Title 8
Courts and Civil Procedure — Courts

Chapter 8.2
Traffic Tribunal

§ 8-8.2-2. Jurisdiction.

(a) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, all probationary license hearings as provided in § 31-10-26, all violations of the department of transportation, department of environmental management or council on postsecondary education regulations regarding parking, standing, or stopping in areas under the jurisdiction of these agencies, all violations of state statutes relating to motor vehicles, littering, and traffic offenses, except those traffic offenses committed in places within the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States, and except driving so as to endanger resulting in death, driving so as to endanger resulting in personal injury, driving while under the influence of liquor or drugs, driving while under the influence of liquor or drugs resulting in death, driving while under the influence of liquor or drugs resulting in serious bodily injury, reckless driving and other offenses against public safety as provided in § 31-27-4, eluding a law enforcement officer with a motor vehicle in a high speed pursuit, driving after denial, suspension or revocation of license, and leaving the scene of an accident in violation of § 31-26-1 and § 31-26-2, and driving without the consent of the owner and possession of a stolen motor vehicle in violation of § 31-9-1 and § 31-9-2, shall be heard and determined by the traffic tribunal pursuant to the regulations promulgated by the chief magistrate of the traffic tribunal; provided, however, the traffic tribunal shall not hear any parking, standing, or stopping violations that occur in any city or town that has established its own municipal court and has jurisdiction over such violations. Nothing contained herein shall abrogate the powers of the Rhode Island family court under the provisions of chapter 1 of title 14.

(b) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, the traffic tribunal shall have concurrent jurisdiction to hear and determine, pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated by the chief magistrate of the traffic tribunal, all violations of any ordinances, rules, and regulations governing the public waters and the speed, management, and control of all vessels and the size, type and location and use of all anchorages and moorings within the jurisdiction of the towns of North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Portsmouth, Middletown, Narragansett, and Tiverton enforced and supervised by the harbormaster and referred to the traffic tribunal, and the terms “traffic violations” and “traffic infraction” when used in this chapter shall include the aforesaid violations and the violations shall be adjudicated in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Nothing contained herein shall abrogate the powers of the Rhode Island coastal resources management council under the provisions of chapter 23 of title 46.

(c) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, the traffic tribunal shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine, pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated by the chief magistrate of the Rhode Island traffic tribunal, all civil violations for §§ 20-1-12, 20-11-20, 20-13-16, 20-16-17, 23-22.5-9, 32-2-4, 21-28-4.01(c)(2)(iii), 21-28-4.01(c)(2)(iv), and 46-22-19(1) as set forth in §  42-17.10-1.

(d) A party aggrieved by a final order of the traffic tribunal appeals panel shall be entitled to a review of the order by a judge of the district court. Unless otherwise provided in the rules of procedure of the district court, the review shall be on the record and appellate in nature. The district court shall by rules of procedure establish procedures for review of an order entered by the appeals panel of the traffic tribunal.

(e) Violations of any statute, rule, ordinance, or regulation referenced in this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4, except for violations of §§ 21-28-4.01(c)(2)(iii) and 21-28-4.01(c)(2)(iv).