(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 vehicle having a gross weight of ten thousand pounds (10,000 lbs.) or less, or vehicle eligible for a combination registration plate, pursuant to § 31-3-64.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 31-3-17.4

  • Motor vehicle: means any vehicle driven or drawn by mechanical power for use on the public streets, roads, and highways;

    (2)  "Odometer" means an instrument for measuring and recording the actual distance a motor vehicle travels while in operation;

    (3)  "Person" means any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or business trust including, but not limited to, private individuals and motor vehicle dealers, both wholesale and retail, whether the private individual or dealer is a dealer in the ordinary course of business or not;

    (4)  "Repair and replacement" means to restore to a sound working condition by replacing the instrument or any part thereof or by correcting what is inoperative;

    (5)  "Transfer" means to acquire ownership by purchase, gift, bequest, or any other means. See Rhode Island General Laws 31-23.2-2

  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  The special motor vehicle registration plate shall carry on it the designation “Firefighter” and a Maltese cross with the design provided by the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs.

(c)  The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue the plate upon payment of a service charge of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) and a transfer charge of five dollars ($5.00) for the plate, of which fifteen dollars ($15.00) shall be deposited to the division of motor vehicles manufacturing account.

(d)  For the purpose of this section, an active or retired member of any fire department shall be defined as any person certified by the chief of the fire department as currently a member of said department with at least one year active service or retired under honorable condition as a firefighter.

(e)  In a state of emergency, any active member of a fire department driving a vehicle bearing the special motor vehicle registration plate shall be authorized and empowered to travel upon the highways of the state notwithstanding any driving ban imposed by the state or municipal authority in accordance with their official duties.

History of Section.
P.L. 2004, ch. 605, § 1; P.L. 2005, ch. 188, § 1; P.L. 2005, ch. 220, § 1; P.L. 2016, ch. 378, § 1; P.L. 2016, ch. 394, § 1.