§ 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.