R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-11-13 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-11 / Section 31-11-13
§ 31-11-13. Failure to surrender license certificate.
Status: in_force

If any person whose license has been cancelled, suspended, or revoked neglects or refuses to surrender the license certificate to the division of motor vehicles immediately upon demand by it or by any of its authorized agents, the person, in addition to being subject to the other penalties provided by this title, shall thereafter be disqualified from receiving any license to operate until the license certificate is returned to the division of motor vehicles or a reasonable explanation of the circumstances is given to the division of motor vehicles. In the absence of a reasonable explanation, the person shall be disqualified from receiving a license to operate motor vehicles under the provisions of chapter 10 of this title for a period of thirty (30) days in addition to the period of the suspension or revocation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-26-12 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-26 / Section 31-26-12
§ 31-26-12. Garage reports of bullet damage.
Status: in_force

The person in charge of any garage or repair shop to which is brought any motor vehicle which shows evidence of having been struck by any bullet, shall report to the nearest local or state police after the motor vehicle is received, giving the engine number, registration number, and the name and address of the owner or operator of the vehicle.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-47-19 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-47 / Section 31-47-19
§ 31-47-19. Constitutionality.
Status: in_force

If any part or parts of this chapter shall be held unconstitutional, the unconstitutionality shall not affect the validity of the remaining parts of this chapter. The legislature declares that it would have passed the remaining parts of this chapter if it had known that any part or parts of it would be declared unconstitutional.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-25-13 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-25 / Section 31-25-13
§ 31-25-13. Axle load limit.
Status: in_force

(a) The gross weight imposed on the highway by the wheels of any one axle of a vehicle shall not exceed twenty-two thousand four hundred pounds (22,400 lbs.).

(b) For the purposes of this chapter, axle load is defined as the total load transmitted to the road by all wheels whose centers are included between two (2) parallel transverse vertical planes forty inches (40³) apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle.

(c) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-25-14.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-22-23 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-22 / Section 31-22-23
§ 31-22-23. Tow trucks  Identification required.
Status: in_force

(a) Every motor vehicle used for the purpose of towing or assisting disabled motor vehicles shall display, in sharp color contrast to the background, and be of such size, shape, and color as to be readily legible during daylight hours, from a distance of fifty feet (50²) while the vehicle is not in motion; the name, address, and telephone number of the registered owner shall be displayed on both sides of the vehicle.

(b) Any person violating this section shall be fined as provided in § 31-41.1-4.

(c) Any vehicle, except those vehicles exempt from regulation pursuant to the provisions of § 39-12-3, which are used for the purpose of towing or assisting disabled motor vehicles, which does not have a towing certificate issued by the division of public utilities must have the words Limited Towing lettered upon the hood or fenders of the vehicle. The letters must be four inches (4") high in a color which contrasts with the vehicle color and must be on both sides of the hood or both sides of the front fender.

(d) Any person who shall violate this provision shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars ($100) upon conviction for a first offense, not more than two hundred and fifty dollars ($250) upon conviction for a second offense, and for each subsequent conviction may be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-2-12 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-2 / Section 31-2-12
§ 31-2-12. Destruction of obsolete records.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles may destroy any records of the division of motor vehicles that have been maintained on file for three (3) years which are obsolete and of no further service in carrying out the powers and duties of the division of motor vehicles.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-14-13 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-14 / Section 31-14-13
§ 31-14-13. Burden of proof in civil actions.
Status: in_force

The provisions of this chapter declaring prima facie speed limitations shall not be construed to relieve the plaintiff in any civil action from the burden of proving negligence on the part of the defendant as the proximate cause of an accident.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-16.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-18 / Section 31-18-16.1
§ 31-18-16.1. Failure to stop on red signal for blind person at intersection.
Status: in_force

Any person who shall violate the provisions of § 31-13-6(3)(i) at an intersection where a pedestrian is crossing or attempting to cross a public street or highway guided by a seeing-eye dog or a hearing-ear signal dog, clearly identified by a yellow harness, which has been trained and educated to guide and assist the pedestrian in traveling upon the public streets, or carrying in a raised or extended position a cane or walking stick which is white in color or white tipped with red, shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-32-7 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-32 / Section 31-32-7
§ 31-32-7. Action in respect to nonresidents.
Status: in_force

Whenever the division of motor vehicles suspends or revokes a nonresidents operation privilege by reason of a conviction or forfeiture of bail, the privilege shall remain suspended or revoked unless the person shall have previously given or shall immediately give and maintain proof of financial responsibility for the future.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-44-2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-44 / Section 31-44-2
§ 31-44-2. Evictions  Termination of tenancy.
Status: in_force

(a) A tenancy may be terminated by a park owner or operator pursuant to chapter 18 of title 34, provided, that jurisdiction as it relates to this chapter shall be in the district court but subject to one or more of the following reasons and limitations which shall take precedence over any conflicting state statute or local ordinance:

(1) Nonpayment of rent, utility charges, or reasonable incidental service charges. No action for possession shall be maintained if prior to the expiration of a notice to quit the tenant shall pay or tender all arrearages due, including a late charge of five percent (5%) of the monthly rent due after a seven (7) day grace period for the rental payment has elapsed.

(2) Failure of the tenant to comply with local ordinances or state or federal law or regulations relating to mobile and manufactured homes or mobile and manufactured home parks. The tenant is first given written notice of his or her failure to comply with the laws or regulations and a reasonable opportunity thereafter to comply with the laws or regulations.

(3) Damage by the tenant to the demised property, reasonable wear and tear excepted.

(4) Repeated conduct of the tenant, upon the mobile and manufactured home park premises, which disturbs the peace and quiet of other tenants in the mobile and manufactured home park.

(5) Failure of the tenant to comply with reasonable written rules and regulations of the mobile and manufactured home park as established by the park owner or operator in the rental agreement at the inception of the tenancy or as amended subsequently with the written acknowledgement that the tenant has seen the amended rules, or without his or her consent upon three (3) months written notice; provided that the tenant is first given written notice of his or her failure to comply and a reasonable opportunity thereafter to comply with the rules and regulations. Nothing in this section, however, shall be construed to permit a park owner or operator to vary the terms of a written or oral rental agreement without notification to the tenant.

(6) Condemnation or change of use of the mobile and manufactured home park.

(b) No tenancy, however created, in a mobile and manufactured home park may be terminated by a mobile and manufactured home park owner or operator except upon giving notice in writing to the tenant in the manner prescribed in this chapter to remove from the premises within a period of not less than sixty (60) days; provided that upon grounds of nonpayment of rent, a tenancy may be terminated upon giving thirty (30) days notice.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-26-4 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-26 / Section 31-26-4
§ 31-26-4. Duty on collision with unattended vehicle.
Status: in_force

The driver of any vehicle which collides with another vehicle which is unattended and damage results to either vehicle shall immediately stop and shall then and there either locate and notify the operator or owner of the unattended vehicle of the name and address of the driver and owner of the vehicle striking the unattended vehicle or shall leave in a conspicuous place in or upon the unattended vehicle a notice written in the English language giving the name and address of the driver and of the owner of the vehicle doing the striking and a statement of the circumstances of the collision, and shall immediately give notice of the accident to a nearby office of local or state police. In the event the office so notified does not have jurisdiction of the locale of the accident, it shall be the duty of the officer receiving the notice to immediately give notice of the accident to the office having jurisdiction.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-1-1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-1 / Section 31-1-1
§ 31-1-1. Short title.
Status: in_force

Chapters 1  27 of this title may be cited as the Motor Vehicle Code.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-14 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-14
§ 31-23-14. Prevention of excessive fumes or smoke.
Status: in_force

The engine and power mechanism of every motor vehicle shall be so equipped and adjusted as to prevent the escape of excessive fumes or smoke. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-19-20 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-19 / Section 31-19-20
§ 31-19-20. Sale of new bicycles.
Status: in_force

In every sale of a new bicycle, the seller shall issue a bill of sale which shall contain on it the date of sale, the sellers and buyers name and address, the manufacturers name, model, and serial number of the bicycle. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-9-10 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-9 / Section 31-9-10
§ 31-9-10. Weekly lists of stolen vehicles.
Status: in_force

The division of motor vehicles shall at least once each week compile and maintain at its headquarters office a list of all vehicles which have been stolen, embezzled, or recovered as reported to it during the preceding week. Those lists shall be sent to the various police departments in the state and shall be open to inspection by any person interested in any stolen or embezzled vehicle.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-23.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-23.1
§ 31-3-23.1. Limitation on number of plates.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the motor vehicle dealers license commission shall limit the number of plates allowable to any dealer in accordance with the provisions of §§ 31-5-1  31-5-20, and the plates shall be issued by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles up to such limit upon application by the dealer.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-33-16 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-33 / Section 31-33-16
§ 31-33-16. Examination of vehicles and licenses on highways.
Status: in_force

The division of motor vehicles may cause an examination to be made of all motor vehicles which at the time of the examination shall be found upon the public highways, and of the licenses of the operators in charge of the motor vehicles, and may verify numbers upon the engines of the motor vehicles as well as the numbers of the manufacturers thereon, and do and perform any other acts and demand and receive any other information that it may deem necessary to establish the ownership of the motor vehicles and the authority to operate the motor vehicles. For these purposes the division of motor vehicles may request the assistance of the division of state police or police authorities of any city or town.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-38-11 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-38 / Section 31-38-11
§ 31-38-11. Penalty for violation.
Status: in_force

Any person violating any of the provisions of §§ 31-38-1  31-38-10 of this chapter, or of the rules and regulations established by the director of the department of revenue as provided in this chapter, shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment of not more than thirty (30) days or by both a fine and imprisonment. The director of the department of revenue shall revoke the permit of any inspection station who shall be convicted more than once for violations.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-21-2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-21 / Section 31-21-2
§ 31-21-2. Removal of vehicle parked on highway.
Status: in_force

Whenever any police officer finds a vehicle standing upon a highway in violation of § 31-21-1, the officer is authorized to move the vehicle, or require the driver or other person in charge of the vehicle to move the vehicle, to a position off the paved or main traveled part of the highway.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-21-16 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-21 / Section 31-21-16
§ 31-21-16. Liability of owner, operator, and lessee.
Status: in_force

(a) The owner of a rented or leased motor vehicle shall be entitled to establish non-liability for parking violations by providing to the traffic tribunal or any municipality which has jurisdiction over parking tickets, a copy of a written rental or lease agreement which shall be prima facie evidence that the lessee was the operator of the vehicle.

(b) The issuing authority shall provide to the owner of a rented or leased vehicle a notice, in writing, of each parking violation in which a motor vehicle owned by the rental or leasing company is involved, including the license number of the vehicle and the date and time of the parking violation. Upon receipt of this notice the owner of a rented or leased vehicle shall inform the issuing authority, within twenty (20) days, to the extent available, the operators name, home address, employer, employers address, and local address, if any.

(c) The renter or lessee shall not be considered an agent of the owner if the owner is engaged in the business of renting or leasing vehicles.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-4-8.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-4 / Section 31-4-8.1
§ 31-4-8.1. Penalties.
Status: in_force

Any individual, company, corporation, owner, or any insurance firm or representative thereof who violates any of the provisions of § 31-4-8 shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-15 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-15
§ 31-23-15. Rear-view mirror.
Status: in_force

(a) Every motor vehicle which is so constructed or loaded as to obstruct the drivers view to the rear of it from the drivers position shall be equipped with a mirror so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway for a distance of at least two hundred feet (200²) to the rear of the vehicle.

(b) Every motor vehicle, the primary function of which is the carrying of passengers, shall be equipped with a rear-view mirror on the left front door or fender, so located as to reflect a view of the highway for at least two hundred feet (200²) to the rear of the vehicle.

(c) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-2-26 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-2 / Section 31-2-26
§ 31-2-26. Surrender of suspended registration.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a motorist whose registration has been suspended shall not be required to surrender the registration plates to the division of motor vehicles for the period of suspension. In the event a motorist is found to be operating a motor vehicle while the registration is suspended, the registration plates shall be seized by the proper officer and returned to the division of motor vehicles for the remainder of the suspension period.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-40-11 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-40 / Section 31-40-11
§ 31-40-11. Construction of chapter.
Status: in_force

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as amending, modifying, or repealing any existing law of Rhode Island or any existing ordinance of any city or town relating to the operation of motor vehicles, the licensing of persons to operate motor vehicles, or providing penalties for the violation of provisions regarding them, or shall be construed to preclude the exercise of the regulatory powers of any division, agency, department, or political subdivision of the state having the statutory power to regulate this operation and licensing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-35 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-5 / Section 31-5-35
§ 31-5-35. Grounds for denial, suspension, or revocation of license.
Status: in_force

A license provided for pursuant to this chapter may be denied, suspended, or revoked on any of the following grounds:

(1) Proof of unfitness of applicant.

(2) Material misstatement of applicant in the application for a license.

(3) Because the applicant or licensee, or any subsidiary or any corporation owned or controlled by the applicant or licensee, has unfairly or without just provocation or cause cancelled or threatened to cancel the franchise or license of an existing or prior holder to use his, her, or its name, trademark, or trade name.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-16-9 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-16 / Section 31-16-9
§ 31-16-9. Vehicles on which mechanical signal devices required.
Status: in_force

Any motor vehicle in use on a highway shall be equipped with, and required signal shall be given by, a signal lamp or lamps or mechanical signal device when the distance from the center of the top of the steering post to the left outside limit of the body, cab, or load of the motor vehicle exceeds twenty-four inches (24"), or when the distance from the center of the top of the steering post to the rear limit of the body or load of it exceeds fourteen feet (14²). The latter measurement shall apply to any single vehicle, and/or to any combination of vehicles.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-2-8 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-2 / Section 31-2-8
§ 31-2-8. Oaths and acknowledgments.
Status: in_force

Officers and employees of the division of motor vehicles designated by the administrator are, for the purpose of administering the motor vehicle laws, authorized to administer oaths and acknowledge signatures, and shall do so without fee.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-100 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-100
§ 31-3-100. General Magistrate Emeritus  John J. OBrien.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized and directed to issue a special registration plate for the private passenger motor vehicle of General Magistrate John J. OBrien. This plate is to bear the identification General Magistrate Emeritus with an appropriate number and seal of the state thereon imprinted and the plate shall be issued subject to the same terms and conditions as contained in § 31-3-47(d) for such period of time as General Magistrate OBrien so desires. The provisions of § 31-3-17.1 shall apply with respect to the cost of issuance and registration.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-47-15.2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-47 / Section 31-47-15.2
§ 31-47-15.2. Exception  Vehicles owned by active duty military personnel.
Status: in_force

(a) Highway, as used in this section, means all roads as defined in § 31-1-23, except a private road or driveway.

(b) Upon receipt of a signed written request for a suspension from the owner of a registered motor vehicle stating that the vehicle will not be operated upon any highway during a period of not less than thirty (30) consecutive days as a consequence of the entrance of the owner into the active duty military service of the United States, the insurer of that vehicle shall suspend, to the extent requested by the owner, insurance afforded under the policy providing the security required by this chapter for that vehicle until notified by the owner that the coverage should be reinstated. During the period of suspension only, the provisions of this chapter do not apply as to that vehicle. If the vehicle is operated upon any highway by or with the permission of the owner during the period of suspension, the provisions of this chapter immediately become applicable. Reinstatement of coverage shall be under the same terms and conditions as were in effect at the time of notification of suspension.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-36-16 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-36 / Section 31-36-16
§ 31-36-16. Payment of tax by persons other than distributors.
Status: in_force

Any person who shall receive fuels in any form and under any circumstances that shall preclude the collection of the tax provided for in this chapter, from the distributors, and shall then sell or use the fuels in any manner and under any circumstances that shall render the sale or use subject to the tax, shall be considered as a distributor, and shall make the same report, pay the same taxes, and be subject to all other provisions of this chapter relating to a distributor of the fuels; excepting, that the requirements under this chapter for the filing of a bond shall be discretionary with the tax administrator, and if the bond is required to be filed it shall be in an amount not to exceed seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-90 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-90
§ 31-3-90. Special plate for the Red Sox Foundation.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for passenger vehicles based upon the not-for-profit entity, the Red Sox Foundation for any motor vehicle eligible for registration as an automobile or commercial vehicle having a gross weight of ten thousand pounds (10,000 lbs.) or less.

(b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of and in the same manner as the registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and the registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with §31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate. The administrator shall be authorized to retain newly issued plate numbers, at his or her discretion, for the purpose of conducting auctions of the right to use and display those numbers under such terms and conditions as the administrator may permit.

