| Chapter 190 |
| 2021 -- S 0346 Enacted 07/08/2021 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES -- INSPECTIONS |
Introduced By: Senators Morgan, Rogers, Paolino, Picard, and Coyne |
| Date Introduced: February 25, 2021 |
| 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, |
| or, in an emergency, the administrator of the division of motor vehicles, or his or her 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. 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. This |
| provision eliminates the responsibility for the inspection to be performed by division personnel. |
| (1) (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. |
| (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. Section 31-23.2-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-23.2 entitled |
| "Tampering with Odometers" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 31-23.2-10. Division of motor vehicles -- Odometer inspection. |
| (a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of the general laws, the division of motor vehicles |
| shall require the inspection by a member of a city or town police department, of the odometer of |
| every motor vehicle purchased from a seller from outside the state of Rhode Island, prior to issuing |
| a certificate of title in accordance with the provisions of § 31-23.2-6. |
| (b) For each vehicle inspected, the local police department may collect a fee of ten dollars |
| ($10.00). |
| (c) 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 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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