2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 31 - Motor and Other Vehicles › Chapter 31-3 - Registration of Vehicles › Section 31-3-31.2. - Custom vehicles — Definition — Registration and fees.

§ 31-3-31.2. Custom vehicles — Definition — Registration and fees.
(a)
A custom vehicle means any motor vehicle that:
(1)
Is at least twenty-five (25) or more years old and of a model year after 1948; or was manufactured to resemble a vehicle twenty-five (25) years old and of a model year after 1948; and
(2)
Has been altered from the manufacturer’s original design; or has a body constructed from nonoriginal materials.
(3)
The model year and the year of manufacture that are listed on the certificate of title or registration certificate of a custom vehicle shall be the model year and year of manufacture that the body of such vehicle resembles.
(b)
For each such custom vehicle, there shall be a one-time pre-registration surcharge of fifty dollars ($50.00) which said sum(s) shall be accumulated by the division of motor vehicles until such time as said sum reaches an aggregate of twenty-three thousand dollars ($23,000) whereupon said division is authorized to proceed with the ordering/manufacturing of plates as required by subsection (d) herein. In addition thereto, and from hence forth, there shall be paid regular registration fees required for standard passenger vehicles as determined by the division of motor vehicles.
(c)(1)
In applying for registration of a custom vehicle under this section, the owner of the custom vehicle shall submit with the application a certification that the vehicle for which the application is made:
(i)
Will be maintained for occasional transportation, exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours, and similar uses; and
(ii)
Will not be used for general daily transportation.
(2)
In addition to the certification required under subsection (c)(1) of this section, when applying for registration of a custom vehicle, the new owner of the custom vehicle shall provide proof acceptable to the administration that the custom vehicle passed a safety inspection that has been approved by the administration in consultation with the custom vehicle community in this state.
(d)
On registration of a vehicle under this section, the administration shall issue a special custom vehicle registration plate of the size and design that the administration determines in consultation with the custom vehicle community of this state.
(e)
Unless the presence of the equipment was specifically required by a statute of this state as a condition of sale in the year listed as the year of manufacture on the certificate of title, the presence of any specific equipment is not required for the operation of a vehicle registered under this section.
(f)
A vehicle registered under this section is exempt from any statute that requires periodic vehicle inspections and from any statute that requires the use and inspections of emission controls.
(g)
Signal lamps and devices — Street rod vehicles and custom vehicles:
(1)
“Blue dot tail light” means a red lamp installed in the rear of a motor vehicle containing a blue or purple insert that is not more than one inch in diameter.
(2)
A street rod or custom vehicle may use blue dot tail lights for stop lamps, rear turning indicator lamps, rear hazard lamps, and rear reflectors.
History of Section.
P.L. 2004, ch. 310, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 457, § 1; P.L. 2023, ch. 280, § 1, effective June 22, 2023; P.L. 2023, ch. 318, § 1, effective June 22, 2023.