Auction proceeds shall be apportioned and distributed for charitable purposes, in the discretion of the administrator, in accordance with such agreements as may be entered into with those entities holding ownership rights to the logos. The administrator is hereby authorized to enter into agreements for the use of logos on Rhode Island registration plates.

(c) The Red Sox Foundation motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, with design approval by the Rhode Island State Police.

(d) Red Sox Foundation plates shall be subject to a minimum pre-paid order of at least nine hundred (900) plates. Red Sox Foundation plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the Red Sox Foundation and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for the production until the minimum order has been met and the proper paperwork submitted to the division. Subsequent Red Sox Foundation plate orders will be handled by the division of motor vehicles.

(e) The administrator of motor vehicles shall develop application forms, prepayment procedures and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, Red Sox Foundation plates shall be subject to a forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.

(g) The forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows: twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be distributed annually to the Red Sox Foundation in furtherance of their mission of assisting the youth and families of New England through donations that foster cultural diversity, education, family and health.

(h) A ten dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated to the Red Sox Foundation.

(i) In consideration of the receipt of funds from the registration of Red Sox Foundation, the foundation must use any Rhode Island sourced funds in and for the benefit of Rhode Island based charitable organizations.

(j) The Red Sox Foundation will be required to submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed.

(k) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of Red Sox Foundation plates.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-4-10 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-4 / Section 31-4-10
§ 31-4-10. Temporary transfer of registration.
Status: in_force

(a) A person who transfers the ownership of a registered motor vehicle or trailer owned by him or her to another or who loses possession of it and who intends to transfer the registration of the motor vehicle or trailer to a newly acquired vehicle may, subject to other provisions of this title, operate the newly acquired motor vehicle or trailer for a period of thirty (30) days following the date of transfer within the period of which the transferred vehicle was registered, provided that the number plates issued upon registration of the transferred motor vehicle are attached to the newly acquired vehicle.

(b) During these periods, any operator of a newly acquired vehicle shall carry an original copy of the bill of sale reciting the registration number to be transferred from the former vehicle to the newly acquired vehicle, the date of the sale or transfer, the make and identification number of the vehicle, and the signature and address of the seller.

(c) This section shall apply only to transfer of registration between vehicles with the same number of wheels.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-14 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-5 / Section 31-5-14
§ 31-5-14. Penalties for violations by dealers.
Status: in_force

(a) Upon the complaint of the department, any person violating any of the provisions of §§ 31-5-1  31-5-20, shall, upon conviction for the first offense, be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100), or by imprisonment for not less than ten (10) days nor more than thirty (30) days, or by both a fine and imprisonment. For a second or subsequent conviction, that person shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment for not less than thirty (30) days nor more than six (6) months, or by both a fine and imprisonment.

(b) If the department shall have reason to believe that any person, firm, corporation, or association is violating the provisions of this chapter, the department may issue its order to the person, firm, corporation, or association commanding them to appear before the department, at a hearing to be held not sooner than ten (10) days nor later than twenty (20) days after issuance of the order, to show cause why the department should not issue an order to the person to cease and desist from violating the provisions of this chapter. The order to show cause may be served on any person, firm, corporation, or association named in it by any person in the same manner that a summons in a civil action may be served, or by mailing a copy of the order to the person at any address at which he or she has done business or at which he or she lives. If at the hearing the department shall be satisfied that the person is in fact violating any provision of this chapter, then the department shall order the person in writing to cease and desist from the violation. All these hearings shall be conducted in accordance with chapter 35 of title 42. If the person shall subsequently fail to comply with the order of the department, the superior court for Providence County shall have jurisdiction upon the complaint of the department to restrain and enjoin the person from violating this chapter.

(c) In addition to the fines described in subsection (a) of this section, the department may impose fines on holders of any license issued by the department pursuant to this chapter of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), for violations of any of the provisions of §§ 31-5-1  31-5-20 and §§ 31-5-33  31-5-39, or for violation of any rules or regulations promulgated pursuant to § 31-5-2.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-37-2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-37 / Section 31-37-2
§ 31-37-2. Refusal, suspension, or revocation of license.
Status: in_force

The administrator may for cause refuse any application for a license for a filling station and may for cause suspend or revoke any license issued by the administrator under the provisions of this chapter after an opportunity for a hearing of the applicant or licensee has been afforded.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-15-18 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-15 / Section 31-15-18
§ 31-15-18. Unsafe passing of a person operating a bicycle; penalty.
Status: in_force

(a) A driver of a motor vehicle commits the offense of unsafe passing of a person operating a bicycle if the driver violates any of the following requirements:

(1) The driver of a motor vehicle may only pass a person operating a bicycle by driving to the left of the bicycle at a safe distance and returning to the lane of travel once the motor vehicle is safely clear of the overtaken bicycle. For the purposes of this subdivision, a safe distance means a distance that is sufficient to prevent contact with the person operating the bicycle if the person were to fall into the drivers lane of traffic. This subdivision does not apply to a driver operating a motor vehicle:

(i) In a lane that is separate from and adjacent to a designated bicycle lane;

(ii) At a speed not greater than fifteen miles per hour (15 mph); or

(iii) When the driver is passing a person operating a bicycle on the persons right side and the person operating the bicycle is turning left.

(2) The driver of a motor vehicle may drive to the left of the center of a roadway to pass a person operating a bicycle proceeding in the same direction only if the roadway to the left of the center is unobstructed for a sufficient distance to permit the driver to pass the person operating the bicycle safely and avoid interference with oncoming traffic. This subdivision does not authorize driving to the left of center of a roadway when prohibited under § 31-15-1 (failure to drive on right), § 31-15-3 (passing of vehicles proceeding in opposite directions) or § 31-15-13 (divided highway).

(b) The driver of a motor vehicle that passes a person operating a bicycle shall return to an authorized lane of traffic as soon as practicable.

(c) Violations of this section are subject to the fine enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.

(d) This section may be cited as Franks Law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-27 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-5 / Section 31-5-27
§ 31-5-27. Criminal liability for violations.
Status: in_force

Any person, being a manufacturer, distributor, or factory representative, who violates any provision of §§ 31-5-21  31-5-27, or who does any act enumerated in § 31-5-23 as a ground for the denial, suspension, or revocation of a license, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-28 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-28
§ 31-23-28. Failure to have fenders or wheel flaps.
Status: in_force

Any person who violates any provision of §§ 31-23-26 and 31-23-27 shall be fined not more than fifty dollars ($50.00) or imprisoned not more than thirty (30) days, or both fine and imprisonment.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-104 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-104
§ 31-3-104. Special plate in honor of CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates in honor of CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez. The plate shall be designed to reference the CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez Committee of Rhode Island and shall bear the seal of the state imprinted on it.

(b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of, and in the same manner as, the registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and returned to the division of motor vehicles. The registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle in accordance with § 31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate.

(c) The CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor-vehicle plates and shall be designed in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, with design approval by the Rhode Island state police.

(d) The CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez motor vehicle plates shall be subject to a minimum prepaid order of at least nine hundred (900) sets of plates per plate type (i.e. passenger, commercial, etc.). The CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez motor vehicle plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order(s) requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez Committee of Rhode Island, and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for production until the minimum order(s) have been met and the proper paperwork submitted to the division.

(e) The administrator of motor vehicles shall develop prepayment procedures and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, the CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez plates shall be subject to a forty-dollar issuance ($40.00) surcharge.

(g) The forty-dollar issuance ($40.00) surcharge shall be allocated as follows: Twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be distributed annually to the CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez Scholarship Fund with the Rhode Island Foundation.

(h) A ten-dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated to the CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez Scholarship Fund with the Rhode Island Foundation.

(i) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez motor vehicle plates.

(j) The CÃ©sar E. ChÃ¡vez Committee of Rhode Island will be required to submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-27-2.3 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-27 / Section 31-27-2.3
§ 31-27-2.3. Revocation of license upon refusal to submit to preliminary breath test.
Status: in_force

(a) When a law enforcement officer has reason to believe that a person is driving or in actual physical control of any motor vehicle in this state while under the influence of alcohol, the law enforcement officer may require the person to submit to a preliminary breath analysis for the purpose of determining the persons blood alcohol content. The breath analysis must be administered immediately upon the law enforcement officers formulation of a reasonable belief that the person is driving or in actual control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, or immediately upon the stop of the person, whichever is later in time. Any chemical breath analysis required under this section must be administered with a device and in a manner approved by the director of the department of health for that purpose. The result of a preliminary chemical breath analysis may be used for the purpose of guiding the officer in deciding whether an arrest should be made. When a driver is arrested following a preliminary breath analysis, tests may be taken pursuant to § 31-27-2.1. The results of a preliminary breath test may not be used as evidence in any administrative or court proceeding involving driving while intoxicated or refusing to take a breathalyzer test, except as evidence of probable cause in making the initial arrest.

(b) If a person refuses, upon a lawful request of a law enforcement officer, to submit to a test under subsection (a) of this section, that person shall be guilty of an infraction and shall be subject to the penalty provided in § 31-41.1-4. However, it shall be a defense to a charge of refusing a validly requested preliminary breath analysis that the medical condition of a person precluded the giving of any such test.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-14.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-14.1
§ 31-23-14.1. Fire extinguishers.
Status: in_force

Every truck operated, owned, or leased by the state of Rhode Island or a political subdivision of the state shall be equipped with a fire extinguisher. The fire extinguisher shall contain a potassium bicarbonate base dry chemical fire extinguishing agent having an underwriters laboratory rating of six (6) B:C, and a capacity of not less than two and one-half pounds (21/2 lbs.).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-80 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-80
§ 31-3-80. Reserve Forces plates.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered and authorized to make available to all active and retired members of the United States Reserve Forces of Rhode Island a special motor vehicle registration plate for any motor vehicle eligible for registration as an automobile or a commercial vehicle having a gross weight of eight thousand five hundred pounds (8,500 lbs.) or less.

(b) The special motor vehicle registration plate shall carry on it the designation US Reserve Forces and shall carry on it the titles (Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard) arranged on the left hand side of the plate from top to bottom in this order of precedence, with numerals to the right of the titles.

(c) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue the plate upon payment of a service charge of twenty dollars ($20.00) and a transfer charge of five dollars ($5.00) for the plate. All revenues shall be deposited as general revenues.

(d) For the purposes of this section an active or retired member of the United States Reserve Forces shall be defined as currently serving or having retired under honorable conditions from any of the Reserve Forces other than the Rhode Island Army or Air National Guard.

(e) In a national state of emergency, any active member of the United States Reserve Forces driving a vehicle bearing the special motor vehicle registration plate shall be authorized and empowered to travel upon the highways of the state notwithstanding any driving ban imposed by any state or municipal authority.

(f) No US Reserve Forces plates shall be issued until at least nine hundred (900) such plates have been ordered.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-42-4 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-42 / Section 31-42-4
§ 31-42-4. Auction of abandoned motor vehicles.
Status: in_force

(a) If an abandoned motor vehicle has not been reclaimed as provided for in § 31-42-3, the police department shall sell the abandoned motor vehicle at a public auction. The purchaser of the motor vehicle shall take title to the motor vehicle free and clear of all liens and claims of ownership, shall receive a sales receipt and bill of sale from the police department, and shall be entitled to register the purchased vehicle. The sales receipt at a sale shall be sufficient title only for purposes of transferring the vehicle to a demolisher for demolition, wrecking, or dismantling, and, in that case no further registration of the vehicle shall be necessary.

(b) From the proceeds of the sale of an abandoned motor vehicle, the police department shall reimburse itself for the expenses of the auction, the costs of towing, preserving, and storing the vehicle which resulted from placing the abandoned motor vehicle in custody, and all notices and publication costs incurred pursuant to § 31-42-3. Any remainder from the proceeds of a sale shall be held for the owner of the vehicle or entitled lienholder for ninety (90) days, and then shall be deposited in a special abandoned motor vehicle fund which shall remain available for the payment of auction, towing, preserving, storage, and all notice and publication costs which result from placing other abandoned vehicles in custody, whenever the proceeds from a sale of the other abandoned motor vehicles are insufficient to meet these expenses and costs.

(c) Whenever the chief finance officer of the city or town finds that moneys in the abandoned motor vehicle fund are in excess of reserves likely to be needed, he or she may transfer the excess to the general fund. But in the event there are additional claims against the abandoned motor vehicle fund, if the abandoned motor vehicle fund is temporarily exhausted, these claims shall be met from the general fund to the limit of any transfers previously made to it pursuant to this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-32-28 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-32 / Section 31-32-28
§ 31-32-28. Recorded bond constitutes a lien.
Status: in_force

The bond shall constitute a lien in favor of the state upon the real estate so scheduled of any surety, which lien shall exist in favor of any holder of a final judgment against the person who has filed the bond, for damages, including damages for care and loss of services, because of bodily injury to or death of any person, or for damages because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use of it, resulting from the ownership, maintenance, use, or operation of a vehicle of a type subject to registration under the laws of this state after the bond was filed, upon the filing of notice to that effect by the division of motor vehicles in the office of the town clerk or recorder of deeds in the town or city where the real estate shall be located.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-6-9 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-6 / Section 31-6-9
§ 31-6-9. Blind veterans.
Status: in_force

Any veteran who has been honorably discharged from service with the armed forces or the merchant marine of the United States in any of the wars, declared or undeclared, in which the United States has been engaged and who, by reason of that service, has become totally blind, shall be further exempt from the payment of any fee for the annual registration of a pleasure motor vehicle owned by the veteran and operated for his or her pleasure and convenience. The veteran shall be entitled to display on that vehicle the special registration plates as shall be issued by the division of motor vehicles.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-1-14 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-1 / Section 31-1-14
§ 31-1-14. Renewal.
Status: in_force

Renewal means the reissuance of a registration, license, or instruction permit, issued under the provisions of chapters 1  27 of this title, the term of which has expired.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-13.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-13.1
§ 31-23-13.1. Altering height of or operating a motor vehicle with an altered height prohibited.
Status: in_force

No person shall alter the height of or operate a motor vehicle with an altered height that has an original manufacturers gross vehicle weight rating of up to and including ten thousand pounds (10,000 lbs.), by elevating or lowering the chassis or body by more than four inches (4") from the original manufacturers specified height by use of so called shackle lift kits for leaf springs or by use of lift kits for coil springs, tires, or any other means or device. The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall establish rules and regulations for motor vehicle heights including exceptions for vehicles used for farming or forestry. No motor vehicle that has been so altered, modified, or changed beyond the provisions of this section or the rules and regulations established by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles, shall be operated on any highway. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-3.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-3.1
§ 31-3-3.1. Notice to division of motor vehicles of vehicle lease agreement.
Status: in_force

(a) Every owner of a vehicle subject to registration or renewal of registration under this chapter shall notify the division of motor vehicles, at the time of registration of the vehicle on the proper registration form, of any agreement to lease the registered vehicle for a period of six (6) months duration, or longer, except for those commercial motor vehicles covered under the federal motor carrier safety regulations, 49 CFR Part 390 as may be amended from time to time.

(b) The division of motor vehicles shall cause the name and address of the lessee as well as the owner of the vehicle to be entered on the division of motor vehicles records as provided in this chapter.

(c) The name and address of both the owner and lessee shall be made available by the division of motor vehicles upon a registration inquiry from any law enforcement officer, department, or agency.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-22-8 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-22 / Section 31-22-8
§ 31-22-8. Crossing fire hose.
Status: in_force

No vehicle shall be driven over any unprotected hose of a fire department when it is laid down on any street, or private driveway to be used at any fire or alarm of fire, without the consent of the fire department official in command. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-64 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-64
§ 31-3-64. Combination plates.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue:

(1) For any motor vehicle eligible for registration as a commercial vehicle having a gross weight of eight thousand eight hundred pounds (8,800 lbs.) or less, plates designated as combination upon application and proper form furnished by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles to applicants. The combination plates will allow those vehicles to drive for both commercial and pleasure purposes; or

(2) For any motor vehicle eligible for registration as a commercial vehicle having a gross weight over eight thousand eight hundred pounds (8,800 lbs.) up to eleven thousand eight hundred pounds (11,800 lbs.) plates designated as combination upon application, proof of ownership of a camping trailer, fifth-wheel camper trailer, travel trailer, or truck camper as defined in § 31-1-3, and proper form furnished by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles to applicants. The combination plates will allow those vehicles to drive for pleasure purposes only.

