes you feel any better, I had to REGISTER my 12' RAFT with the DMV because I have a trolling motor on it.

When you register the trailer, they will ask you the GVW. If it's on the title at 1200 lbs, you can actually register at 3000 lbs if you wanted to. They will register it at whatever weight you want. It makes absolutely no sense.

To register the trailer without a title i belive all you need is a notorized bill of sale.  If you can't get that just tell them you built it.

Thanks for the replies.  I live in VA, and if I buy this NJ boat and trailer combo, the VA DMV will reference NJ laws, and if they find that a trailer of this type required titling in NJ they will NOT play nice if I don't have it.  In VA, the laws regarding home made trailers absolutely suck.  You must get it inspected by a DMV inspector prior to titling & licensing, and that can take months.

So my question is, do you NJ folks have to have a title to trailers <2,500 lbs?  I know that they must be registered, but I have found documentation indicating that light trailers don't have to have a title.  I'm just trying to make sure I'm interpreting things correctly.

In order for anything to get reistered in New Jersey you need a title first.  Your best bet would be to have someone you know in NJ (if any) register the trailer in NJ as a homemade trailer and then sign it off to you like they sold it to you.  this is the easiest way to avoid this whole mess.