| Chapter 082 |
| 2025 -- S 0075 AS AMENDED Enacted 06/17/2025 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- CERTIFICATES OF TITLE AND SECURITY INTERESTS -- VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION CHECKS |
Introduced By: Senators Felag, Raptakis, Ciccone, Tikoian, Britto, and Lauria |
| Date Introduced: January 23, 2025 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 31-3.1-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-3.1 entitled "Certificates |
| of Title and Security Interests" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 31-3.1-4. Application for first certificate of title. |
| (a) The application for the first certificate of title of a vehicle in this state shall be made by |
| the owner to the division of motor vehicles on the form it prescribes and shall contain: |
| (1) The name, residence, and mailing address of the owner; |
| (2) A description of the vehicle including, so far as the following data exists: its make, |
| model, identifying number, type of body, the number of cylinders, and whether new or used; |
| (3) The date of purchase by the applicant, the name and address of the person from whom |
| the vehicle was acquired, and the names and addresses of any lienholders in the order of their |
| priority and the dates of their security agreements; and |
| (4) Any further information the division reasonably requires to identify the vehicle and to |
| enable it to determine whether the owner is entitled to a certificate of title, and the existence or |
| nonexistence of security interests in the vehicle. |
| (b) If the application refers to a vehicle purchased from a dealer, it shall contain the name |
| and address of any lienholder holding a security interest created or reserved at the time of the sale |
| and the date of this security agreement and be signed by the dealer as well as the owner, and the |
| dealer or buyer shall promptly mail or deliver the application to the division. The buyer shall also |
| complete a security lien statement as provided in § 31-3.1-19. |
| (c) If the application refers to a vehicle last previously registered in another state or country, |
| the application shall contain or be accompanied by: |
| (1) Any certificate of title issued by the other state or country; |
| (2) Any other information and documents the division reasonably requires to establish the |
| ownership of the vehicle and the existence or nonexistence of a security interest in it; and |
| (3) The certificate of a person authorized by law that the identifying number of the vehicle |
| has been inspected and found to conform to the description given in the application, or any other |
| proof of the identity of the vehicle the division reasonably requires. |
| (d)(1) Chiefs of police, their designees, who shall be employees of the police department, |
| a licensed Rhode Island new motor vehicle dealer, or, in an emergency, the administrator of the |
| division of motor vehicles, or the administrator’s designee, shall conduct the inspection of the |
| vehicle identifying number, and certify, on forms provided by the division, that it has been found |
| to conform to the description given in the application or any other form of the identity of the vehicle |
| the division reasonably requires. An inspection and certification fee of ten dollars ($10.00) shall be |
| assessed against the applicant by the city or town whose police conduct the inspection or by the |
| licensed Rhode Island new motor vehicle dealer who conducts the inspection; provided, however, |
| the fee shall be waived for an applicant who is a veteran or active-duty personnel, including the |
| National Guard and military reserves as defined in §31-3-53. The inspection by the chiefs of police, |
| or their designees, who shall be employees of the police department, shall be conducted at the local |
| city or town police station, at a municipally owned building, or at a licensed new motor vehicle |
| dealership. A licensed Rhode Island new motor vehicle dealer shall conduct the inspection at their |
| business location. This provision eliminates the responsibility for the inspection to be performed |
| by division personnel. |
| (2) Upon inspection of the vehicle identifying number as provided for in this section, each |
| vehicle identification number shall be submitted for a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) |
| check, and the results, sometimes called the “NCIC check number,” shall be attached to the TR-5 |
| form provided by the division or to any other form consistent with this provision that the division |
| might reasonably require. The vehicle identification number shall be submitted for a NCIC check |
| by the chiefs of police, or designees, who shall be employees of the police department. Ten dollars |
| ($10.00) collected by the licensed Rhode Island new motor vehicle dealer who conducts the |
| inspection in subsection (d)(1) of this section shall be payable to the city or town whose police |
| conduct the NCIC check. |
| (e) No person, partnership, or corporation shall charge a fee in excess of ten dollars |
| ($10.00) for obtaining a certificate of title for a motor vehicle. |
| (f) In the town of Exeter, the town sergeant, or designees, who shall also be employees of |
| the Exeter town sergeant’s office, are authorized to conduct the inspection required by this section. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2026. |
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