(b) The fees for commercial vehicles registering for a combination plate shall be identical to those established for other commercial vehicles of the same weight. A combination registration transaction shall be considered a change to a new registration classification and not a plate change transaction. A combination registration shall be renewable during the month of March each year.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-40-12 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-40 / Section 31-40-12
§ 31-40-12. Authority of administrator of the division of motor vehicles.
Status: in_force

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as limiting, modifying, or reducing the authority of the administrator of the division of motor vehicles in any way, and nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed as affecting any of the provisions of chapter 11 of this title entitled Suspension or revocation of licenses  Violations, or as affecting the provisions of § 31-27-2.1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-5 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-5
§ 31-23-5. Performance ability of brakes.
Status: in_force

Every motor vehicle or combination of motor-drawn vehicles shall be capable at all times, and under all conditions of loading, of being stopped on a dry, smooth, level road free from loose material, upon application of the service (foot) brake within the distances specified below, or shall be capable of being decelerated at a sustained rate corresponding to these distances:
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-36-13 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-36 / Section 31-36-13
§ 31-36-13. Exemption and reimbursement for sales to United States or outside state  Emergency sales to other distributors.
Status: in_force

Any person who shall purchase fuels upon which the tax provided in this chapter shall have been paid and shall sell the fuels outside this state or to the United States government, may be reimbursed the amount of the tax in the manner and subject to the conditions provided in this chapter. All claims for reimbursement shall be made under oath to the tax administrator upon forms to be obtained from the tax administrator, within two hundred forty (240) days from the date of the purchase of the fuels, and shall contain any information and proof that the tax administrator may require, that the claimant has paid the tax and that the fuels have been sold by the claimant outside this state or to the United States government. Claims for reimbursement shall be paid by the general treasurer from the general fund upon certification by the tax administrator and with the approval of the controller. However, any distributor shall be exempt from the payment of any tax on fuels sold by the distributor to the United States government or to a person, firm, or corporation who or which shall use the fuel solely for the operation of railroad transportation equipment on fixed rails or tracks, upon the presentation to the tax administrator by the distributor of proof satisfactory to the tax administrator as to the sale. Provided, that any distributor shall be exempt from the payment of any tax on fuels sold by the distributor to another distributor who is registered with the tax administrator.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-49-6 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-49 / Section 31-49-6
§ 31-49-6. Selling or leasing ignition interlock systems.
Status: in_force

(a) A person may not sell or lease, or offer to sell or lease, an ignition interlock system to a person subject to the provisions of § 31-27-2.8 unless:

(1) The system has been certified by the division of motor vehicles; and

(2) A warning label approved by the division of motor vehicles is affixed to the system stating that a person who tampers, circumvents, or otherwise misuses the system is guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction is subject to a fine up to one thousand dollars ($1,000), or one year imprisonment, or both.

(b) A person who sells or leases ignition interlock systems in the state shall:

(1) Monitor the use of the system as required by the division of motor vehicles; and

(2) Issue a report of the results of the monitoring to the appropriate office of the division of motor vehicles and the division of parole and probation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-47-5 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-47 / Section 31-47-5
§ 31-47-5. Acceptance of financial security deposits.
Status: in_force

(a) All moneys or securities delivered to the assistant director as a financial security deposit shall be placed by the assistant director in the custody of the general treasurer. These assets shall be subject to execution to satisfy any judgment for damages for bodily injury or death, or injury to or destruction of property arising out of the ownership, maintenance, use, or operation of the motor vehicle with respect to which the deposit has been accepted. This deposit is subject to the same limits on amount required by this chapter for an owners policy of liability insurance, and if the moneys or securities shall be otherwise subjected to attachment or any execution, the depositor shall immediately furnish additional moneys or securities not otherwise subject to attachment or execution to meet the requirements of this chapter.

(b) The assistant director shall not accept moneys or securities as a financial security deposit unless accompanied by evidence that there are no unsatisfied judgments against the person.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-11-21.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-11 / Section 31-11-21.1
§ 31-11-21.1. Penalty for employing of unlicensed/unauthorized operator.
Status: in_force

(a) The registered owner of any school bus used for the transportation of school children shall be responsible for insuring that any person operating the school bus is licensed as provided in chapter 10 of this title, and the failure of any driver to have the proper licenses and certificates shall result in a fine against the registered owner of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) for each day the driver operates a school bus without the licenses and/or certificates. This fine shall be administered by the traffic tribunal. Nothing in this section shall preclude any civil or criminal penalty against the unlicensed operator of the school bus.

(b) The registered owner of any school bus used for the transportation of school children shall obtain from the division of motor vehicles every year a certificate indicating that the operators of any school bus registered to the registered owner is in full compliance with all the requirements of this title.

(c) The division of motor vehicles shall reply to any request made by any school bus owner in writing within ten (10) working days of the receipt of the request.

(d) The division of motor vehicles shall prepare forms for the filing of requests and answers to them.

(e) Licenses issued to school bus operators shall bear the date of the most recent division of motor vehicles check on its face.

(f) The division of motor vehicles shall fix a fee for the providing of the information required by this section, which fee shall be paid by the registered owner making the request.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-53-8 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-53 / Section 31-53-8
§ 31-53-8. Rules and regulations.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-27-1.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-27 / Section 31-27-1.1
§ 31-27-1.1. Driving so as to endanger, resulting in serious personal injury.
Status: in_force

(a) When the serious bodily injury of any person ensues as a proximate result of the operation of any vehicle in reckless disregard of the safety of others, including violations of § 31-27-22, the person so operating the vehicle shall be guilty of driving so as to endanger, resulting in serious bodily injury.

(b) Serious bodily injury means physical injury that creates a substantial risk of death or causes serious permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.

(c) Any person charged with a violation of this section shall upon conviction be imprisoned for not more than five (5) years and have his or her license to operate a motor vehicle suspended for no more than three (3) years.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-19-21 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-19 / Section 31-19-21
§ 31-19-21. Sale of used bicycles.
Status: in_force

In every sale of a used bicycle, the seller shall issue a bill of sale which shall contain on it the date of sale, the sellers and buyers names and addresses, the manufacturers name, model, and serial numbers where this information is available on the bicycle. Where any of this information is missing, the seller must obtain a registration number from the local police. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-19 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-18 / Section 31-18-19
§ 31-18-19. Negligence of children.
Status: in_force

A violation of any provision of this chapter by a child under the age of fourteen (14) shall not constitute negligence per se although a violation may be considered as evidence of negligence.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-22-19 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-22 / Section 31-22-19
§ 31-22-19. House trailers.
Status: in_force

(a) No person or persons shall occupy or otherwise be a passenger in a house trailer at any time while the house trailer is in transit or being moved in any manner upon the public highways of this state.

(b) Any person found guilty of violating any of the provisions of this section shall be fined fifteen dollars ($15.00) for each offense.

(c) For the purposes of this section, a house trailer is defined as a trailer or a semi-trailer which is designed, constructed, and equipped as a dwelling place, living abode, or sleeping place, either temporary or permanent and which is equipped for or capable of use as a conveyance on streets and highways.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-16 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-5 / Section 31-5-16
§ 31-5-16. Complaint to set aside department order.
Status: in_force

Any licensee or other person in interest being dissatisfied with the final order of the department, within twenty (20) days after the entry of that order by the department, may file a complaint in the superior court of the state of Rhode Island against the department as respondent to vacate and set aside the order on the ground that the order is unlawful and unreasonable.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-54 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-54
§ 31-3-54. Police Chief Emeritus  John C. Beebe III.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized and directed to issue a special registration plate for the motor vehicle of former police chief of the city of Newport, John C. Beebe III. This plate is to bear the identification Police Chief Emeritus along with an appropriate number and shall be furnished without additional registration charge for such period of time as John C. Beebe III so desires.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-4-1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-4 / Section 31-4-1
§ 31-4-1. Expiration of registration by transfer of interest in vehicle  Disposition of plates.
Status: in_force

Whenever the owner of a registered vehicle transfers or assigns his or her title or interest in ownership, or whenever he or she shall request the transfer of the registration to another vehicle owned by him or her, or shall remove the vehicle from the highways of this state to be used solely upon his or her property, the registration of the vehicle shall expire. The owner shall remove the registration plates from the vehicle and forward them to the division of motor vehicles, or may have such plates and the registration number thereon assigned to another vehicle upon payment of the fees required by law and subject to the rules and regulations of the division of motor vehicles. Any corporation or limited liability company in the business of providing vehicle leasing or vehicle rental may cancel a registration by submitting a sworn, notarized affidavit to the division of motor vehicles stating that the registration plates are unavailable due to loss, theft, or other reasons.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-22-11.4 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-22 / Section 31-22-11.4
§ 31-22-11.4. School bus drivers pre-trip inspection.
Status: in_force

Every school bus driver shall perform a daily pre-trip inspection of his or her assigned vehicle, and shall report promptly and in writing any defect or deficiencies discovered that may affect the safety of the vehicles operation or result in mechanical breakdown. Pre-trip inspection and condition reports for school vehicles subject to the motor carrier safety regulations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) as may be amended from time to time shall be performed in accordance with those regulations.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-45 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-45
§ 31-23-45. Tire treads.
Status: in_force

(a) No tire on a vehicle moved on a highway shall have on its periphery less than two thirty-seconds (2/32) of an inch of tread depth. The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized to remove from a highway any vehicle not conforming to this requirement and shall suspend the registration of the motor vehicle until it is made to conform to the requirements of this section.

(b) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-32-21 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-32 / Section 31-32-21
§ 31-32-21. Certificate of insurance as proof.
Status: in_force

Proof of financial responsibility for the future may be furnished by filing with the division of motor vehicles the written certificate of any insurance carrier duly authorized to do business in this state certifying that there is in effect a motor vehicle liability policy for the benefit of the person required to furnish proof of financial responsibility. The certificate shall give the effective date of the motor vehicle liability policy, which date shall be the same as the effective date of the certificate, and shall designate by explicit description or by appropriate reference all vehicles covered by it, unless the policy is issued to a person who is not the owner of a motor vehicle.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-47-18 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-47 / Section 31-47-18
§ 31-47-18. Automobile liability insurance rates.
Status: in_force

Any general or public law to the contrary notwithstanding, the commissioner shall, after consulting with all insurers licensed to write automobile liability insurance in this state, promulgate regulations which provide that automobile liability insurance rates shall take into account the past claim experience of the applicant for the insurance and incorporate the principles used in so called merit rating or experience rating rate plans which are now in effect in other states.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-50-6 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-50 / Section 31-50-6
§ 31-50-6. Severability.
Status: in_force

The provisions of this chapter are severable, and if any of its provisions shall be held unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, the decision of the court shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-3 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-17 / Section 31-17-3
§ 31-17-3. Intersection with through highway.
Status: in_force

The driver of a vehicle shall stop at the entrance to a through highway and shall yield the right-of-way to other vehicles which have entered the intersection from the through highway, or which are approaching so closely on the through highway as to constitute an immediate hazard, but the driver having so yielded may proceed and the drivers of all other vehicles approaching the intersection on the through highway shall yield the right-of-way to the vehicle so proceeding into or across the through highway. Violations of this section are subject to the fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-24-30 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-24 / Section 31-24-30
§ 31-24-30. Red lights in front prohibited.
Status: in_force

No person shall drive or move any vehicle or equipment upon any highway with any lamp or device on it displaying a red light visible from directly in front of the center of it. This section shall not apply to any vehicle upon which a red light visible from the front is expressly authorized or required by chapters 1  27 of this title. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-38-4 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-38 / Section 31-38-4
§ 31-38-4. Director of department of revenue to require periodic inspection.
Status: in_force

(a)(1) The director of revenue shall at least once each year, but not more frequently than twice each year, or on the schedule defined pursuant to chapter 47.1 of this title require that every vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer registered in this state or upon a retail sellers premise, be inspected and that an official certificate of inspection and approval be obtained for the vehicle, provided, that the director of revenue shall require the first inspection of any new motor vehicle within two (2) years from the date of purchase or before the vehicle accumulates twenty-four thousand (24,000) miles whichever occurs first.

(2) The inspections shall be made and the certificates obtained with respect to the mechanism, brakes, and equipment of the vehicle as shall be designated by the director of department of revenue.

(3) The director of the department of revenue is authorized to make necessary rules and regulations for the administration and enforcement of this chapter including, but not limited to, upgraded standards of operation and standards for mechanical testing equipment, and to designate any period or periods of time during which sellers at retail and owners of any vehicles, subject to this chapter, shall display upon the vehicles certificates of inspection and approval, or shall produce these certificates upon demand of any proper officer or employee of the department of revenue designated by the director of the department of revenue. In addition, the director shall require each inspection facility to file a copy of their active garage keepers legal liability insurance policy and maintain a minimum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) liability coverage. Said coverage shall be purchased for the purpose of insuring against any damage sustained to a vehicle while under the control of the inspection facility.

(b) The director of the department of revenue may authorize the acceptance in this state of a certificate of inspection and approval issued in another state having an inspection law similar to this chapter, and may extend the time within which a certificate shall be obtained.

(c) The director of the department of revenue, or the directors designee, may suspend the registration of any vehicle which he or she determines is in such unsafe condition as to constitute a menace to safety, or which, after notice and demand, is not equipped as required in this chapter or for which a required certificate of inspection and approval has not been obtained.

(d) The director of the department of revenue shall provide for a staggered inspection system by regulations.

(e) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-49-3 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-49 / Section 31-49-3
§ 31-49-3. Rules and regulations.
Status: in_force

(a) The rules and regulations adopted pursuant to § 31-49-2 shall include requirements that ignition interlock systems:

(1) Do not impede the safe operation of the vehicle;

(2) Minimize opportunities to be bypassed;

(3) Correlate accurately with established measures of blood alcohol levels;

(4) Work accurately and reliably in an unsupervised environment;

(5) Require a proper and accurate measure of blood alcohol levels;

(6) Resist tampering and provide evidence of attempted tampering;

(7) Are difficult to circumvent, and require premeditation to circumvent;

(8) Minimize inconvenience to a sober user;

(9) Are manufactured by a party responsible for installation, user training, service, and maintenance;

(10) Operate reliably over the range of motor vehicle environments or motor vehicle manufacturing standards;

(11) Are manufactured by a person who is adequately insured for products liability; and

(12) Provide the option for an electronic log of the drivers experience with the system.

(b) Upon the expiration of the interlock order by the court, the division of motor vehicles shall review the persons compliance with the ignition interlock order to ensure that the person has fulfilled the specific requirements as set forth by the sentencing judge or magistrate. Upon verification that said conditions have been satisfied, a motorists license shall be reinstated.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-11-18 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-11 / Section 31-11-18
§ 31-11-18. Driving after denial, suspension, or revocation of license.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person who drives a motor vehicle on any highway of this state who never applied for a license, or who drives after his or her application for a license has been refused, or after his or her license has expired, or who otherwise drives without a license, or at a time when his or her license to operate is suspended, revoked, or cancelled, for reasons other than those provided for in § 31-11-18.1, shall be subject to penalties and sanctions set forth in this section.

(b) Upon a first violation under this section, a civil penalty of not more than one hundred fifty dollars ($150) shall be imposed. For the second violation, a civil penalty of not more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) shall be imposed. For a third violation, a civil penalty of not more than three hundred fifty dollars ($350) shall be imposed. All violations under this subsection shall be heard in the traffic tribunal.

