§ 31-7-1. Right to operate on foreign registration. (a) A nonresident owner, except as otherwise provided in §§ 31-7-2 and 31-7-3, owning any foreign vehicle of a type otherwise subject to registration pursuant to this title, may operate or permit the operation of that vehicle within this state without registering the vehicle in, or paying any fees to, this state subject to the condition that the vehicle at all times, when operated in this state, is duly registered in, and displays upon it, a valid registration card and registration plate or plates issued for that vehicle in the place of residence of that owner.

(b) Any foreign vehicle(s) parked or garaged overnight in this state for more than thirty (30) days in the aggregate in any one year that is owned and/or operated by a resident of this state as defined in § 31-1-18 shall register the vehicle(s) and pay the same fee that is required with reference to like vehicle(s) owned by residents of this state. The state police and local police departments, upon observation of a foreign-registered vehicle present within the state for thirty (30) days or more shall identify the owner of the vehicle and, if a Rhode Island resident, provide a notice containing a copy of this section to the owner and to the tax assessor in the city or town in which the vehicle is located.

(c) Any domiciled resident of this state who owns a vehicle that is registered in another state shall file an annual report with the administrator of the division of motor vehicles of this state and with the tax assessor of the city or town in which the domiciled resident resides, stating the make, model, year, and validation of the vehicle and the reason for registering the vehicle in the foreign state. Failure to comply with the terms of this subsection shall be subject to a civil fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) for every foreign vehicle. This provision shall not apply to military personnel assigned to duty outside of the state of Rhode Island and for a period of thirty (30) days after discharge.

History of Section. (P.L. 1950, ch. 2595, art. 5, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 31-7-1; P.L. 1982, ch. 27, § 1; P.L. 1984, ch. 437, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 364, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 403, § 1.)