You can be a state resident without a domicile. A common definition of residency is that you have a home in the state, and you live there for more than 183 days per year. In California, you’re a resident if you spend more than nine months in-state.

There’s no law against owning multiple homes or investment properties in multiple states. Usually you claim one state as your domicile — your legal home — and that state is your only state of residence. In some cases, though, two different states may claim you as a resident.

What are the requirements for a primary residence?

For the property to qualify as a primary residence, the following criteria must be met: 1 You must live in the home for the majority of the year. 2 The home must be located within a reasonable distance from your place of employment. 3 You must begin living in the house within 60 days of closing.

What makes a property a principal residence in California?

Defining Principal Residence. Simply put, a principal residence is where an individual or family spends most of its time. Establishing a property as your principal residence means you must spend the bulk of your personal time there, whether the dwelling is owned or leased. Ownership of a property by itself does not make it a principal residence.

Can a home not be a principal residence?

The state was able to figure out that the properties involved were not the principal residence. While most of those charged may have intentionally defrauded the government, some may have genuinely thought their damaged homes were their primary residence, but ignorance of the law is not a defense.

What does it mean to be a resident of California?

In California, a resident is someone domiciled in the state, which is defined for tax purposes as “the place where you voluntarily establish yourself and family, not merely for a special or limited purpose, but with a present intention of making it your true, fixed, permanent home and principal establishment.”