(c) Any person convicted of a fourth or a subsequent violation of subsection (a) shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and may, in the discretion of the sentencing judge, be imprisoned for a term not exceeding one year, fined not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000). Additionally, the sentencing judge may suspend the persons license for a period not to exceed one year. All violations under this subsection shall be heard in the district court.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any person driving after his or her license has expired shall be issued a summons to appear in the traffic tribunal not fewer than ten (10) days after the issuance of the summons, and shall not be taken into custody based solely on this charge absent a warrant. Any person who shall cause his or her expired license to be reinstated by the division of motor vehicles within ten (10) days after issuance of the summons may present proof of reinstatement at the headquarters of the charging police department. Presentation of proof of reinstatement within ten (10) days after the issuance of the summons shall cause the summons to be voided and shall otherwise constitute a complete defense to the charge of driving after expiration of license and a bar to prosecution for that charge. Any convictions under subsection (c) shall be expunged pursuant to the provisions of chapter 1.3 of title 12. For the purposes of this subsection, each of the several state police barracks shall be considered as a separate police headquarters.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-3 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-13 / Section 31-13-3
§ 31-13-3. Devices on local highways.
Status: in_force

The traffic authority of any city or town may place and maintain traffic control signals, signs, markings, and other safety devices upon the highways under their jurisdiction as they may deem necessary to indicate and carry out the provisions of chapters 12  27 of this title, or local traffic ordinances or to regulate, warn or guide traffic, provided the signals, signs, markings, and devices conform to the regulations and specifications established by the state traffic commission in accordance with this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-18 / Section 31-18-2
§ 31-18-2. Local ordinances.
Status: in_force

Local authorities are empowered by ordinance to require that pedestrians shall strictly comply with the directions of any official traffic control signal and may by ordinance prohibit pedestrians from crossing any roadway in a business district or any designated highways except in a crosswalk.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-44-19 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-44 / Section 31-44-19
§ 31-44-19. Notification and cooperation required.
Status: in_force

The director shall notify the attorney generals consumer protection division and antitrust bureau, department of justice, that the attorney general may accept and act on written complaints properly forwarded to it by the director relative to mobile/manufactured housing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10-31 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-10 / Section 31-10-31
§ 31-10-31. Fees.
Status: in_force

The following fees shall be paid to the division of motor vehicles:

(1) For every operators first license to operate a motor vehicle, twenty-five dollars ($25.00);

(2) For every chauffeurs first license, twenty-five dollars ($25.00); provided, that when a Rhode Island licensed operator transfers to a chauffeurs license, the fee for the transfer shall be two dollars ($2.00);

(3) [Deleted by P.L. 2024, ch. 41, § 1 and P.L. 2024, ch. 42, § 1.]

(4) For every operators first license to operate a motorcycle, fifty dollars ($50.00);

(5) For every renewal of an operators or chauffeurs license, thirty dollars ($30.00); with the exception of any person seventy-five (75) years of age or older for whom the renewal fee will be eight dollars ($8.00);

(6) For every duplicate operators or chauffeurs license and every routine information update, i.e., name change or address change, twenty-five dollars ($25.00);

(7) For every certified copy of any license, permit, or application issued under this chapter, ten dollars ($10.00);

(8) For every duplicate instruction permit, ten dollars ($10.00);

(9) For every first license examination, five dollars ($5.00);

(10) For surrender of an out-of-state license, in addition to the above fees, five dollars ($5.00).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-11-5 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-11 / Section 31-11-5
§ 31-11-5. Abstracts of court records  Recommendations of judge.
Status: in_force

A full record shall be kept by every court in this state of every case in which a person is charged with violation of any provision of this title, or any act relative to motor vehicles, or to the operation of the vehicles. An abstract of the record shall be sent by the court to the division of motor vehicles within ten (10) days of the time when the case is disposed of. The abstract shall be made upon forms prepared by the division of motor vehicles and shall include all necessary information as to the parties to the cause, the nature of the offense, the date of the hearing, the plea, the decision, the judgment, and the result, and every abstract shall be certified by the clerk of the court. The division of motor vehicles shall keep the records and they shall be open to the public inspection during the business hours of the division of motor vehicles. The judge of any court in the state may, in his or her discretion, or upon the request of the division of motor vehicles or its agents, furnish to the division of motor vehicles the details of cases which have been heard before the court; and the judge may make an order to the division of motor vehicles as to the suspension of the license of the defendant in cases as he or she may deem necessary. The order shall be binding on the division of motor vehicles.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-40-13 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-40 / Section 31-40-13
§ 31-40-13. Short title.
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Rhode Island Habitual Offender Act.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-6-11 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-6 / Section 31-6-11
§ 31-6-11. Transfer of registration.
Status: in_force

The fee for transfer of registration shall be fifteen dollars ($15.00) if the vehicle to be registered is of the same fee-class as the original vehicle or less, but if the proper registration fee for the vehicle to be registered is greater than the amount of the fee paid for the original registration, the fee shall be fifteen dollars ($15.00) plus the difference in registration fees of the original vehicle and the vehicle to be registered.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-11 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-11
§ 31-23-11. Warning devices on emergency vehicles.
Status: in_force

Any authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with a siren, whistle, or bell, capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred feet (500²) and of a type approved by the registry. The siren shall not be used except when the vehicle is operated in response to an emergency call or in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, in which latter events, the driver of the vehicle shall sound the siren when reasonably necessary to warn pedestrians and other drivers of its approach.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-38-17 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-38 / Section 31-38-17
§ 31-38-17. Procedure for a review of an order of the director of revenue.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person aggrieved by an order of the director of revenue pertaining to either a suspension, revocation, or denial of an application for a permit may appeal from the order of the director by filing a notice of request for review of the directors order with the sixth division of the district court pursuant to the procedures set forth in § 42-35-15.

(b) The filing of a petition to review shall not operate as a stay of the order of the director of revenue and the order shall remain in full force and effect during the pendency of the review.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-50-4 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-50 / Section 31-50-4
§ 31-50-4. Funding of office.
Status: in_force

The director of business regulation shall fund the office of automobile theft and insurance fraud annually through those insurers authorized to write automobile insurance in the state, in proportion to their market share, in an amount equal to one dollar ($1.00) per year times the total number of registrations of vehicles having a gross weight of ten thousand pounds (10,000 lbs.) or less. Insurers may collect the amount as a policy surcharge, separately identifiable on either the policy declaration page or billing. The director is authorized by rules and regulations to raise these funds and direct the method by which payment of these charges is to be implemented. All funds collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited as general revenues.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-4-8 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-4 / Section 31-4-8
§ 31-4-8. Dismantled vehicles.
Status: in_force

(a) Any owner dismantling or wrecking any registered vehicle shall immediately forward to the division of motor vehicles, the registration card, and the registration plate or plates last issued for that vehicle.

(b) Any motor vehicle, if repaired must be inspected and approved by the motor vehicles enforcement division prior to registration and, if required, reissuance of a new Rhode Island vehicle identification plate.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-8-2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-8 / Section 31-8-2
§ 31-8-2. Operation of vehicle when registration canceled, suspended, or revoked.
Status: in_force

No person shall operate, nor shall an owner knowingly permit to be operated, upon any highway, a motor vehicle the registration of which has been canceled, suspended, or revoked. Any violation of this section is a civil violation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-36-21 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-36 / Section 31-36-21
§ 31-36-21. Deposit in mail as sufficient notice.
Status: in_force

In the administration of this chapter and chapter 37 of this title, the requirement that the tax administrator give notice by mail shall be fulfilled by the depositing in any United States post office of the notice, either as ordinary, registered, or certified mail, directed to the latest address of the person concerned which shall have been filed with the tax administrator. It shall be the responsibility of each person liable for any tax under these chapters to keep the tax administrator informed of his or her correct address.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-38 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-38
§ 31-23-38. Television receivers prohibited.
Status: in_force

(a) No television viewer, screen, or other means of visually receiving a television broadcast shall be located in the field of view of the operator of the motor vehicle. Any person who drives or causes to be driven any motor vehicle in violation of the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100).

(b) This section does not prohibit the use of an electronic display used exclusively for safety or in conjunction with a vehicle navigation system.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-26-9 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-26 / Section 31-26-9
§ 31-26-9. Reports by law enforcement officers.
Status: in_force

(a) Every law enforcement officer who, in the regular course of duty, investigates a motor vehicle accident of which a report must be made as required and in accordance with subsections (a), (b), (d) and (e) of this section, either at the time of and at the scene of the accident or thereafter by interviewing participants or witnesses shall, effective January 1, 2003, submit all investigated and reportable accident reports to the department of transportation electronically. The form utilized shall be the newly revised accident form developed by the department of transportation in cooperation with the division of motor vehicles. The electronic accident report shall be transferred using the Rhode Island Accident Data Export Manager over the Rhode Island Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (RILETS) to the department of transportation.

(b) The law enforcement agency or its contracted agent shall transmit an electronic accident report to the department of transportation within fourteen (14) days of the investigation or preparing of the report and may maintain a copy locally.

(c) The driver of a vehicle that is involved in an accident shall submit the motorist accident report form to the division of motor vehicles within twenty-one (21) days of the accident, pursuant to § 31-26-6.

(d) Any accident occurring on a highway or upon premises open to the public resulting in injury or death to any person or damage to property equal to or in excess of one thousand dollars ($1,000) is subject to the reporting requirements. In addition, the division of motor vehicles will take action on reported accidents in excess of five hundred dollars ($500) for compliance with the state financial responsibility law pursuant to § 31-26-6.

(e) The department of transportation shall serve as the accident data repository agency for the electronic accident reports submitted by the law enforcement agencies in the state, and the division of motor vehicles shall remain as the repository agency for all motorist accident reports. Personal information, as defined in § 11-49.3-3, and associated with accident reports submitted pursuant to this section shall remain privileged except that the information may be provided to an involved party to the accident or their legal representative, an insurance company, or insurance-support organization or in accordance with Rhode Island general laws.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-12-3 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-12 / Section 31-12-3
§ 31-12-3. Obedience to police officers.
Status: in_force

No person shall willfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of any police officer invested by law with authority to direct, control, or regulate traffic, including any order or direction pertaining to fire lane parking violations whether on private or public property.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-31 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-31
§ 31-3-31. Registration of farm vehicles.
Status: in_force

(a) Farm vehicles, as defined in § 31-1-8, equipped with rubber tires while being used in farming and operated on highways shall be registered on a form furnished by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles and shall be assigned a special number plate with a suitable symbol or letter indicating the usage of the farm vehicle.

(b) The director of the department of revenue shall promulgate rules and regulations for the inspection of farm vehicles.

(c) Farm plates may not be utilized on: (1) Vehicles eligible for registration as private passenger automobiles; provided, however, that any vehicle eligible for registration as a private passenger and registered with farm plates prior to July 1, 2002, may continue to be registered with farm plates by the owner to whom the farm plates were issued; or (2) On any vehicle that is not a farm vehicle as defined in § 31-1-8.

(d) Farm plates may be displayed on vehicles used in the delivery of agricultural products produced by the farmer; however, farm plates shall not be displayed on vehicles used for deliveries by persons, as defined in § 31-1-17(g), that do not raise agricultural products.

(e) Any farm vehicle, as defined in § 31-1-8, that is not required to be registered and that is covered by an insurance policy applicable to farm property and operations and that includes liability coverage, shall be deemed to have liability insurance as required by § 31-3-3(c) and to meet liability insurance requirements set forth in this title as long as such a policy is in effect. Documentation of such insurance, including the name of the carrier, policy, number, and effective date, may be required by the division for the registration of said vehicle and for the renewal of such registration.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-22-11.7 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-22 / Section 31-22-11.7
§ 31-22-11.7. Unauthorized school bus entry.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person over eighteen (18) years of age who enters a school bus as defined in § 31-1-3 without prior authorization of the driver or a school official, and who refuses to disembark after being ordered to do so by the driver, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(b) A school district may place a notice at the entrance of the school bus that warns against the unauthorized entry or refusal to disembark prohibited by this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-7 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-18 / Section 31-18-7
§ 31-18-7. Crossing between intersections.
Status: in_force

Between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signals are in operation, pedestrians shall not cross at any place except in a marked crosswalk.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-38-3 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-38 / Section 31-38-3
§ 31-38-3. Owners and drivers to comply with inspection laws.
Status: in_force

(a) No seller at retail or person driving a vehicle shall refuse to submit the vehicle to an inspection and test as required by § 31-38-2.

(b) Every seller at retail, owner, or driver, upon receiving a notice as provided in § 31-38-2, shall comply with it and shall within five (5) days forward the approved notice to the department of revenue. In the event of noncompliance with this subsection, the vehicle shall not be operated on any highways of this state.

(c) Any vehicle which is found to be in such unsafe condition as to the brakes, steering, or other equipment as to be hazardous to permit it to be sold or driven from the place of inspection, then the vehicle shall not be permitted to be operated under its own power. The registration shall be immediately suspended by the department of revenue and the plates and certificates immediately returned to the department of revenue.

(d) In the event repair or adjustment of any vehicle or its equipment is found necessary upon inspection, the seller at retail or owner of the vehicle may obtain the repair or adjustment at any place he or she may choose, but in every event an approval shall be obtained, otherwise the vehicle shall not be operated upon the highways of this state.

(e) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-15-4 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-15 / Section 31-15-4
§ 31-15-4. Overtaking on left.
Status: in_force

The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to those limitations, exceptions, and special rules stated in this chapter:

(1) The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall give a timely, audible signal and shall pass to the left at a safe distance and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle.

(2) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, the driver of an overtaken vehicle shall give way to the right in favor of the overtaking vehicle on audible signal and shall not increase the speed of his or her vehicle until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle.

(3) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-33-6 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-33 / Section 31-33-6
§ 31-33-6. Owners liability for acts of others.
Status: in_force

Whenever any motor vehicle shall be used, operated, or caused to be operated upon any public highway of this state with the consent of the owner, lessee, or bailee, expressed or implied, the driver of it, if other than the owner, lessee, or bailee, shall in the case of an accident be deemed to be the agent of the owner, lessee, or bailee, of the motor vehicle unless the driver shall have furnished proof of financial responsibility in the amount set forth in chapter 32 of this title, prior to the accident. For the purposes of this section, the term owner includes any person, firm, copartnership, association, or corporation having the lawful possession or control of a motor vehicle under a written sale agreement.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-17 / Section 31-17-2
§ 31-17-2. Vehicle turning left or right.
Status: in_force

(a) The driver of a vehicle within an intersection intended to turn to the left or right shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is within the intersection or so close to it as to constitute an immediate hazard, or shall yield to a pedestrian intending to cross within a crosswalk which the driver of the vehicle must travel to make the left or right turn. The driver, having so yielded and having given a signal when and as required by chapter 16 of this title, may make the left or right turn, and the drivers of all other vehicles approaching the intersection from the opposite direction shall yield the right of way to the vehicle making the left or right turn. Violations of this section are subject to the fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4, unless bodily injury, serious bodily injury or death occurs to any person other than the offending operator under this section.

(b) When bodily injury of any person other than the offending operator of any motor vehicle is caused by violation of this section, the offending operator shall be fined two hundred dollars ($200). When serious bodily injury of any person other than the offending operator of any motor vehicle is caused by violation of this section, the offending operator shall be fined five hundred dollars ($500) and his/her drivers license shall be suspended for a period of three (3) months. When the death of any person other than the offending operator of any motor vehicle is caused by violation of this section, the offending operator shall be fined one thousand dollars ($1,000) and his/her drivers license shall be suspended for a period of one year.

(c) As used in this section, serious bodily injury means physical injury that creates a substantial risk of death or causes serious physical disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-96 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-96
§ 31-3-96. Emergency medical technician plates.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered and authorized to make available to all licensed emergency medical technicians a special motor vehicle registration plate for any motor vehicle eligible for registration as an automobile or for a commercial vehicle having a gross weight of ten thousand pounds (10,000 lbs.) or less.

(b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of and in the same manner as the registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and the registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with § 31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate. The administrator shall be authorized to retain newly issued plate numbers, at his or her discretion, for the purpose of conducting auctions of the right to use and display those numbers under such terms and conditions as the administrator may permit.

(c) The emergency medical technician plates shall be subject to a minimum prepaid order of at least nine hundred (900) sets of plates per plate type (i.e. passenger, commercial, etc.). Said plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the Hope Valley Ambulance Squad, Inc., and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for production until the minimum order(s) have been met, and the proper paperwork submitted to the division.

(d) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall develop application forms, pre-payment procedures and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(e) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue the plate upon the payment of a service charge of twenty dollars ($20.00) and a transfer charge of five dollars ($5.00) for the plate. All revenues shall be deposited as general revenues.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-42-6 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-42 / Section 31-42-6
§ 31-42-6. Unlicensed junkyards.
Status: in_force

When the director of the department of environmental management determines that an unlicensed junkyard exists, he or she may order the demolition and removal of the junked motor vehicles which are contained on the unlicensed premises. Notice of the order shall be sent by ordinary mail to the last and usual place of abode of the owner of the land where the unlicensed junkyard exists to demolish and remove the junked motor vehicles within a prescribed time (not to exceed three (3) months). If the demolition and removal of the junked motor vehicles does not occur within the time specified in the order, the director of the department of environmental management may then enter upon the premises or establishment and demolish and remove the junked motor vehicles without further notice.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-99 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-99
§ 31-3-99. Special plate for the wildlife rehabilitators association of Rhode Island (WRARI).
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for the not-for-profit Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island. The plates shall be designed to reference Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island.

