Rhode Island § 3-8-9 § 3-8-9. Transportation of alcoholic beverages by underage persons.

Rhode Island Statutes

§ 3-8-9 — § 3-8-9. Transportation of alcoholic beverages by underage persons.

Rhode Island § 3-8-9

Title 3Alcoholic Beverages

Ch. 3-8Regulation of Sales

This text of Rhode Island § 3-8-9 (§ 3-8-9. Transportation of alcoholic beverages by underage persons.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

R.I. Gen. Laws § 3-8-9 (2026).

Text

§ 3-8-9. Transportation of alcoholic beverages by underage persons.
(a) Any person who has not reached his or her twenty-first (21st) birthday and who operates
            a motor vehicle upon the public highways, except when accompanied by a parent, legal
            guardian, or another adult who is over the age of twenty-one (21) years and related,
            whether by blood, adoption or marriage, to the operator within the following degree
            of sanguinity: brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law,
            brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother,
            half-sister, uncle, aunt, great uncle or great aunt an

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§ 3-8-9. Transportation of alcoholic beverages by underage persons.

(a) Any person who has not reached his or her twenty-first (21st) birthday and who operates a motor vehicle upon the public highways, except when accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or another adult who is over the age of twenty-one (21) years and related, whether by blood, adoption or marriage, to the operator within the following degree of sanguinity: brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, uncle, aunt, great uncle or great aunt and, knowingly having liquor or intoxicating beverages in any form in containers, opened or unopened, in any part of the vehicle shall be guilty of a criminal violation. The words liquor and intoxicating beverages, as used in this section, have the same meaning as defined in chapter 1 of this title. This section does not apply to persons between the ages of sixteen (16) and twenty-one (21) who are transporting unopened alcoholic beverages in the course of their employment.

(b) Any person who violates subsection (a) of this section shall be subject to the following:

(1) For a first offense, a fine of not more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and have his or her license to operate a motor vehicle suspended for not more than thirty (30) days;

(2) For a second offense, a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) and have his or her license to operate a motor vehicle suspended for not more than ninety (90) days;

(3) For a third or subsequent offense, a fine of no less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than nine hundred and fifty dollars ($950) and have his or her license to operate a motor vehicle suspended for one year.