Alaska residency questions

[DeepMauka]

Looking for some help with Alaska residency, licenses, tags, etc. I have a few questions to what qualifies me for residency. I recently have been looking into buying some land in Alaska. Partially because registering a vehicle in hawaii is rediculoialy expensive, and partially for resident tags because Alaskan hunting is awesome. Being an Alaskan resident defiantly opens up more hunting opportunities than non resident. So with having said that, I have some detailed questions, and would appreciate someone pointing me the right direction. Can discuss the specifics via pm or phone call. Post up, or shoot me a pm if you are able/willing to help, or can point me into the right direction. Thanks!

 

[orionsbrother]

Give me five minutes, I could probably give you 250 reasons why I would like to become a resident of Alaska. Current cost of vehicle registration wouldn't make the list.

 

[realunlucky]

Good luck deep

 

[Ray]

Residency for hunting is extremely simple. Move here. Live in state for 365 days straight. Owning property has no meaning or purpose for hunting residency. Live in your car, or a box in an ally, buy a lodge, it will not matter.

Part of the residency rule states you have to intend to stay. What that means is not defined outside of case law.

Vacation trips will not count against you unless you are gone for months and have some kind of tie into your vacation spot such as owning it.

Many people have lived in AK for years part time - snowbirds - and some never went the full 365 days the first year and eventually it caught up to them. Now that the PFD and hunting license records are digital making them easy to cross reference they bust people every year that cheat the system.

 

[DeepMauka]

If the industry I am in had a market in Alaska, this would be a non issue. I would have already made the move. I'm trying right now for 2/3 Of the year AK, and the other HI. I guess that was more my question about residency. Maybe I should have said that from the beginning. Not trying to cheat the system, just wondering where the real threshold lies.

 

[Brad W]

There are a few different resident definitions (voting, pfd, and hunting, maybe other reasons also) but you are concerned about residency for hunting. Page 9 of the regs has it spelled out clearly and is easy to find online at ADFG website. But I'll list it here.

An Alaska resident is...
-a person (including an alien) who is physically present in Alaska with the intent to remain indefinately and make a home here, has maintained that person's domicile in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceeding this application for a license, and is not claiming residency or obtaining benefits under a claim of residency in another state, territory, or country; OR
-a member of the military service or U.S. Coast Guard who has been stationed in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceeding this application for a license; OR
-a dependant of a resident member of the military service or U.S. Coast Guard who has lived in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceeding this application for a license. A person who does not otherwise qualify as a resident may not qualify by virtue of an interest in an Alaska business.
(AS 16.05.415).

So basically you have to live here to get resident priviledges to hunt and fish.

If you just want the Pfd you can be gone 90 days a year.

 

[TEmbry]

The only way to not live in Alaska and still be an Alaskan Resident is through the military.. (establishing residency by being stationed there, and then continuing residency if you are stationed elsewhere).

 

[Brad W]

nothing useful from me here.

 

[Shrek]

As a service member you can claim any state as residency and then be stationed anywhere in the world and it never changes unless you chose to change it. I don't know how it works for hunting licenses but I know it works for income tax purposes. I maintained my Florida residency the whole time while in.

 

[Snipershirt]

Taken from the Alaska Department of Gamemand Fish;

Q: Can Military personnel who have established Alaska residency and are then involuntarily transferred to a military assignment in another state lose their Alaska residency? What if they obtain a "resident" hunting or fishing license in the other state that is specially provided to members of the military?