(b) The special plates shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued, and shall be used in place of and in the same manner as the registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and returned to the division of motor vehicles. The registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with §31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate.

(c) The Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates, and shall be designed by the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles and with final approval from the Rhode Island state police.

(d) The Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island plates shall be subject to a minimum prepaid order of at least nine hundred (900) sets of plates per plate type (i.e. passenger, commercial, etc.). The Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order(s) requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island, and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for production until the minimum order(s) has been met, and the proper paperwork submitted to the division.

(e) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall develop prepayment procedures and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fees, the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island plates shall be subject to a forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.

(g) The forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows:

Twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund, and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be distributed to the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island to help further their efforts in caring for injured and orphaned wildlife. All of the money raised shall be spent in Rhode Island.

(h) The Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island will be required to submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed.

(i) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island plates.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-37 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-5 / Section 31-5-37
§ 31-5-37. Hearing on suspension or revocation of license.
Status: in_force

No license shall be suspended or revoked except after a hearing. The department shall give the licensee at least five (5) days written notice of the time and place of the hearing, together with a statement of the grounds for the proposed action.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-14 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-18 / Section 31-18-14
§ 31-18-14. Full stop for pedestrian with guide dog or white cane.
Status: in_force

Whenever a pedestrian is crossing or attempting to cross a public street or highway guided by a seeing-eye guide dog or a hearing-ear signal dog clearly identified as such by a yellow harness, which has been trained and educated to guide and assist the pedestrian in traveling upon the public streets; or carrying in a raised or extended position a cane or walking stick which is white in color or white tipped with red, the driver of every vehicle approaching the intersection, or place where the pedestrian is attempting to cross, shall bring his or her vehicle to a full stop before arriving at the intersection or place of crossing, and before proceeding shall take any precautions that may be necessary to avoid injuring the pedestrian.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-19-6 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-19 / Section 31-19-6
§ 31-19-6. Bicycles to right of road.
Status: in_force

Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction except where official traffic control devices (signs or pavement markings) specifically direct bicyclists to do otherwise.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-22-21.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-22 / Section 31-22-21.1
§ 31-22-21.1. Presence of alcoholic beverages while operating or riding in a motor vehicle.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall operate a motor vehicle upon the public highways with any unsealed alcoholic beverage container within the passenger section of the vehicle.

(b) Any person found in violation of this section may be fined not more than two hundred dollars ($200) or have his or her drivers license suspended for up to six (6) months, or both, for the first violation, and for each subsequent violation may be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500) or have his or her drivers license suspended for up to one year, or both.

(c) The operator of a rented limousine or bus shall not be subject to the provisions of this section provided neither the operator nor any passenger under the age of twenty-one (21) is in possession of any unsealed alcoholic beverage container.

(d) The original jurisdiction of this section shall be exclusively in the traffic tribunal.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-32-10 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-32 / Section 31-32-10
§ 31-32-10. Suspension for nonpayment of judgment.
Status: in_force

The division of motor vehicles upon receipt of a certificate copy of a judgment shall immediately suspend the license and registration and any nonresidents operating privilege, of any person against whom the judgment was rendered, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-42-2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-42 / Section 31-42-2
§ 31-42-2. Authority to take possession of abandoned motor vehicles and abandoned motor vehicles of no value.
Status: in_force

(a) A police department may, upon completion of a vehicle survey report, take into custody any motor vehicle found abandoned on public or private property. A police department may employ its own personnel, equipment, and facilities or authorize persons, equipment, and facilities for the purpose of removing, preserving and storing abandoned motor vehicles.

(b) The police shall post or attach to the vehicle, forty-eight (48) hours prior to towing, a notification of an abandoned vehicle indicating the vehicle will be towed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-48 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-48
§ 31-3-48. Plates for recipients of Purple Heart.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available to recipients of the Purple Heart Medal up to two (2) sets of special motor vehicle registration plates for any motor vehicle eligible for registration as an automobile or commercial vehicle having a gross weight of twelve thousand pounds (12,000 lbs.) or less, indicating the owner as a recipient of the Purple Heart.

(b) The plate shall contain the words combat wounded across the top of the plate and shall have an insignia for the Purple Heart and be followed by the letters P H, followed by a numeral or numerals. The Purple Heart insignia may be reproduced on the plate in the color purple.

(c) Upon the death of the holder of any Purple Heart plates, the plates shall be transferred to the holders surviving spouse for the spouses lifetime until the spouse remarries.

(d) The applicant is not required to pay a registration fee or service charge for the plates.

(e) Upon the death of the holder of any Purple Heart plates, if there is no surviving spouse, a family member of the recipient may retain one of the special motor vehicle registration plates in the family members own keeping, provided the family member does not display the plate upon any motor vehicle or any other form of transportation owned or operated by the family member. The other Purple Heart plate must be returned to the division of motor vehicles.

(f) Any violation of the provisions of subsection (e) of this section shall be deemed a civil violation, and any person displaying a special motor vehicle registration plate upon any vehicle shall, upon conviction, be fined five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense. Each day in which the special motor vehicle registration plate is displayed upon any vehicle shall be a separate offense punishable by the same penalty.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-115 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-115
§ 31-3-115. Special plate for the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation. The plates shall be designed to reference the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation and shall feature a striped bass.

(b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of, and in the same manner as, the registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and returned to the division of motor vehicles. The registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle in accordance with § 31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate.

(c) The Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed by the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation, in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, with design approval by the Rhode Island state police.

(d) The Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation plates shall be subject to a minimum prepaid order of at least nine hundred (900) sets of plates per plate type (i.e. passenger, commercial, etc.). The Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order(s) requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for production until the minimum order(s) have been met and the proper paperwork submitted to the division.

(e) The administrator of motor vehicles shall develop prepayment procedures and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation plates shall be subject to a forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.

(g) The forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows: Twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be distributed annually to the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation in furtherance of its mission to preserve our marine fisheries, environmental protection, restoration projects, and youth activity programs that foster recreational fishing, safety, and conservation.

(h) A ten-dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated to the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation.

(i) In consideration of the receipt of funds from the registration of the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation license plate, the foundation must use any Rhode Island sourced funds in, and for the benefit of, Rhode Island-based charitable organizations.

(j) The Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation shall be required to submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed.

(k) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Foundation plates.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-25-26 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-25 / Section 31-25-26
§ 31-25-26. Prohibition of commercial vehicles by local authorities.
Status: in_force

Local authorities with respect to highways under their jurisdiction may, by ordinance or resolution, prohibit the operation of trucks or other commercial vehicles, or may impose limitations as to the weight of those vehicles on designated highways, which prohibitions and limitations shall be designated by appropriate signs placed on the highways. For the purposes of this section, a suburban vehicle, as defined in § 31-1-3, shall not be deemed to be a truck or commercial vehicle.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-14-5 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-14 / Section 31-14-5
§ 31-14-5. Reduction by local authorities of speed limits at local intersections and streets within business or residence districts.
Status: in_force

Whenever local authorities within their respective jurisdictions determine upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation that the prima facie speed permitted under this chapter at any intersection or local street within a business or residence districts is greater than is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at the intersection, or local street within business or residence districts, the local authority, subject to § 31-14-8, shall determine and declare a reasonable and safe prima facie speed limit at that place, which shall be effective at all times or during hours of daylight or darkness or at any other times that may be determined when appropriate signs giving notice of it are erected at the intersection or local street within a business or residence district or at its approaches.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-37-16 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-37 / Section 31-37-16
§ 31-37-16. Brand names to be displayed.
Status: in_force

All aboveground equipment for storing or dispensing motor fuel or lubricating oil operated by a retail dealer shall bear in a conspicuous place the trademark and the name of the distributor of the product stored therein or sold or dispensed therefrom. If the motor fuel or lubricating oil stored in or sold or dispensed from the aboveground equipment by a retail dealer has no brand name or trademark, the container or dispensing equipment shall have conspicuously displayed on it the name of the distributor and the words No brand.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-25.2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-25.2
§ 31-3-25.2. Issuance of motorcycle dealers plates.
Status: in_force

The division of motor vehicles shall issue special motorcycle dealers plates as applied for, which shall bear the following: motorcycle dealer. The provisions of this chapter regarding application for, and display of dealers plates shall apply to motorcycle dealers plates. The plates shall be issued annually at a charge of twelve dollars and fifty cents ($12.50) per plate.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-11.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-11.1
§ 31-23-11.1. Warning lights on private vehicles.
Status: in_force

(a) A joint committee for volunteer permits, three (3) of whom shall be appointed by the president of the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs and two (2) of whom shall be appointed by the president of the Rhode Island Association of Police Chiefs, shall take responsibility for the following actions regarding warning lights on privately owned vehicles:

(1) Develop procedures for the design, issuance, transfer and revocation of permit stickers;

(2) Develop rules and regulations for the use of warning lights;

(3) Develop minimum training standards for drivers;

(4) Develop procedures to govern the boards activities.

(b) The fire chief or commander of a municipal or non-profit fire, rescue, or ambulance department shall take responsibility for the following actions regarding warning lights on privately owned vehicles:

(1) Make application for permits to joint committee on volunteer permits;

(2) Maintain a listing of vehicle registrations and vehicle identification numbers for which warning lights are issued;

(3) Ensure that permits are removed from vehicles upon transfer of ownership;

(4) Post in a conspicuous place at all times, standard operating guidelines for the proper use of warning lights.

(c) The chief or commander of any fire, rescue, or ambulance department shall limit the use of warning lights to chief officers, deputy chiefs, assistant chiefs, captains, or other members deemed necessary and appropriate by written justification to the joint committee on volunteer permits.

(d) The fire, rescue, or ambulance department must own any warning lights issued by the fire chief or commander of the department.

(e) Each authorized volunteer member of a fire, rescue, or ambulance department must affix a permit sticker on any vehicle utilizing warning lights in accordance with rules and regulations developed by the joint committee on volunteer permits. Authorized members shall only utilize these warning lights within their department jurisdiction as the members respond to an emergency or to provide protection while parked at the scene of an emergency.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-21-12 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-21 / Section 31-21-12
§ 31-21-12. Acquisition, maintenance, and operation of tow trucks by department of transportation.
Status: in_force

The department of transportation is authorized to acquire, equip, maintain and operate not more than four (4) tow trucks, and to assign state employees to the trucks for the removal of disabled motor vehicles from state highways, state bridges, state causeways, or state tunnels in accordance with § 31-21-11.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-8 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-8
§ 31-3-8. Registration card  Contents.
Status: in_force

The division of motor vehicles, upon registering a vehicle, shall issue a registration card. The registration card shall be delivered to the owner and shall contain upon the its face, the date issued, the name and address of the owner, the registration number assigned to the vehicle, and such description of the vehicle as determined by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles, and, upon its reverse side, a form for endorsement of notice to the division of motor vehicles upon transfer of the vehicle.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-17 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-17
§ 31-23-17. Windshield wipers.
Status: in_force

(a) The windshield on every motor vehicle shall be equipped with a device for cleaning rain, snow, or other moisture from the windshield, which device shall be so constructed as to be controlled or operated by the driver of the vehicle.

(b) Every windshield wiper upon a motor vehicle shall be maintained in good working order.

(c) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-24-24 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-24 / Section 31-24-24
§ 31-24-24. Single beam lamps.
Status: in_force

Head lamps arranged to provide a single distribution of light shall be permitted on motor vehicles manufactured and sold prior to November 1, 1951, in lieu of multiple beam road lighting equipment specified in this chapter if the single distribution of light complies with the following requirements and limitations:

(1) The head lamps shall be so aimed that when the vehicle is not loaded none of the high-intensity portion of the light shall, at a distance of twenty-five feet (25²) ahead, project higher than a level of five inches (5") below the level of the center of the lamp from which it comes, and in no case higher than forty-two inches (42") above the level on which the vehicle stands at a distance of seventy-five feet (75²) ahead.

(2) The intensity shall be sufficient to reveal persons and vehicles at a distance of at least two hundred feet (200²).

(3) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-12-7 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-12 / Section 31-12-7
§ 31-12-7. Privileges allowed emergency vehicles.
Status: in_force

The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle may:

(1) Park or stand, irrespective of the provisions of any law;

(2) Proceed past a red or stop signal or stop sign, but only after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation;

(3) Exceed the prima facie speed limits so long as he or she does not endanger life or property;

(4) Disregard regulations governing direction of movement or turning in specified directions.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-42-1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-42 / Section 31-42-1
§ 31-42-1. Definitions.
Status: in_force

(a) Abandoned motor vehicle means a motor vehicle that is inoperable and over eight (8) years old and is left unattended on public property for more than forty-eight (48) hours, or a motor vehicle that has remained illegally on public property for a period of more than three (3) days, or a motor vehicle that has remained on private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of the property for more than three (3) days.

(b) Abandoned motor vehicle of no value means a motor vehicle that is inoperable and over ten (10) years old and is left unattended on public property for more than forty-eight (48) hours, or a motor vehicle that has remained illegally on public property for a period of more than three (3) days, or a motor vehicle that has remained on private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of the property for more than three (3) days, and meets the following criteria:

(1) The vehicle has no evidence of current registration in or upon the vehicle;

(2) The vehicle has a fair market value of five hundred dollars ($500) or less; and

(3) The vehicle does not have a valid inspection sticker.

(c) Demolisher means any person whose business is to convert a motor vehicle into processed scrap or scrap metal, or otherwise to wreck or dismantle motor vehicles.

(d) Police department means the police department of a city or town. For the purposes of this section police department shall also include the Rhode Island airport corporation police department.

(e) Unlicensed junkyards means any establishment or premises which are used for the storing, keeping or accumulation of one or more inoperable, worn out, junked, or otherwise discarded motor vehicles, which establishment or premises do not have a license as an auto wrecking and salvage yard.

(f) Vehicle survey report means a report printed in the following form:
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-121 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-121
§ 31-3-121. Judge emeritus  Stephen J. Capineri.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized and directed to issue a special registration plate for the motor vehicle of the former judge of the Rhode Island family court, Stephen J. Capineri. This plate is to bear the identification Judge Emeritus, along with an appropriate designation number imprinted on it and shall be furnished without additional registration charge for such period of time as Stephen J. Capineri may desire.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10-3 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-10 / Section 31-10-3
§ 31-10-3. Persons ineligible for licenses.
Status: in_force

(a) The division of motor vehicles shall not issue any license under this chapter:

(1) To any person, as an operator, who is under the age of sixteen (16) years;

(2) To any person, as a chauffeur, who is under the age of eighteen (18) years;

(3) To any person, as an operator or chauffeur, whose license has been suspended, during that suspension, nor to any person whose license has been revoked, except as provided in § 31-11-10;

(4) To any person, as an operator or chauffeur, who is a habitual drunkard or habitual user of drugs to such an extent that he or she is incapable of safely driving a motor vehicle;

(5) To any person, as an operator or chauffeur, who is required by this chapter to take an examination unless that person shall have successfully passed that examination;

(6) To any person who is required under the laws of this state to deposit proof of financial responsibility and who has not deposited that proof;

(7) To any person when the administrator of the division of motor vehicles has good cause based on clear and convincing evidence to believe that that person does not meet a standard of physical or mental fitness for motor vehicle licensure established pursuant to § 31-10-44(b) and that the persons physical or mental condition prevents him or her from being able to operate a motor vehicle with safety upon the highway;

(8) To any person when the administrator of the division of motor vehicles has good cause to believe that the operation of a motor vehicle on the highways by that person would pose an imminent safety risk to the general public as determined by objectively ascertainable standards;

(9) To any person who is subject to an order issued pursuant to § 14-1-67.

(b) The division of motor vehicles shall notify in writing any person whose application for a license has been denied pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. The notice shall contain the factual and legal basis for the denial, the procedure for requesting a hearing, and the rights afforded the individual pursuant to the provisions of § 31-11-7(d)  (f). When physical or mental fitness is the basis for the denial, the notice shall reference the specific functional standard promulgated pursuant to § 31-10-44(b), which was relied upon by the division of motor vehicles. Upon his or her request the division of motor vehicles shall afford the license applicant an opportunity for a hearing as early as practical and no later than twenty (20) days after receipt of the request.

