This seemed like an interesting thread idea. Every state (or province) has their own way of doing things, like selling alcohol, or registering cars. Some of these are fairly routine; but some are effed-up or otherwise weird. To start things off, here are how some state controlled things are done in the states I've lived in.
New Jersey:
Pumping gas: As previously mentioned, the state with the 2-pack-a-day air quality doesn't feel it's safe for citizens to fill-up their own vehicles; so they leave that to the high-school dropouts with the criminal records, who work for the gas station. The last time I was there, they still had this law.
Car inspection: For the entire time I owned a car in NJ, they only allowed one DMV facility PER COUNTY to perform inspections. So it became an all-day thing; you'd take the day off work, to wait in-line (or on-line in Jersey) for your turn. You'd get out of your car, and the inspector would actually get in and drive it. This would include an emergency braking test: they'd gun the gas for about 50 ft, and then slam on the brakes over a square section marked on the pavement.
So here's a funny story. My first car was a 1970 Plymouth Duster with a 3-on-the-floor. What's that? It looks just like a 4-on-the-floor, but where you'd normally have 1st gear - up and to the left - was actually reverse. So the inspection guy gets into my car, puts it in (what he thinks is) 1st gear, and guns it. Only thing is that it's actually reverse, and he nearly runs over several people while almost backing into the next car in line. Good times.
Car registration: It is illegal to own a car that is unregistered. So if you have 4 non-running cars on your lawn, they still need to be registered. And if you don't turn your plates in, that's also against the law.
Liquor: Growing up, only dedicated liquor stores sold beer, wine, and hard liquor. None of that was sold at supermarkets or convenience stores. They may have changed that.
Massachusetts:
Liquor: Mass is the home of the "Packy", short for package store. That's where all alcoholic beverages are sold. "Hey, you goin' to the pehhhky? Yeah? Wicked pissah!". But be aware of the "blue laws". No liquor sales on Sunday, or no sales before noon on Sunday (it varied over time). The Wegman's goes so far as to put a moveable wall around the "liquor" area within the store, so they can open on Sunday while preventing liquor sales.
Car registration: Here's the most effed-up thing about Mass. In order to register your car at one of the few DMVs in the region, you first need to contact your insurance company, provide them with all of the info, including title, or temporary title, financing, purchase documents, sale documents, your driver's license etc., and they will eventually draft an official document called an RMV-1. The first 2 or 3 times they do this, it will have several things wrong with it. But eventually, they'll get it right. However, that doesn't get you anywhere. The RMV-1 has to somehow get received directly by the registry. To do this, you have to call them approximately 100 times, and if they answer, they may give you a fax number that someone will be attending for 5 seconds, or an email that won't work.
Don't think of going to the DMV if they haven't received that form. You also need an ORIGINAL title for your car, even if it's leased or financed and you don't have the title. And you must have already transferred your driver's license (with all that entails) to Mass. Good luck.
New Hampshire:
Liquor: The "Live free or die" state controls the sale of all hard liquor. You can only get hard liquor from a NH state liquor store, but they're conveniently located right on the major highways; easy-on, easy-off. NH is proud to have no sales taxes, so people flock there to buy liquor, cigarettes, and fireworks. Oddly, you can't buy beer in a NH state liquor store. You can buy beer and wine almost anywhere else, but no beer at the liquor store, and no hard liquor at other places that sell beer and wine.
Car registration: Since you don't technically need to have insurance on a car in NH, registration is pretty easy. You also don't need to wear a helmet on a motorcycle.
Maine:
Liquor: In Maine, you can get all liquor everywhere. You can buy scotch and beer in Walgreens, or any supermarket or convenience store. The price of hard liquor is controlled by the state, but they don't have state stores.
Car inspection: Any gas station or repair shop can inspect your car. It costs $12.50, no matter where you go. Generally, Maine is an easy and friendly state.
New Jersey:
Pumping gas: As previously mentioned, the state with the 2-pack-a-day air quality doesn't feel it's safe for citizens to fill-up their own vehicles; so they leave that to the high-school dropouts with the criminal records, who work for the gas station. The last time I was there, they still had this law.
Car inspection: For the entire time I owned a car in NJ, they only allowed one DMV facility PER COUNTY to perform inspections. So it became an all-day thing; you'd take the day off work, to wait in-line (or on-line in Jersey) for your turn. You'd get out of your car, and the inspector would actually get in and drive it. This would include an emergency braking test: they'd gun the gas for about 50 ft, and then slam on the brakes over a square section marked on the pavement.
So here's a funny story. My first car was a 1970 Plymouth Duster with a 3-on-the-floor. What's that? It looks just like a 4-on-the-floor, but where you'd normally have 1st gear - up and to the left - was actually reverse. So the inspection guy gets into my car, puts it in (what he thinks is) 1st gear, and guns it. Only thing is that it's actually reverse, and he nearly runs over several people while almost backing into the next car in line. Good times.
Car registration: It is illegal to own a car that is unregistered. So if you have 4 non-running cars on your lawn, they still need to be registered. And if you don't turn your plates in, that's also against the law.
Liquor: Growing up, only dedicated liquor stores sold beer, wine, and hard liquor. None of that was sold at supermarkets or convenience stores. They may have changed that.
Massachusetts:
Liquor: Mass is the home of the "Packy", short for package store. That's where all alcoholic beverages are sold. "Hey, you goin' to the pehhhky? Yeah? Wicked pissah!". But be aware of the "blue laws". No liquor sales on Sunday, or no sales before noon on Sunday (it varied over time). The Wegman's goes so far as to put a moveable wall around the "liquor" area within the store, so they can open on Sunday while preventing liquor sales.
Car registration: Here's the most effed-up thing about Mass. In order to register your car at one of the few DMVs in the region, you first need to contact your insurance company, provide them with all of the info, including title, or temporary title, financing, purchase documents, sale documents, your driver's license etc., and they will eventually draft an official document called an RMV-1. The first 2 or 3 times they do this, it will have several things wrong with it. But eventually, they'll get it right. However, that doesn't get you anywhere. The RMV-1 has to somehow get received directly by the registry. To do this, you have to call them approximately 100 times, and if they answer, they may give you a fax number that someone will be attending for 5 seconds, or an email that won't work.
Don't think of going to the DMV if they haven't received that form. You also need an ORIGINAL title for your car, even if it's leased or financed and you don't have the title. And you must have already transferred your driver's license (with all that entails) to Mass. Good luck.
New Hampshire:
Liquor: The "Live free or die" state controls the sale of all hard liquor. You can only get hard liquor from a NH state liquor store, but they're conveniently located right on the major highways; easy-on, easy-off. NH is proud to have no sales taxes, so people flock there to buy liquor, cigarettes, and fireworks. Oddly, you can't buy beer in a NH state liquor store. You can buy beer and wine almost anywhere else, but no beer at the liquor store, and no hard liquor at other places that sell beer and wine.
Car registration: Since you don't technically need to have insurance on a car in NH, registration is pretty easy. You also don't need to wear a helmet on a motorcycle.
Maine:
Liquor: In Maine, you can get all liquor everywhere. You can buy scotch and beer in Walgreens, or any supermarket or convenience store. The price of hard liquor is controlled by the state, but they don't have state stores.
Car inspection: Any gas station or repair shop can inspect your car. It costs $12.50, no matter where you go. Generally, Maine is an easy and friendly state.
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