A: Military personnel who are transferred to Alaska can obtain "resident" hunting and fishing licenses two ways:

Per AS 16.05.940(27)(A), a person can qualify by maintaining their domicile in the state for the preceding 12 consecutive months, and not claiming residency or obtaining benefits of residency in another state, territory or country. This type of residency is indefinite and may be permanent if the qualifications continue to be met.
Per AS 16.05.940(27)(C), a member of the military service or United States Coast Guard and their dependents may purchase a "resident" license after being stationed in Alaska for 12 consecutive months without any intent to make Alaska their domicile, and in spite of their claiming domicile in another state. This type of residency is temporary and expires immediately upon a transfer to another state.
Once residency is established, it can be maintained even if the person is absent from the state, as long as certain conditions are met. Per AS 16.05.415:

(a) In AS 16.05.330 - 16.05.430, a person is a resident if the person
(1) is physically present in the state with the intent to remain in the state indefinitely and to make a home in the state;
(2) has maintained the person's domicile in the state for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the application for a license;
(3) is not claiming residency in another state, territory, or country; and
(4) is not obtaining benefits under a claim of residency in another state, territory, or country
(b) A person who establishes residency in the state under (a) of this section remains a resident during an absence from the state unless during the absence the person
(1) establishes or claims residency in another state, territory, or country; or
(2) performs an act, or is absent under circumstances, that is inconsistent with the intent required under (a) of this section.
Military personnel who have attained residency while stationed in Alaska and are then subsequently involuntarily transferred to another state, may continue to purchase an Alaskan resident sport license. However while stationed elsewhere, they cannot do anything to negate their residency in Alaska while stationed in another state. For example they need to: retain Alaska as Home of Residence with the military, keep their Alaska driver's license (if legally possible), Alaska voters registration card, Alaska vehicle registration, etc.

 

[TEmbry]

As a service member you can claim any state as residency and then be stationed anywhere in the world and it never changes unless you chose to change it. I don't know how it works for hunting licenses but I know it works for income tax purposes. I maintained my Florida residency the whole time while in.

With the caveat that you must live in/be stationed in the state you are choosing. I can't join, be stationed in say Colorado and arbitrarily choose Alaska as my home state. You can however maintain any residency that you establish along the way.

The way I understand it to work with fishing/hunting licenses is do NOT claim residency in another state period if stationed elsewhere. It is ok to use nonresident military discounts that many states offer, but illegal to keep alaskan residency and apply elsewhere as a resident as well (say Idaho where you are stationed at after your Alaska station).

 

[Shrek]

That's correct , sorry I wasn't more clear.

 

[Ray]

I'm trying right now for 2/3 Of the year AK, and the other HI.

Depending on how that 1/3 was split up in the year it probably won't work. Guys that spend winters where it's warm get hammered after a while due to having two domiciles or a car registered in another state.

It's really all about that first 12 months. After that its gravy as long as your don't mess up and apply for the PFD.

 

[DeepMauka]

There are a few different resident definitions (voting, pfd, and hunting, maybe other reasons also) but you are concerned about residency for hunting. Page 9 of the regs has it spelled out clearly and is easy to find online at ADFG website. But I'll list it here.

An Alaska resident is...
-a person (including an alien) who is physically present in Alaska with the intent to remain indefinately and make a home here, has maintained that person's domicile in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceeding this application for a license, and is not claiming residency or obtaining benefits under a claim of residency in another state, territory, or country; OR
-a member of the military service or U.S. Coast Guard who has been stationed in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceeding this application for a license; OR
-a dependant of a resident member of the military service or U.S. Coast Guard who has lived in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceeding this application for a license. A person who does not otherwise qualify as a resident may not qualify by virtue of an interest in an Alaska business.
(AS 16.05.415).

So basically you have to live here to get resident priviledges to hunt and fish.

If you just want the Pfd you can be gone 90 days a year.

Thanks. I was trying to find that, but I guess I'm too computer illiterate so I posted up here. Maybe I was lookin in the wrong place on the website

 

[DeepMauka]

Depending on how that 1/3 was split up in the year it probably won't work. Guys that spend winters where it's warm get hammered after a while due to having two domiciles or a car registered in another state.

It's really all about that first 12 months. After that its gravy as long as your don't mess up and apply for the PFD.

I have 2 vehicles. Both would be registered Alaska, one being in each state. Seems like it legally would work out that I was a glorified vacationer as far as licenses are assumed. Guess I can't have my cake and eat it too.

Thanks for all the help.