(c) The hearing procedures afforded the applicant shall conform to the provisions of § 31-11-7(d)  (f).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-36-17 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-36 / Section 31-36-17
§ 31-36-17. Carriers reports of deliveries.
Status: in_force

Every railroad, common carrier, or person delivering fuels into this state shall immediately report the delivery in writing to the state administrator, stating the names and addresses of the consignor and the consignee, the date and place of delivery, and the number of gallons delivered.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-21-17 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-21 / Section 31-21-17
§ 31-21-17. Motorcycle parking privileges.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever the proprietor of any shopping center including a shopping mall shall provide for parking spaces designated for use by motorcycles only, then no person shall park any vehicle other than a properly registered motorcycle in the space. Any person who unlawfully parks a vehicle in parking spaces designated for motorcycles shall be fined twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for a first violation, seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for a second violation, and one hundred dollars ($100) for a third or subsequent violation. The vehicle may be subject to towing at the owners expense.

(b) Enforcement of the parking provisions of this section shall be enforced by the local authorities.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-16-1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-16 / Section 31-16-1
§ 31-16-1. Care in starting from stop.
Status: in_force

No person shall start a vehicle which is stopped, standing, or parked unless and until the movement can be made with reasonable safety. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-79 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-79
§ 31-3-79. Special plate for Audubon Society of Rhode Island/Save the Bay.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates based upon two (2) not-for-profit entities, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and Save the Bay. The plate shall be designed to reference both entities.

(b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of and in the same manner as the registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and the registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with § 31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate.

(c) The Audubon Society of Rhode Island/Save the Bay motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles.

(d) Audubon Society of Rhode Island/Save the Bay plates shall be subject to a minimum pre-paid order of at least nine hundred (900) plates. Audubon Society of Rhode Island/Save the Bay plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order requirements are met.

(e) The administrator of motor vehicles shall develop application forms, pre-payment procedures and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, Audubon Society of Rhode Island/Save the Bay plates shall be subject to a forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.

(g) The forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows: twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be distributed annually and equally; ten dollars ($10.00) per plate to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island; and ten dollars ($10.00) per plate to Save the Bay, to assist the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and Save the Bay in furtherance of their mission of preserving the states natural scenic beauty, fish and wildlife, and to continue the educational efforts of these respective entities. The distributions to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and Save the Bay shall be placed in separate restricted accounts for each entity and shall be paid to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and Save the Bay.

(h) A ten dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated equally; five dollars ($5.00) per registration to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island; and five dollars ($5.00) per registration to Save the Bay.

(i) Both the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and Save the Bay will be required to submit an annual audit, prepared by a certified public accountant before such monies are distributed.

(j) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of Audubon Society of Rhode Island/Save the Bay plates.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-30 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-30
§ 31-3-30. Accident chasing by tow trucks.
Status: in_force

It shall be unlawful for any tow car or tow truck to be at the scene of a motor vehicle accident unless summoned by the participants in that accident or by the owners of the respective vehicles involved in that accident. Any owner of any tow car or tow truck or his or her duly authorized agent, if found guilty of violating the provisions of this section, shall be fined not exceeding twenty dollars ($20.00) for the first offense and for any subsequent offense shall be fined not exceeding twenty dollars ($20.00) and have his or her special registration certificate suspended by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles for such period as the administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall determine.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-46-7 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-46 / Section 31-46-7
§ 31-46-7. Repair of salvaged vehicles  Licenses.
Status: in_force

(a) A salvage rebuilders license shall be established and issued to all licensed auto body repair facilities that qualify under established guidelines. The regulations shall outline equipment and training necessary to rebuild (total loss) salvage vehicles prior to the issuance of a certificate of salvage title by the division of motor vehicles under § 31-46-4. The guidelines shall be promulgated by and the license shall be issued by the department of business regulation.

(b) No company, corporation, business or person(s) shall rebuild salvage vehicles unless in possession of a valid salvage rebuilders license.

(c) Any vehicle repaired or rebuilt by person(s) not in possession of this license shall have its title stamped FOR PARTS ONLY.

(d) Any company, agency or person(s) found in violation of this section shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than two (2) years, or a fine of five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both.

(e) The director of the department of business regulation shall be required to issue a salvage rebuilders license form which for the purposes of record keeping shall be numbered. Any salvage vehicle sold to a salvage rebuilder licensee shall be assigned a salvage rebuilders license form which shall be presented at the time of registration of any salvage vehicle.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-2-5 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-2 / Section 31-2-5
§ 31-2-5. Official seal.
Status: in_force

The administrator may adopt an official seal for the use of the division of motor vehicles.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-5.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-17 / Section 31-17-5.1
§ 31-17-5.1. Penalties.
Status: in_force

Any person who violates any provision of §§ 31-17-1  31-17-5, pertaining to the right-of-way of pedestrians, upon conviction, shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than seventy-five ($75.00).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-32-34 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-32 / Section 31-32-34
§ 31-32-34. Requiring additional proof.
Status: in_force

Whenever any proof of financial responsibility filed under the provisions of this chapter no longer fulfills the purposes for which it is required, the division of motor vehicles shall, for the purpose of this chapter, require other proof as required by this chapter and shall suspend the license and registration or the nonresidents operating privilege pending the filing of other proof.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-45-5 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-45 / Section 31-45-5
§ 31-45-5. Motor vehicle radios, stereos and audio systems.
Status: in_force

It shall be unlawful for any motor vehicle with a radio, stereo or audio system to produce sound which exceeds those limits specified in this chapter. Police cars, ambulances and fire engines shall not be subject to this section. Local cities and towns may, at their discretion, issue temporary exemption by special permit upon a showing of good cause. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-42-8 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-42 / Section 31-42-8
§ 31-42-8. Duties of demolishers.
Status: in_force

(a) Any demolisher who purchases or otherwise acquires a motor vehicle for purposes of wrecking, dismantling, or demolition shall not be required to obtain a registration for the motor vehicle in his or her own name. After the motor vehicle has been demolished, processed, or changed so that it physically is no longer a motor vehicle, the demolisher shall surrender for cancellation the registration or auction sales receipt. The state division of motor vehicles shall issue any forms, rules, and regulations governing the surrender of auction sales receipts and registrations that are appropriate.

(b) A demolisher shall keep an accurate and complete record of all motor vehicles purchased or received by the demolisher in the course of his or her business. These records shall contain the name and address of the person from whom the motor vehicle was purchased or received and the date when the purchases or receipts occurred. The records shall be open for inspection by any police department at any time during normal business hours. Any record required by this section shall be kept by the demolisher for at least one year after the transaction to which it applies.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-22-12 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-22 / Section 31-22-12
§ 31-22-12. Supervision and inspection of vehicles transporting passengers for hire.
Status: in_force

(a) The division of motor vehicles shall have jurisdiction over the lighting, equipment, safety, and sanitary condition of all taxicabs, buses, jitneys, and other vehicles used for the transportation of passengers for hire, and shall cause an inspection of them to be made before registering the vehicles and from time to time thereafter as it shall deem necessary for the convenience, protection, and safety of passengers and the public.

(b) A fee of two dollars ($2.00) shall be paid to the division of motor vehicles for each inspection as required by this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-33-3 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-33 / Section 31-33-3
§ 31-33-3. Falsification of reports or proof of responsibility.
Status: in_force

Any person who gives information required in a report or otherwise as provided for in § 31-33-1, knowing or having reason to believe that the information is false, or who shall forge or, without authority, sign any evidence of proof of financial responsibility for the future as required by chapter 32 of this title or who files or offers for filing any evidence of proof knowing or having reason to believe that it is forged or signed without authority, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10-26.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-10 / Section 31-10-26.1
§ 31-10-26.1. Anatomical gifts by drivers.
Status: in_force

(a) The division of motor vehicles shall cause to be sent to each person applying for or renewing a license, as provided for in § 31-10-26, a document containing a summary description and explanation of the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, chapter 18.6.1 of title 23.

(b) The division of motor vehicles may, on behalf of the state accept and deposit with the general treasurer any grant, gift, or contribution made to assist in meeting the cost of carrying out the purposes of this section and to expend the grant, gift, or contribution for those purposes.

(c) The division of motor vehicles may make and sign any agreements and may do and perform any and all acts which may be necessary or desirable to carry out the purposes of this section.

(d) The division of motor vehicles shall issue special licenses upon request of a licensee which conform to the provisions of the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, chapter 18.6.1 of title 23.

(e) Neither the administrator of the division of motor vehicles nor any employee of the state shall be liable in any suit for damages as a result of his or her acts or omissions or for any action under the provisions of this section.

(f) The division of motor vehicles shall cause to be posted in all of its customer service locations a sign or other material encouraging persons to make anatomical gifts during the process of issuing and renewing licenses provided for in § 31-10.1-1 and in accordance with the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, chapter 18.6.1 of title 23.

(g) The division of motor vehicles shall cause to be produced application forms and renewal forms for drivers licenses and nonoperator identification cards that clearly offer Rhode Island residents the option to consent to organ and tissue donation in accordance with § 31-10.1-8. Only a yes or affirmative response will be noted. Information held by the division of motor vehicles regarding a persons consent to donate shall constitute the Rhode Island Donor Registry. This information will be made available to all federally designated organ procurement organizations and law enforcement organizations twenty-four (24) hours a day via a password protected Internet connection and will only be used to facilitate anatomical gifts in accordance with the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, chapter 23-18.6.1.

(h) The division of motor vehicles shall develop by January 1, 2008 a method that requires written consent and confirmation to allow residents of Rhode Island to have their names accurately added to or deleted from the divisions Rhode Island Donor Registry in the periods between mandated drivers license renewals. Persons added to the Donor Registry in this manner shall be considered as having made a document of gift.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-19-9 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-19 / Section 31-19-9
§ 31-19-9. Carrying articles.
Status: in_force

No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle, or article which prevents the use of both hands in the control and operation of the bicycle. A person operating a bicycle shall keep at least one hand on the handlebars at all times.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-74 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-74
§ 31-3-74. Police chief emeritus.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized and directed to issue a special registration plate for the motor vehicle of the former police chief of the town of Coventry, Roger J. Laliberte. This plate is to bear the identification Police Chief Emeritus, along with an appropriate designation number imprinted on it and shall be furnished without additional registration charge for long as Roger J. Laliberte so desires.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-18 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-18
§ 31-23-18. Solid rubber tires.
Status: in_force

Every solid rubber tire on a vehicle shall have rubber on its entire traction surface at least one inch thick above the edge of the flange of the entire periphery.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-17 / Section 31-17-1
§ 31-17-1. Right-of-way in absence of signs or signals.
Status: in_force

(a) The driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle which has entered the intersection from a different highway.

(b) When two vehicles enter an intersection from different highways at approximately the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on the right.

(c) The right-of-way rules declared in subsections (a) and (b) of this section are modified at through highways and otherwise as stated in this chapter.

(d) Violations of this section are subject to the fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4, unless bodily injury, serious bodily injury or death occurs to any person other than the offending operator under this section.

(e) When bodily injury of any person other than the offending operator of any motor vehicle is caused by violation of this section, the offending operator shall be fined two hundred dollars ($200). When serious bodily injury of any person other than the offending operator of any motor vehicle is caused by violation of this section, the offending operator shall be fined five hundred dollars ($500) and his/her drivers license shall be suspended for a period of three (3) months. When the death of any person other than the offending operator of any motor vehicle is caused by violation of this section, the offending operator shall be fined one thousand dollars ($1,000) and his/her drivers license shall be suspended for a period of one year.

(f) As used in this section, serious bodily injury means physical injury that creates a substantial risk of death or causes serious physical disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-14-2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-14 / Section 31-14-2
§ 31-14-2. Prima facie limits.
Status: in_force

(a) Where no special hazard exists that requires lower speed for compliance with § 31-14-1, the speed of any vehicle not in excess of the limits specified in this section or established as authorized in this title shall be lawful, but any speed in excess of the limits specified in this section or established as authorized in this title shall be prima facie evidence that the speed is not reasonable or prudent and that it is unlawful:

(1) Twenty-five miles per hour (25 mph) in any business or residence district;

(2) Fifty miles per hour (50 mph) in other locations during the daytime;

(3) Forty-five miles per hour (45 mph) in such other locations during the nighttime;

(4) Twenty miles per hour (20 mph) in the area within three hundred feet (300²) of any school house grounds entrances and exits during the daytime during the days when schools shall be open.

(5) The provisions of subdivision (4) of this subsection shall not apply except when appropriate warning signs are posted in proximity with the boundaries of the area within three hundred feet (300²) of the school house grounds, entrances, and exits.

(b) Daytime means from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. Nighttime means at any other hour.

(c) The prima facie speed limits set forth in this section may be altered as authorized in §§ 31-14-4  31-14-8.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10-47 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-10 / Section 31-10-47
§ 31-10-47. Notification of selective service registration requirement.
Status: in_force

(a) Any male, United States citizen or immigrant who is at least eighteen (18) years of age, but less than twenty-six (26) years of age shall be registered in compliance with the requirements of section 3 of the Military Selective Service Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 451 et seq., when applying to receive a drivers license, renewal or identification card or renewal.

(b) The division of motor vehicles shall forward in an electronic format the name, address, date of birth, social security number, if applicable to the applicant, and date of application to the selective service system. The applicants submission of the application shall serve as an indication that the applicant has already registered with the selective service or that he is authorizing the department to forward to the selective service the necessary information for such registration. The department shall notify the applicant on the application that his submission of the application will serve as his consent to be registered with the selective service system, if so required by federal law.

(c) The provisions of this section shall apply to male United States citizens or immigrants between the ages of eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26) who are applying for issuance, renewal or duplicate of an instruction permit, a drivers license, a provisional drivers license, a commercial drivers license, or an identification card on or after June 28, 2002.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-46-5 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-46 / Section 31-46-5
§ 31-46-5. Penalties.
Status: in_force

Any person, firm, or corporation who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10-8 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-10 / Section 31-10-8
§ 31-10-8. Special armed forces operators license.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized to issue a special form of motor vehicle operators license, at no fee, to any person serving in the armed forces of the United States who at the time of his or her entrance into the armed forces was a legal resident of Rhode Island and the holder of a valid license. The special license shall be valid during the term of the persons period of service and for thirty (30) days thereafter unless sooner cancelled, suspended, or revoked for cause, and the person shall, while operating a motor vehicle upon the public highways, carry the special license upon his or her person and shall also carry upon his or her person conclusive evidence of the fact that he or she is a member of the armed forces of the United States.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-10.4 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-20 / Section 31-20-10.4
§ 31-20-10.4. Exemption from discharge requirements of § 31-20-10.3.
Status: in_force

(a) Rural communities are exempted from the provisions of § 31-20-10.3(b) when:

(1) A school bus is turning one hundred and eighty degrees (180 degrees) on a road;

(2) A school bus is backing up on a road; or

(3) A school bus is stopping on a road of low traffic flow.

(b) For purposes of this section, rural community means any community in which there is a regionalized school district and the towns of Burrillville, Scituate, Little Compton, and New Shoreham.

(c) For purposes of this section, low traffic flow means any road designated as a road with low traffic flow by the state traffic commission.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-44-21 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-44 / Section 31-44-21
§ 31-44-21. Documentary stamps.
Status: in_force

(a) The payment of the tax imposed by this chapter shall be evidenced by the affixing of a documentary stamp or stamps to instrument by the person making, executing, delivering, or presenting for recording the instrument and only the original instrument shall be accepted for recording. The stamps shall be affixed in the manner that is consistent with § 44-25-4.1 authorizing the use of hand stamps. The recorder of deeds or clerks shall affix upon the face of each original instrument, by hand stamp issued by the tax administrator, a receipt clearly showing the amount of tax paid by the person making, executing, delivering, or presenting for recording the original instrument.

(b) Whenever a hand stamp is authorized and used, the provisions of § 44-25-4(b) and (c) shall apply to the hand stamp.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-120 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-120
§ 31-3-120. Police chief emeritus  Gary Malikowski.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized and directed to issue a special registration plate for the motor vehicle of the former police chief of the town of West Greenwich, Gary Malikowski. This plate is to bear the identification Police Chief Emeritus, along with an appropriate designation number imprinted on it and shall be furnished without additional registration charge for such period of time as Gary Malikowski may desire.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-37-1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-37 / Section 31-37-1
§ 31-37-1. Filling station license.
Status: in_force

Every owner shall, before continuing or commencing to transact the business of operating a filling station, obtain from the tax administrator a license for each filling station operated. Applications for the licenses shall be made to the tax administrator on forms to be obtained from the administrator and the administrator, if satisfied as to the facts stated in the application, shall issue a license for the filling station, which license shall entitle the owner to continue or commence to engage in the business within the state provided the owner shall have complied with all ordinances or other local regulations respecting the location of pumps.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-15-16 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-15 / Section 31-15-16
§ 31-15-16. Use of emergency break-down lane for travel.
Status: in_force

No person shall operate a motor vehicle for travel on the emergency break-down lane of any highway. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-84 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-84
§ 31-3-84. Special plate in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available a special motor vehicle registration plate in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The plate shall bear the designation Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968 and shall bear the seal of the state imprinted on it. The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of and in the same manner as the original registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and the registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with § 31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate.

