Title 31, Title 31 and Other Vehicles

(a) Every registration card shall at all times be carried in the vehicle to which it refers, or shall be carried by the person driving or in control of such vehicle who shall display it upon demand of a proper officer. (b) The provisions of this section requiring that a registrat…

(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…

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available a special motor vehicle registration plate for the Bristol Fourth of July Committee. (b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which…

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 Family Court Judge Raymond E. Shawcross. This plate is to bear the identification “Judge Emeritus” with an approp…

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special design motor vehicle registration plates for the not-for-profit entity the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation. The plates shall be designed to reference the Gloria Gemma Bre…

(a) The statutory authorization of the issuance of any special motor vehicle registration plates after January 1, 2022, shall expire if any statutorily mandated minimum number of prepaid orders of such plates has not been satisfied within five (5) years following the enactment of…

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for the Woonsocket education department. The plates shall be designed to reference Villa Novan Pride. (b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the…

(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 vehi…

(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 Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island. The plates shall be designed to reference Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island. (…

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for the Autism Project of Rhode Island. The plates shall be designed to reference The Autism Project of Rhode Island. (b) The special plate shall be di…

(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 Associati…

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 b…

(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…

(a) No automobile shall be sold, whether new or used, by a dealer, at wholesale or retail, unless the automobile is equipped with a spare tire and a jack, both of which must be functional and operational. The provisions of this section shall not apply: (1) To an automobile equipp…

The owner shall also endorse the name and address of the transferee and the date of transfer upon the reverse side of the registration card issued for the vehicle and shall immediately forward the card to the division of motor vehicles. However, the number plates need not be retu…

(a) Any person who purchases a motor vehicle from a bona fide licensed dealer and who presently has a motor vehicle registered in this state, may operate the newly acquired motor vehicle for a period of thirty (30) days following the date of the original dated voucher. During thi…

The transferee before operating or permitting the operation of an acquired vehicle upon a highway shall apply for and obtain the registration for it, as upon an original registration, except as otherwise permitted in §§ 31-4-5 — 31-4-7.

When the transferee of a vehicle is a dealer who holds the vehicle for resale and lawfully operates the vehicle under dealers’ number plates or when the transferee does not drive the vehicle or permit it to be driven upon the highways, the transferee shall not be required to obta…

Whenever the title or interest of an owner in or to a registered vehicle shall pass to another otherwise than by voluntary transfer, the registration for the vehicle shall expire and the vehicle shall not be operated upon any highway unless and until the person entitled to posses…

Whenever a person transfers his or her interest or title in or to a registered vehicle to his or her spouse, the administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall not transfer the registration unless the application is accompanied by a separate signed and notarized statement …

In the event of repossession of a motor vehicle under a rental agreement, lease, contract of conditional sale, or other title retention agreement, or in the event title becomes vested in the holder of a lien, mortgage, or encumbrance upon a motor vehicle, the person repossessing …

(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…

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…

Any person who purchases a motor vehicle outside the state of Rhode Island from a bona fide licensed dealer and who presently has a motor vehicle registered in this state may, when the new vehicle purchased has the same number of wheels as the presently owned and registered vehic…

(a) Whenever the words “licensor” and/or “department” are used in chapters 5 and 5.1 of this title, they shall mean the “department of revenue”. (b) For the purposes of this section, an electric motorized bicycle as defined in § 31-1-3(g) is not considered a motor vehicle.

(a) No motor vehicle dealer, unless licensed in accordance with §§ 31-5-1 — 31-5-20, shall be permitted to register or receive or use dealers’ license plates as limited by the number approved by the department for the dealer. (b) Whenever the department revokes or suspends a deal…

The department may deny an application for a license, or suspend or revoke a license after it has been granted, for the following reasons: (1) On proof of unfitness of applicant to do business as a motor vehicle dealer. (2) For any material misstatement by an applicant in an appl…

It shall be sufficient cause for the denial, suspension, or revocation of any license issued under this chapter, that any officer, director, partner, trustee, or agent, including independent salespersons of the licensee, has been found by the department of revenue to have engaged…

No license shall be suspended or revoked, except after a hearing in accordance with the administrative procedures act, §§ 42-35-1 — 42-35-18.

(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 fo…

(a) The department or its duly authorized representative may inspect the pertinent books, records, letters, and contracts of the licensee relating to any written complaint made against the licensee. If the licensee is found guilty of violating any of the provisions of §§ 31-5-1 —…

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 responden…

The department shall have the power in hearings and trials arising under §§ 31-5-1 — 31-5-20 to determine the place where the hearing shall be held, to subpoena witnesses, to take depositions of witnesses residing without the state in the manner provided for in civil actions in c…

Every licensee shall maintain a record in form as prescribed by the department of: (1) Every vehicle of a type subject to registration which is bought, sold, or exchanged by the licensee or received or accepted by the licensee for sale or exchange. (2) Every new or used exterior …

All records kept in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall be open to inspection by the department and its duly authorized representatives, by the division of motor vehicles, and by any state or municipal official or police officer during reasonable business hours.

Every licensed dealer shall file with the department an annual report which lists: (1) The total number of used motor vehicles sold in the previous year by the dealer; and (2) The total number of used motor vehicles sold without a warranty pursuant to chapter 5.4 of this title. (…

(a) No motor vehicle dealer licensed under the provisions of this chapter shall sell, lease, or rent any class of all-terrain vehicle to any person under the age of sixteen (16) years. (b) Violations of this section shall be grounds for denial, suspension or revocation of the dea…

(a) Motor vehicle dealers shall be permitted to have open for the conduct of business any display room or outdoor display lot where motor vehicles are exhibited on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. (b) “Business” as u…

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 vehi…

The department of revenue shall issue the licenses provided for in §§ 31-5-5 — 31-5-9 and § 31-5-34. The department of revenue shall have supervision over the licenses in respect to all the provisions of §§ 31-5-1 — 31-5-20 and §§ 31-5-33 — 31-5-39, and shall have power to make a…

(a) A board composed of a total of five (5) members, two (2) of which shall be licensed automobile dealers, one new car Rhode Island licensed automobile dealer, and one used car Rhode Island licensed automobile dealer, each to serve a three (3) year term; one active Rhode Island …

The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sum that it may deem necessary to carry out the purposes of §§ 31-5-1 — 31-5-19, and the state controller is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of the sum, or so much of …

(a) No manufacturer, factory representative, or distributor shall engage in business as a manufacturer, factory representative, or distributor in this state without a license to do so as provided in § 31-5-22. (b) For the purpose of this chapter, each division of a motor vehicle …

(a) Any person desiring to be licensed as a manufacturer, factory representative, or distributor shall apply to the department of revenue upon a form containing any information that the department shall require. The department may require with the application or, otherwise, infor…

A license may be denied, suspended, or revoked on the following grounds: (1) Proof of unfitness of the applicant. (2) Material misstatement by the applicant in his or her application for a license. (3) Willful failure of the applicant or licensee to comply with any provision of §…

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…