§ 31-42-7. Disposal to demolishers. (a) Any person, firm, corporation, or unit of government upon whose property or in whose possession is found any abandoned motor vehicle, or any person being the owner of a motor vehicle whose registration is faulty, lost, or destroyed may apply to the police department of the jurisdiction in which the vehicle is situated for authority to sell, give away, or dispose of the vehicle to a demolisher.

(b) The application shall set out the name and address of the applicant, the year, make, model, and serial number of the motor vehicle, if ascertainable, together with any other identifying features, and shall contain a concise statement of the facts surrounding the abandonment, or that the registration of the motor vehicle is lost or destroyed, or the reasons for the defect in registration of the owner. The applicant shall execute an affidavit stating that the facts alleged in it are true and that no material fact has been withheld.

(c) If the police department finds that the application is executed in proper form, and shows that the motor vehicle has been abandoned upon the property of the applicant or if it shows that the motor vehicle is not abandoned but that the applicant appears to be the rightful owner, the police department shall follow the notification procedures set forth in § 31-42-3.

(d) If the abandoned motor vehicle is not reclaimed in accordance with § 31-42-3, the police department shall give the applicant a certificate of authority to sell the motor vehicle to any demolisher for demolition, wrecking, or dismantling. The demolisher shall accept the certificate in lieu of the registration of the motor vehicle.

(e) Notwithstanding any provisions of this chapter, the general laws of the state of Rhode Island, public laws of the state of Rhode Island, or municipal ordinances, any person, firm, corporation, or unit of government upon whose property or in whose possession is found any abandoned motor vehicle, or any person who is the owner of a motor vehicle whose registration is faulty, lost, or destroyed, may dispose of the motor vehicle to a demolisher without a registration and without notification procedure of § 31-42-3, if the motor vehicle is over eight (8) years old or has no engine or is otherwise totally inoperable. Any demolisher who purchases or acquires any motor vehicle for the purpose of demolition and removal may demolish it on the premises where they are located.

History of Section. (P.L. 1971, ch. 234, § 1.)