(b) A special automobile or commercial commemorative Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. plate shall be issued upon application using forms furnished by the administrator upon payment in addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, and a service charge of forty dollars ($40.00) for each issue. The service charge shall be paid to the administrator prior to the administrators acceptance of the application. The forty dollar ($40.00) service charge shall be allocated to the division of motor vehicles for its costs in manufacturing and distributing the special plates.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-25-23 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-25 / Section 31-25-23
§ 31-25-23. Conditions and restrictions on excess load permits.
Status: in_force

(a) The department of transportation or local authority is authorized to issue or withhold a permit at its discretion, or if the permit is issued, to limit the number of trips, or to establish seasonal or other time limitations within which the described vehicles may be operated on the indicated highways, or otherwise to limit or prescribe conditions of operation of the vehicle or vehicles, when necessary to assure against undue damage to the road foundations, surfaces, or structures, and may require any undertaking or other security that may be deemed necessary to compensate for any injury to any roadway or road structure.

(b) Whenever a permit is issued by the department of transportation or local authority for continuous operation, the permit shall not be issued for a period in excess of the registration date of the subject vehicle.

(c) Upon re-registration of the subject vehicle, permits shall be issued by the department of transportation or local authority, upon the re-certification of the braking and carrying capacity of the subject vehicle as specified on the expired permit.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-36-5 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-36 / Section 31-36-5
§ 31-36-5. Measurement and marking of capacity of vehicles for transportation of fuels.
Status: in_force

The capacity of every vehicle tank, and each compartment of it used for the transportation of fuels, shall be measured and sealed by an official sealer of weights and measures, and the capacity when so determined shall be plainly printed upon the right hand side of the vehicle tank in letters and numerals not less than one inch (1") in height.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-12-9 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-12 / Section 31-12-9
§ 31-12-9. Due care by emergency vehicles.
Status: in_force

The provisions of this chapter shall not relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons, nor shall the provisions protect the driver from the consequences of the drivers reckless disregard for the safety of others.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-27-15 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-27 / Section 31-27-15
§ 31-27-15. Disposition of fines and forfeitures.
Status: in_force

(a) All fines and forfeitures collected upon conviction or upon forfeiture of bail of any person charged with a violation of any of the provisions of chapters 1  46 of this title shall be deposited in the treasury of the state.

(b) Provided, a city or town police department, enforcing any motor vehicle violation contained in this title, which results in a conviction, shall receive five dollars ($5.00) from any fine imposed in accordance with the provisions of § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-25-27.4 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-25 / Section 31-25-27.4
§ 31-25-27.4. Weight restrictions on South Main Street  Coventry.
Status: in_force

(a) No commercial motor truck or tractor with a gross weight exceeding four (4) tons, except those listed in this section, shall be allowed to travel on South Main Street.

(b) The director of the department of transportation is directed to post signs to limit access as prescribed in subsection (a) of this section.

(c) The following vehicles shall be exempt from the provisions of this section: any commercial vehicle whose destination is anywhere, either on or off the routes stated in subsection (a) of this section; any and all emergency vehicles, state vehicles, municipal vehicles, public transit vehicles, and marked school administration vehicles.

(d) Any commercial registered motor truck or tractor with a gross weight exceeding four (4) tons, shall be prohibited from traveling the routes stated in subsection (a) as a through route. Signs will be posted by the department of transportation stating Local Deliveries Only  No Through Trucking  4 Ton Weight Limit.

(e) Violations of this section shall be a fine of fifty dollars ($50.00) for the first offense, not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100) for each and every subsequent offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-11-20 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-11 / Section 31-11-20
§ 31-11-20. Permitting unauthorized person to drive prohibited.
Status: in_force

No person shall authorize or knowingly permit a motor vehicle owned by him or her or under his or her control to be driven upon any highway by any person who is not authorized under this title or in violation of any of the provisions of this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-27-3 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-27 / Section 31-27-3
§ 31-27-3. Right of person charged with operating under influence to physical examination.
Status: in_force

A person arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of narcotic drugs or intoxicating liquor, whatever its alcoholic content, shall have the right to be examined at his or her own expense immediately after the persons arrest by a physician selected by the person, and the officer so arresting or so charging the person shall immediately inform the person of this right and afford the person a reasonable opportunity to exercise the right, and at the trial of the person the prosecution must prove that he or she was so informed and was afforded that opportunity.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-7 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-20 / Section 31-20-7
§ 31-20-7. Specifications for stop signs.
Status: in_force

A stop sign shall bear the word stop in letters not less than six inches (6") in height, and the sign shall at nighttime be rendered luminous by steady or flashing internal illumination, by a fixed floodlight projected on the face of the sign, or by efficient reflecting elements on the face of the sign.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-15-19 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-15 / Section 31-15-19
§ 31-15-19. Two-way left turn lanes.
Status: in_force

A two-way left turn lane may be designated near the center of a roadway for use by vehicles making left turns in both directions from or into the roadway.

(1) Two-way left turn lanes shall be designated by distinctive roadway markings consisting of parallel double yellow lines, interior line dashed and exterior line solid on each side of the lane. The department of transportation may determine and prescribe standards and specifications governing length, width, and positioning of the distinctive pavement markings. All pavement markings designating a two-way left turn lane shall conform to the department of transportations standards and specifications.

(2) A vehicle shall not be driven in a designated two-way left turn lane except when preparing for or making a left turn from or into a highway or when preparing for or making a U-turn when otherwise permitted by law, and shall not be driven in that lane for more than two hundred feet (200²) while preparing for and making the turn or while preparing to merge into the adjacent lanes of travel. A left turn or U-turn shall not be made from any other lane where a two-way left turn lane has been designated.

(3) This section shall not prohibit driving across a two-way left turn lane.

(4) Raised pavement markers may be used to simulate painted lines described in this section when such markers are placed in accordance with standards established by the department of transportation.

(5) Upon any vehicle entering the turn lane, no other vehicle proceeding in the opposite direction shall enter that turn lane if that entrance would prohibit the vehicle already in the lane from making the intended turn.

(6) When vehicles enter the turn lane proceeding in opposite directions, the first vehicle to enter the lane shall have the right-of-way.

(7) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-58 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-58
§ 31-3-58. Judge Emeritus  Edward J. Plunkett.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized and directed to issue a special registration plate for the private passenger motor vehicle of former district court judge, Edward J. Plunkett. This plate is to bear the identification Judge Emeritus with an appropriate number and a seal of the state thereon imprinted and the plate shall be furnished without additional registration charge for such period of time as Judge Plunkett so desires.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-37-7 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-37 / Section 31-37-7
§ 31-37-7. Weights and measures.
Status: in_force

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to give false or insufficient weight or measure in the sale of fuels or lubricating oils.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-19.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-5 / Section 31-5-19.1
§ 31-5-19.1. Auction of antique and classic motor vehicles.
Status: in_force

The provisions of § 31-5-19 shall not apply to an auction of classic motor vehicles or antique motor vehicles as defined in § 31-1-3. A classic motor vehicle means a motor vehicle that is not sold in the normal course of business by a dealer and is determined to be a motor vehicle having some unique or special value as a collectible, as defined by the department. The department shall have the power to license the auctions and provide for any rules and regulations that it shall deem appropriate.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-33-14 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-33 / Section 31-33-14
§ 31-33-14. Return of registration plates on disposing of vehicle.
Status: in_force

Any person who shall sell, lose possession of, or have destroyed by collision or fire, or who shall junk or otherwise dispose of any motor vehicle owned by or registered to that person, shall, in addition to returning the certificate of registration to the division of motor vehicles as required by chapter 4 of this title, immediately return to the custody of the division of motor vehicles, the number plates or markers issued under the registration certificates. If the number plates or markers are lost or destroyed, the owner of the motor vehicle to whom the number plates or markers were issued, shall file with the division of motor vehicles upon a form furnished by the division of motor vehicles, a statement under oath, satisfactory to the division of motor vehicles as to the circumstances surrounding the loss or destruction of the number plates or markers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-9-8 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-9 / Section 31-9-8
§ 31-9-8. Notice by owner of theft or embezzlement.
Status: in_force

The owner of, or person having a lien or encumbrance upon, a registered vehicle which has been stolen or embezzled may notify the division of motor vehicles of the theft or embezzlement, but in the event of an embezzlement may make a report only after having procured the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the person charged with the embezzlement.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-37-13 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-37 / Section 31-37-13
§ 31-37-13. Advertising statements to include taxes with price  Inclusion of all prices offered in advertisement.
Status: in_force

(a) Any advertisement of motor fuel by a retail dealer which states, refers to, or relates to the price of motor fuel, shall state that the per gallon price includes all taxes imposed with respect to the manufacture or sale of the motor fuel, or shall state the amount of the taxes separately and apart from the selling price or prices.

(b) To provide for truth in advertising, any retail dealer of motor fuel who chooses to advertise the price of any grade or type of motor fuel, in addition to the mandatory requirements of § 31-37-11, shall post in that advertisement (sign or otherwise) all of the prices of each and every grade or type of motor fuel offered by the dealer for sale. The numerals for every price offered for sale shall be equal in size and character.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-9-2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-9 / Section 31-9-2
§ 31-9-2. Possession of stolen vehicle or parts.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person who, with intent to procure or pass title to a vehicle which he or she knows or has reason to believe has been stolen or unlawfully taken, receives or transfers possession of the vehicle from or to another, or who has in his or her possession any vehicle which that person knows or has reason to believe has been stolen or unlawfully taken, and who is not an officer of the law engaged at the time in the performance of his duty as an officer of the law, is guilty of a felony.

(b) Any person who receives, barters, conceals, stores, sells, conveys, or disposes of stolen vehicle parts which that person knows or has reason to believe have been stolen or unlawfully taken is guilty of a felony. Conviction for a second and for subsequent convictions under this section may be punished by imprisonment for a term of not less than one year nor more than ten (10) years, or by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both fine and imprisonment.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-119 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-119
§ 31-3-119. Special plate for Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for the not-for-profit corporation Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America. The plates shall be designed to reference Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America.

(b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued, and shall be used in place of and in the same manner as the registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and returned to the division of motor vehicles. The registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with §31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate.

(c) The Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates, and shall be designed by the Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, with the design approved by the Rhode Island state police.

(d) The Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America plates shall be subject to a minimum pre-paid order of at least nine hundred (900) sets of plates per plate type (i.e. passenger, commercial, etc.). The Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order(s) requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America, and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for production until the minimum order(s) have been met and the proper paperwork submitted to the division.

(e) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall develop application forms, pre-payment procedures, and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, the Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America plates shall be subject to a forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.

(g) The forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows:

Twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be distributed annually to the Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America to assist in the furtherance of its programs in the state of Rhode Island.

(h) The Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America will be required to submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed.

(i) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of Rhode Island Boy Scout plates.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-38 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-5 / Section 31-5-38
§ 31-5-38. Certiorari from the department.
Status: in_force

Any licensee or other person in interest being dissatisfied with an order of the department of revenue may file a petition for certiorari in the supreme court.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-24 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-5 / Section 31-5-24
§ 31-5-24. Denial of license  Hearing.
Status: in_force

The department may, without prior notice, deny the application for a license within thirty (30) days of its receipt by written notice to the applicant, stating the grounds for the denial. Upon request by the applicant, whose license shall have been so denied, the department shall set the time and place of a hearing upon a denial, and the department shall conduct the hearing with reasonable promptness.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-9 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-13 / Section 31-13-9
§ 31-13-9. Flashing signals.
Status: in_force

Whenever an illuminated flashing red or yellow signal is used in a traffic sign or signal it shall require obedience by vehicular traffic as follows:

(1) Flashing red (stop signal). When a red lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, drivers of vehicles shall stop before entering the nearest crosswalk at an intersection or at a limit line when marked, or, if none, then before entering the intersection, and the right to proceed shall be subject to the rules applicable after making a stop at a stop sign.

(2) Flashing yellow (caution signal). When a yellow lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, drivers of vehicles may proceed through the intersection or past the signal only with caution.

(3) Flashing green (pedestrian signal). When a green lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, drivers of vehicles may proceed through the intersection or crosswalk past the signal only with caution.

(4) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-32-17 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-32 / Section 31-32-17
§ 31-32-17. Installment payment of judgments.
Status: in_force

(a) A judgment debtor, upon due notice to the judgment creditor, may apply to the court in which the judgment was rendered for the privilege of paying the judgment in installments. The court, in its discretion and without prejudice to any other legal remedies which the judgment creditor may have, may so order and fix the amounts and times of payment of these installments.

(b) The division of motor vehicles shall not suspend a license, registration, or nonresidents operating privilege, and shall restore any license, registration, or nonresidents operating privilege suspended following nonpayment of a judgment, when the judgment debtor gives proof of financial responsibility and obtains an order permitting the payment of the judgment installments, and while the payment of any installments is not in default.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-6-12 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-6 / Section 31-6-12
§ 31-6-12. Business and special license fees.
Status: in_force

The following fees shall be collected by the division of motor vehicles:

(1) For each license to deal in motor vehicles and for each branch office of a dealer, sixty dollars ($60.00).

(2) For dealer registration number plates and a dealer certificate, thirty dollars ($30.00) if the dealer operates not more than three (3) motor vehicles, trailers, or semi-trailers at any one time, and ten dollars ($10.00) plus the cost of number plates for every motor vehicle, trailer, or semi-trailer in excess of three (3) motor vehicles, trailers, or semi-trailers.

(3) For bailee registration number plates and a bailee certificate, thirty dollars ($30.00) if the bailee operates not more than three (3) motor vehicles, trailers, or semi-trailers at any one time, and ten dollars ($10.00) plus the cost of number plates for every motor vehicle, trailer, or semi-trailer in excess of three (3) motor vehicles, trailers, or semi-trailers.

(4) For each manufacturer, factory branch, or factory representative license, five dollars ($5.00).

(5) For each wreckers license, sixty dollars ($60.00).

(6) For in-transit number plates and certificates, thirty dollars ($30.00) if the owner operates or moves not more than three (3) pieces of mobile equipment at any one time, and ten dollars ($10.00) plus the cost of number plates for every piece of mobile equipment in excess of three (3) pieces of mobile equipment.

(7) For special use identification tags and special use certificates, ten dollars ($10.00).

(8) For transporter registration number plates and a transporter certificate, thirty dollars ($30.00) if the transporter operates not more than three (3) motor vehicles, trailers, or semi-trailers at any one time, and ten dollars ($10.00) plus the cost of number plates for every motor vehicle, trailer, or semi-trailer in excess of three (3) motor vehicles, trailers or semi-trailers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-47-9.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-47 / Section 31-47-9.1
§ 31-47-9.1. Penalties  Illegal evidence of financial security.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall knowingly make, sell or otherwise make available any invalid or counterfeit evidence of financial security as defined in this chapter. No person shall alter any invalid evidence of financial security to make it appear valid.

(b) Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500), nor more than three thousand dollars ($3,000), or imprisonment of not more than one year, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-26 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-5 / Section 31-5-26
§ 31-5-26. Appeal from the department of revenue.
Status: in_force

Any licensee or other person in interest being dissatisfied with an order of the department of revenue may appeal the order to the sixth division of the district court pursuant to the procedure established pursuant to § 42-35-15.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-40 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-40
§ 31-3-40. Special use identification tags.
Status: in_force

(a) A new car dealer or used car dealer may apply to the administrator of the division of motor vehicles for special use identification tags for use on vehicles sold by him or her pending the registration of the vehicles, and provided that all vehicles upon which special use identification tags are to be used conform to the standards for general safety. Special use identification tags shall be of a size and type determined by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles, and shall be sold to dealers at a cost to be determined by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles, not to exceed twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per plate.

(b) Special use certificates and special use identification tags may be used on a vehicle sold by the dealer to a resident or nonresident. The special use certificate and special use identification tags shall be valid for no more than twenty (20) days including the date of delivery of the certificate and tags by the dealer, and no dealer or any other person shall extend the expiration date thereof, nor shall any person other than the administrator of the division of motor vehicles issue another similar certificate or tag. The special certificate shall be carried in the vehicle bearing the special use identification tags whenever the vehicle is being operated on a public highway. Special use identification tags shall be displayed in the same manner as required in this chapter for the display of registration plates. Upon the removal of special use identification tags from a vehicle, they shall be destroyed immediately by the person to whom issued or his or her agent.

