Title 31, Title 31 and Other Vehicles

(a) The administrator of motor vehicles may design and issue, under such regulations as he or she shall deem appropriate, temporary registration plates. Any vehicle issued a temporary plate may be operated on the public highways for a period of five (5) days from the date of issu…

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered and authorized to make available to all active firefighters and retired firefighters a special motor vehicle registration plate for any motor vehicle eligible for registration as an automobile, or commercial veh…

(a) Registration plates issued for a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle, trailer, transporter vehicle, in-transit vehicle, or a bailee engaged in a business as defined in § 31-1-17(a), or other than a motor vehicle owned by a duly authorized dealer in motor vehicles and which …

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized to issue a special registration certificate and marker for any motor vehicle constructed to be used for racing, and that must be towed over the public highways to and from such places where those vehicles are to be…

Every motor vehicle, trailer, semi-trailer, pole trailer, motorized camper, tent trailer, travel trailer, pick-up coach, and pick-up camper, owned by a resident of this state when operated or drawn upon a highway within this state for a period of thirty (30) days, shall be subjec…

Out-of-state residents owning motorized bicycles, whose state of residence does not require the registration of those vehicles, shall register the vehicles in the state of Rhode Island and upon payment of the registration fee shall be issued stickers to be placed on the vehicle e…

(a) Every motorcycle, motorized bicycle, and motorized tricycle owned by a resident of this state shall be subject to the registration provisions of chapters 3 — 9 of this title whether the motorcycle, motorized bicycle, or motorized tricycle is operated or drawn upon a highway w…

(a) A manufacturer or dealer owning any vehicle of a type otherwise required to be registered under this chapter, or any bona fide employee of a manufacturer or dealer, or any other appropriate persons as defined by this chapter, or by regulations issued pursuant to this chapter,…

(a)(1) An auto body repair shop, officially licensed by the department of business regulations, may loan a motor vehicle to a client/customer whose registered motor vehicle is undergoing auto body repair on the premises of the respective auto body repair shop, and may affix to th…

(a) A bailee may operate or move any vehicle of a type otherwise required to be registered under this chapter upon the highways solely for the purpose of delivery, upon displaying on the vehicle the plates issued to him or her as provided in §§ 31-3-23 — 31-3-25. (b) In transit p…

The provisions of §§ 31-3-20 — 31-3-27 shall not apply to work or service vehicles owned by a manufacturer, bailee, transporter, or dealer.

Any manufacturer, bailee, transporter, or dealer may apply to the division of motor vehicles on the appropriate form to obtain a certificate containing a general distinguishing number and for one or more special plates as appropriate to various types of vehicles subject to regist…

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 moto…

The division of motor vehicles, upon granting any application shall issue to the applicant a certificate containing the applicant’s name and address and the general distinguishing number assigned to the applicant.

(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 oth…

The cost for the annual issuance of the new plates shall be an additional one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) per set per year.

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 division of motor vehicles shall issue special boat dealer’s plates as applied for, which shall bear the following: “boat dealer”. The “boat dealer” plates shall be used only on boat trailers used by the boat dealer in the course of his or her business. With respect to traile…

Every special plate issued pursuant to this chapter shall expire at midnight on the thirty-first (31st) day of December of each year. A new plate or plates for the ensuing year may be obtained by the person to whom any expired plate or plates was issued by applying to the divisio…

Every manufacturer, bailee, transporter, or dealer shall be at all times fully responsible and aware as to the use of special plates and the identity of the vehicles to which they are attached, and shall make this information immediately available to any proper officer.

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized and empowered to make, alter, or amend, such rules and regulations that he or she may deem necessary, pertaining to the use, size, design, color scheme, and the material to be used in the manufacture of the num…

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall require that every tow car or tow truck shall be licensed with a special registration certificate.

(a) Every owner of a vehicle subject to registration under this chapter shall apply to the division of motor vehicles for the registration of it using the appropriate form or forms furnished by the division of motor vehicles. Every application shall bear the signature of the owne…

(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 perio…

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 au…

(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 s…

(a) Definition of terms: (1) A “street rod” means a motor vehicle that: (i) Is a 1948 or older vehicle; or the vehicle was manufactured after 1948 to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1949; and (ii) Has been altered from the manufacturer’s original design; or has a body cons…

(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 manufacture…

(a) A “specially constructed vehicle” means every vehicle of a type that must be registered under chapters 3 through 9 of this title, but not originally constructed under a distinctive name, make, model, or type by a generally recognized manufacturer of vehicles. (b) Specially co…

(a) Forestry vehicles, equipped with rubber tires while being used in forestry 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 farm plate pursuant to the provisions of …

Every vehicle registration under chapters 3 — 9 of this title and every registration card and registration plate issued under this chapter shall expire at midnight on the thirty-first (31st) day of March of each year, except that the director of the department of revenue, divisio…

(a) Application for renewal of a vehicle registration shall be made by the owner on a proper application form and by payment of the registration fee for the vehicle as provided by law. (b) The division of motor vehicles may receive applications for renewal of registration, and ma…

Whenever any person after applying for or obtaining the registration of a vehicle shall move from the address named in the application or shown upon a registration card, that person shall within ten (10) days subsequent to moving notify the division of motor vehicles in writing o…

Whenever the name of any person who has applied for or obtained the registration of a vehicle is subsequently changed by marriage or otherwise, that person shall within ten (10) days notify the division of motor vehicles of the former and current names. Violations of this section…

In the event any registration card or plate is lost, mutilated, or becomes illegible, the owner, legal representative, or successor in interest of the owner of the vehicle for which the registration card or plate was issued as shown by the records of the division of motor vehicle…

The division of motor vehicles is authorized to assign a distinguishing number to a motor vehicle whenever the motor or serial number thereon is destroyed or obliterated and to issue to the owner a special plate bearing such distinguishing number which shall be affixed to the veh…

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized to adopt and enforce such registration rules and regulations that are deemed necessary and compatible with the public interest with respect to the change or substitution of one engine in place of another in any mot…

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue for any motor vehicle eligible for registration as an automobile or eligible for registration as a commercial vehicle and having a gross weight of nine thousand (9,000) pounds or less for the motor vehicle of a radio…

Each person, before obtaining an original or transferral registration for a motor vehicle in this state, shall furnish evidence that any tax due with reference to the motor vehicle pursuant to the provisions of chapters 18 and 19 of title 44 has been paid in accordance with regul…

(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 iden…

Whenever, under any of the provisions of title 31, entitled “motor and other vehicles,” a person surrenders, returns, or delivers to any person in the division of motor vehicles, any registration card or plate, a receipt shall be given, sufficiently identifying the registration c…

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue plates designated as “camper plates” to any person who shall register a travel trailer, pick-up coach, pick-up camper, motorized camper, or tent trailer. In addition, the administrator of the division of motor vehicl…

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue to the sheriffs’ departments of the various counties, for use on state owned vehicles used by the departments, a special identifying number plate in numerical sequence preceded by the words “sheriff’s department.”

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue passenger car registration plates for any ambulance or rescue vehicle, used in transporting sick or injured patients, owned by a city or town or as part of a volunteer ambulance or rescue corps.

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue to all police departments police motorcycle registration plates. These plates shall be imprinted with the words “police motorcycle” and shall be a distinctive color to distinguish them from standard motorcycle plates…

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall upon request issue to all police departments within this state, as listed in § 12-7-21 but, excluding the Rhode Island state police, and Rhode Island sheriffs’ department, police registration plates. (b) The above desc…