{"data":{"id":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-39-12.1-5","jurisdiction":"us-ri","citation":"R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12.1-5","heading":"Special procedure regarding certain abandoned vehicles.","body":"(a) If an abandoned, abandoned and of no value, or unattended vehicle, as defined in § 39-12.1-2, is at least ten (10) years old or less than ten (10) years old and has an altered vehicle identification number; has not been registered within one year; has no established fair market value; and would not pass a safety inspection pursuant to chapter 38 of title 31, a certificated tower shall not be required to comply with the provisions of § 39-12.1-4.\n(b) If a police department takes possession or orders the removal of a vehicle that meets the requirements of this section, the police department shall request that the state police conduct a computer search to determine if the vehicle is a stolen vehicle. The police department shall remove the vehicle identification number from the vehicle and shall maintain a record of all numbers removed from vehicles for a period of two (2) years.\n(c) A police department that complies with the provisions of this section may dispose of the vehicle in accordance with the provisions of § 39-12.1-9 five (5) days after the removal of the vehicle identification number.","path":["Title 39 Public Utilities and Carriers","Chapter 12.1 The Towing Storage Act"],"source_url":"https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE39/39-12.1/39-12.1-5.htm","current_through":"site files published 2025-08-13","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T19:59:17Z","sha256":"63b0b723c2c5efccb81c26cf803bf1070460021057a16aec6b1d22d52b9f81b5","source_id":"us-ri","stale":true,"prev":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-39-12.1-4","next":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-39-12.1-6"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}