(c) Upon the issuance of a special use certificate and special use identification tags, the dealer shall prepare the special use certificate in triplicate and shall print or type all of the information required on the certificate. The dealer shall imprint legibly with a rubber date stamp, in black ink, upon the special use identification tag, the date of expiration of the tag in letters and numerals not less than one inch (1³) in height, nor less than one-fourth of an inch (Â¼³) in width. The special use identification tag shall also contain the vehicle identification number of the car on which it is displayed and the dealers identification number. The original copy of the special use certificate shall be given to the person named in the certificate. The duplicate copy shall become the notice required by subsection (d) of this section. The third copy shall be held in the dealers files and shall be exhibited upon demand of the administrator of the division of motor vehicles or of any peace officer.

(d) Notice of delivery of the special use certificate and special use identification tags shall be mailed to the administrator of the division of motor vehicles not later than the next business day after delivery.

(e) In the event that a dealer goes out of business, or transfers his or her business to any other person, firm, or corporation, the dealer shall return to the administrator of the division of motor vehicles within five (5) days all special use certificates and special use identification tags held by him or her.

(f) No dealer shall make any use of special use certificates or special use identification tags except in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(g) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-53-1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-53 / Section 31-53-1
§ 31-53-1. Short title.
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as The Automobile Airbag Fraud Prevention Act of 2010.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-44-16 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-44 / Section 31-44-16
§ 31-44-16. Department of business regulation to hear matters.
Status: in_force

(a) The director of the department of business regulation, or his or her designee, shall hear matters involving mobile and manufactured housing park rules, specifically this chapter. The director shall not have jurisdiction over issues relative to rent increases or jurisdiction over evictions.

(b) Nothing in this section shall preclude the right of the director to use the services of a mediator to resolve a dispute involving mobile/manufactured housing park rules.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-25 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-25
§ 31-3-25. Issuance of dealers plates.
Status: in_force

(a) The division of motor vehicles shall issue special dealers plates as applied for, which shall have displayed on them the general distinguishing number assigned to the applicant. Each plate so issued shall also contain a number or symbol identifying the plate from every other plate bearing the same general distinguishing number. The division of motor vehicles shall issue dealers plates every three (3) years in clearly distinguishable colors, one color to be used by new vehicle dealers, another color for used vehicles dealers, and another color for transporter and bailee plates. The color for each category enumerated in this section shall be changed every three (3) years with the issuance of the plates, and vehicle identification devices will be provided annually.

(b) The dealer plate issuance scheduled for January 1, 2017, shall be deferred until January 1, 2018 to coincide with the dealer license renewal cycle.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-21-3 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-21 / Section 31-21-3
§ 31-21-3. Removal of vehicle obstructing traffic on bridge or in tunnel.
Status: in_force

Whenever any police officer finds a vehicle, whether attended or unattended, disabled upon any bridge or causeway or in any tunnel where the vehicle constitutes an obstruction to traffic, the officer is authorized to provide for the removal of the vehicle to the nearest garage, service station, or other place of safety.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-24-8 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-24 / Section 31-24-8
§ 31-24-8. Height of tail lamps.
Status: in_force

Every tail lamp upon every vehicle shall be located at a height of not more than seventy-two inches (72") nor less than twenty inches (20") to be measured as set forth in § 31-24-3. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-11 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-20 / Section 31-20-11
§ 31-20-11. Marking of school buses  Penalty for violation.
Status: in_force

(a) Every bus used for the transportation of school children shall be painted yellow and bear upon the front and rear of it a plainly visible sign containing the words school bus in black letters not less than eight inches (8") in height. Every bus shall also bear on the right and left side the name of the school district for which the bus is transporting children in letters not less than four inches (4") in height and shall be painted black. Any bus being used for the transportation of persons, the majority of whom are under the age of eighteen (18) may display such a sign.

(b) Except as provided in this section, when a school bus is operated upon a street or highway for purposes other than the actual transportation of children, all marking indicating school bus shall be covered or concealed. Whenever any school bus is sold and/or is no longer used for the purpose of transporting children, its color shall be changed from national school bus chrome or any other shade of yellow to any other color, and the four (4) flashing warning lights shall be removed before the vehicle can be registered or reregistered for any purpose other than the transportation of school children.

(c) The division of motor vehicles shall require proof of the change of color and other modifications prior to registering the vehicle.

(d) Every school bus shall display a sign located below the rear window of the bus which reads unlawful to pass when red lights are flashing. The sign shall have black letters not less than four inches (4") nor more than six inches (6") high on a white reflective background.

(e) Any person, firm, or corporation found in violation of this section shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars ($100).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-25-12 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-25 / Section 31-25-12
§ 31-25-12. Flags on tow chains.
Status: in_force

When one vehicle is towing another and the connection consists of a chain, rope, or cable, there shall be displayed upon the connection a white flag or cloth not less than twelve inches (12") square. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-34-4 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-34 / Section 31-34-4
§ 31-34-4. Liability of owner for negligence of operator.
Status: in_force

(a) Any owner of a for-hire motor vehicle or truck who has given proof of financial responsibility under this chapter or who in violation of this chapter has failed to give proof of financial responsibility, shall be jointly and severally liable with any person operating the vehicle for any damages caused by the negligence of any person operating the vehicle by or with the permission of the owner. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent an owner who has furnished proof of financial responsibility or any person operating the vehicle from making defense in an action upon the ground of contributory negligence to the extent to which the defense is allowed in other cases.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, or any provisions contained under this title to the contrary, the valid and collectible liability insurance or self-insurance providing coverage or liability protection for third-party liability claims arising out of the operation of the rental vehicle shall be primary for the lessor or any person operating the motor vehicle, with the express permission of the lessor unless otherwise stated in at least ten-point (10) type on the face of the rental agreement. That insurance or self-insurance is primary only up to the limits required under § 31-47-2(13)(i)(A).

(c) Lessor includes any entity in the business of renting motor vehicles pursuant to a written rental agreement.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-42 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-23 / Section 31-23-42
§ 31-23-42. First-aid kit and heating equipment in school bus.
Status: in_force

Every school bus as defined in § 31-1-3 shall be equipped with a first-aid kit containing those articles and appliances generally included in an approved American Red Cross first-aid kit used in the administration of first-aid treatment. Every school bus shall also be equipped with an operable system for completely and adequately heating the bus while transporting children.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-6-14 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-6 / Section 31-6-14
§ 31-6-14. Return of rejected or erroneously collected fees.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever any application to the division of motor vehicles is accompanied by any fee as required by law, and the application is refused or rejected, the fee shall be returned to the applicant.

(b) Whenever the division of motor vehicles, through error collects any fee not required to be paid the fee shall be refunded to the person paying it upon application made within one year after the date of the payment. The one year period for refund may be extended at the discretion of the administrator of the division of motor vehicles.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10-33 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-10 / Section 31-10-33
§ 31-10-33. Records to be kept by the division of motor vehicles.
Status: in_force

(a) The division of motor vehicles shall file every application for a license received by it and shall maintain suitable indexes containing, in alphabetical order:

(1) All applications denied and on each application shall note the reasons for the denial;

(2) All applications granted; and

(3) The name of every licensee whose license has been suspended or revoked and after each name shall note the reasons for the action.

(b) The division of motor vehicles shall also file all accident reports and abstracts of court records of convictions received by it under the laws of this state. The division shall maintain convenient records or make suitable notations in order that an individual record of each licensee showing the convictions of that licensee and the traffic accidents in which the licensee has been involved shall be readily ascertainable and available for the consideration of the division of motor vehicles upon any application for a renewal of license and at other suitable times.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-17 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-18 / Section 31-18-17
§ 31-18-17. Pedestrians on freeways.
Status: in_force

Any pedestrian who shall cross any freeway as defined by § 24-10-1, except in an emergency or to render assistance in case of an accident or unforeseen cause, shall be deemed to be guilty of a civil violation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-6.1.1 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-6.1.1
§ 31-3-6.1.1. Denial of registration  Denial of transfer of registration  Failure to file tax returns and/or pay taxes.
Status: in_force

(a) On or before October 31 in each year and at least quarterly thereafter, the tax administrator shall furnish the division of motor vehicles, with a list of the names, addresses and social security numbers of persons who have neglected or refused to file a tax return(s) and/or to pay any tax administered by the tax administrator and that there is no administrative or appellate review pending regarding such tax matter.

(b) Thereafter, the tax administrator, at the times and in the manner mutually agreed to by the tax administrator and the administrator of the division of motor vehicles, shall furnish to the division of motor vehicles the names, addresses and social security numbers of those persons whose names appear on that list but who have subsequently filed all required returns and paid all required taxes, interest and attendant penalties in full or entered into a time payment agreement satisfactory to the tax administrator. Upon receipt of said information, said names, addresses and social security numbers of said persons shall be removed from the list.

(c) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall not register any motor vehicle or transfer the registration of any motor vehicle for any person whose name appears on a list provided by the tax administrator pursuant to subsection (a) above until all state taxes, interest and attendant penalties have been paid in full and the payment has been certified to the division of motor vehicles by the tax administrator.

(d) If the person thereafter files an overdue return and/or remits past taxes due or enters into a satisfactory time payment agreement with respect to any and all returns due and taxes payable, the tax administrator shall, within five (5) business days of the persons request, provide the division of motor vehicles with a certificate of good standing specified in § 5-76-5. Within five (5) business days of receiving such a certificate, the division of motor vehicles shall register or transfer the persons registration.

(e) If a person files an overdue return and/or remits past due taxes in order to register a motor vehicle or transfer the registration of a motor vehicle, said late filing and/or payment shall not be an admission of a violation of any criminal tax statute regarding late filing and/or late payment. The tax administrator shall not refer such person to the attorney general for prosecution based solely upon said late filing and/or payment of past due taxes.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-33-18 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-33 / Section 31-33-18
§ 31-33-18. Short title.
Status: in_force

Chapters 31  33 of this title may be cited as the Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-9-5 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-9 / Section 31-9-5
§ 31-9-5. Alteration of identification number.
Status: in_force

(a)(1) No person shall with fraudulent intent remove, deface, destroy, or alter the manufacturers serial or engine number or any other distinguishing number or identification mark of a motor vehicle or any of its parts nor shall any person place or stamp any serial, engine, or other number or mark upon a motor vehicle or any part, except one assigned to it by the division of motor vehicles. Any violation of this provision is a felony.

(2) The fact that a person removed, defaced, destroyed, or altered the manufacturers serial or engine number or any other distinguishing number or identification mark of a motor vehicle or part, or that a person placed or stamped on a motor vehicle part any serial, engine, or other number or mark different from that originally assigned by the manufacturer to it, without first obtaining a permit from the division of motor vehicles, shall be prima facie evidence of that persons fraudulent intent.

(b) This section shall not prohibit the restoration by an owner of an original serial, engine, or other number or mark when that restoration is made under a permit issued by the division of motor vehicles, nor prevent any manufacturer from placing in the ordinary course of business numbers or marks upon motor vehicles or their parts.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-25-11 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-25 / Section 31-25-11
§ 31-25-11. Connections between coupled vehicles.
Status: in_force

When one vehicle is towing another the drawbar or other connection shall be of sufficient strength to pull all weight towed by it and the drawbar or other connection shall not exceed fifteen feet (15²) from one vehicle to the other, except the connection between any two (2) vehicles transporting poles, pipe, machinery, or other objects of structural nature which cannot readily be dismembered. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-15-6 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-15 / Section 31-15-6
§ 31-15-6. Clearance for overtaking.
Status: in_force

No vehicle shall be driven to the left side of the center of the roadway in overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, unless the left side is clearly visible and is free of oncoming traffic for a sufficient distance ahead to permit the overtaking and passing to be completely made without interfering with the safe operation of any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction or any vehicle overtaken. In every event the overtaking vehicle must return to the right-hand side of the roadway before coming within one hundred feet (100²) of any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10-2 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-10 / Section 31-10-2
§ 31-10-2. Persons exempt from licensing requirements.
Status: in_force

The following persons are exempt from the licensing requirements of this chapter:

(1) Any employee of the United States government while operating a motor vehicle owned by or leased to the United States government and being operated on official business;

(2) A nonresident who is at least sixteen (16) years of age and who has in his or her immediate possession a valid operators license issued to him or her in his or her home state or country may operate a motor vehicle in this state only as an operator;

(3) A nonresident who is at least eighteen (18) years of age and who has in his or her immediate possession a valid chauffeurs license issued to him or her in his or her home state or country may operate a motor vehicle in this state either as an operator or chauffeur. Subject to the age limits applicable to chauffeurs in this state, that license shall be accepted as a chauffeur class I license. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a nonresident must submit an application for a chauffeur class I license which must be approved before a nonresident may be employed as a chauffeur in this state;

(4) Any nonresident who is at least eighteen (18) years of age, whose home state or country does not require the licensing of operators, may operate a motor vehicle as an operator only, for a period of not more than ninety (90) days in any calendar year, if the motor vehicle so operated is duly registered in the home state or country of that nonresident;

(5) Any operator of any traction engine, road roller, farm tractor, crane, power shovel, well-borer, and any other road and building construction machinery and equipment, other than a truck used for the transportation of materials.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-56 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-56
§ 31-3-56. Congressman Emeritus  Fernand J. St. Germain.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized and directed to issue a special registration plate for the private passenger motor vehicle of former United States representative, first district, Fernand J. St. Germain. This plate is to bear the identification Congressman Emeritus, along with an appropriate number and the plate shall be furnished without additional registration charge for such period of time as Fernand J. St. Germain so desires.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-21-7 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-21 / Section 31-21-7
§ 31-21-7. Parallel parking  Proximity to curb.
Status: in_force

Except as otherwise provided in §§ 31-21-8 and 31-21-9, every vehicle stopped or parked upon a roadway where there are adjacent curbs shall be stopped or parked with the right-hand wheels of the vehicle parallel to and within twelve inches (12") of the right-hand curb.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-46 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-46
§ 31-3-46. P.O.W. plates.
Status: in_force

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue plates designated as Ex-P.O.W. upon application on proper forms furnished by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles to former prisoners of war (P.O.W.) of World Wars I and II, the Korean conflict, and Vietnam conflict. The plates may be issued for any motor vehicle eligible for registration as an automobile, or a commercial vehicle having a gross weight of twelve thousand pounds (12,000 lbs.) or less. The applicant shall not be required to pay a registration fee or service charge for the plate. Upon the death of the holder of any P.O.W. plates, the plates shall be transferred to the holders surviving spouse for the spouses lifetime until the spouse remarries.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-49 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-49
§ 31-3-49. Chief Judge Emeritus  Charles F. Trumpetto.
Status: in_force

The division of motor vehicles of motor vehicles is authorized and directed to issue a special registration plate for the private passenger motor vehicle of former district court judge, Charles F. Trumpetto. This plate is to bear the identification Chief Judge Emeritus with a seal of the state imprinted on it and shall be furnished without additional registration charge for such period of time as Judge Trumpetto so desires.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-127 — RI Code / Title 31 / Chapter 31-3 / Section 31-3-127
§ 31-3-127. Special plate for Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for the not-for-profit entity Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island. The plates shall be designed to reference the not-for-profit entity Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island.

(b) The special design plates shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of and in the same manner as the registration plate issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and returned to the division of motor vehicles. The registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with § 31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special design plate.

(c) The Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed by Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles and with final approval from the Rhode Island state police.

(d) The Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island plates shall be subject to compliance with § 31-3-117 relating to the number of minimum prepaid orders of plates per plate type (i.e., passenger, commercial, etc.) and any required payment. The Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order(s) requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for production until the minimum order(s) has been met and the proper paperwork submitted to the division.

(e) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall develop prepayment procedures and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fees, the Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island plates shall be subject to a forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.

(g) The forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows: Twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be distributed annually to Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island to assist in the fiscal needs and in furtherance of its mission.

(h) A ten dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated to Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island.

(i) In consideration of the receipt of funds from the registration of the Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island license plate, Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island must use any Rhode Island-sourced funds in and for the benefit of Rhode Island-based charitable organizations to benefit dyslexic children, through tuition grants and teacher reimbursement for Orton-Gillingham training.

(j) Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island will be required to submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed.

(k) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of Dyslexia Advocacy Rhode Island plates.