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Home » US Law » 2022 Rhode Island General Laws » Title 31 - Motor and Other Vehicles » Chapter 31-3.1 - Certificates of Title and Security Interests

Section 31-3.1-1. – Certificate of title required.

§ 31-3.1-1. Certificate of title required. (a) Except as provided in § 31-3.1-2, every owner of a vehicle which is in this state and for which no certificate of title has been issued by the division of motor vehicles shall make application to the division for a certificate of title of the vehicle. (b) The […]

Section 31-3.1-10. – Refusing certificate of title.

§ 31-3.1-10. Refusing certificate of title. The division of motor vehicles shall refuse issuance of a certificate of title if any required fee is not paid or if it has reasonable grounds to believe that: (1) The applicant is not the owner of the vehicle; (2) The application contains a false or fraudulent statement; (3) […]

Section 31-3.1-11. – Lost, stolen or mutilated certificates.

§ 31-3.1-11. Lost, stolen or mutilated certificates. (a) If a certificate of title is lost, stolen, mutilated, destroyed, or becomes illegible, the first lienholder or, if none, the owner or legal representative of the owner named in the certificate, as shown by the records of the division of motor vehicles, shall promptly apply for and […]

Section 31-3.1-12. – Transfer.

§ 31-3.1-12. Transfer. (a) If the owner transfers his or her interest in a vehicle, other than by the creation of a security interest, he or she shall, at the time of the delivery of the vehicle, execute an assignment and warranty of title to the transferee in the space provided for it on the […]

Section 31-3.1-13. – Transfer to or from dealer — Records.

§ 31-3.1-13. Transfer to or from dealer — Records. (a) If a dealer buys a vehicle and holds it for resale and procures the certificate of title from the owner or the lienholder within ten (10) days after delivery to him of the vehicle, the dealer need not send the certificate to the division of […]

Section 31-3.1-14. – Transfer by operation of law.

§ 31-3.1-14. Transfer by operation of law. (a) If the interest of any owner in a vehicle passes to another other than by voluntary transfer, the transferee shall, except as provided in subsection (b), promptly mail or deliver to the division of motor vehicles the last certificate of title, if available, proof of the transfer, […]

Section 31-3.1-15. – Fees — Registration cards.

§ 31-3.1-15. Fees — Registration cards. (a) An application for a certificate of title shall be accompanied by the registration card, and the required fee when mailed or delivered to the division of motor vehicles. (b) An application for the naming of a lienholder or his assignee on a certificate of title shall be accompanied […]

Section 31-3.1-16. – Issuance of new certificate.

§ 31-3.1-16. Issuance of new certificate. (a) The division of motor vehicles, upon receipt of a properly assigned certificate of title, with an application for a new certificate of title, the required fee and any other documents and articles required by law, shall issue a new certificate of title in the name of the transferee […]

Section 31-3.1-16.1. – Electronic recording of security interests.

§ 31-3.1-16.1. Electronic recording of security interests. The registrar is authorized to develop, establish and maintain an electronic data and communications system with banks, credit or other financial institutions for the purpose of electronically recording the existence of security interests under the provisions of this chapter. Where an electronic lien recording method is employed, the […]

Section 31-3.1-17. – Scrapping, dismantling or destroying vehicle.

§ 31-3.1-17. Scrapping, dismantling or destroying vehicle. Any individual, company, or corporation that scraps, dismantles, or destroys a vehicle at its final disposition site in this state shall immediately cause the certificate of title or the salvage certificate of title to be mailed or delivered to the division of motor vehicles for cancellation. History of […]

Section 31-3.1-18. – Excepted liens and security interests.

§ 31-3.1-18. Excepted liens and security interests. This chapter does not apply to or affect: (1) A lien given by statute or rule of law to a supplier of services or materials for the vehicle; (2) A lien given by statute to the United States, this state or any political subdivision of this state; or […]

Section 31-3.1-19. – Perfection of security interests.

§ 31-3.1-19. Perfection of security interests. (a) Unless excepted by § 31-3.1-18, a security interest in a vehicle of a type for which a certificate of title is required is not valid against creditors of the owner or subsequent transferees or lienholders of the vehicle unless perfected as provided in this chapter. (b) A security […]

Section 31-3.1-2. – Exclusions.

§ 31-3.1-2. Exclusions. No certificate of title need be obtained for: (1) A vehicle owned by the United States unless it is registered in this state; (2) A vehicle owned by a manufacturer or dealer and held for sale, even though incidentally moved on the highway, or used for purposes of testing or demonstration; or […]

Section 31-3.1-20. – Security interest — Change of certificate.

§ 31-3.1-20. Security interest — Change of certificate. If an owner creates a security interest in a vehicle: (1) The owner shall immediately execute the application, in the space provided for it on the certificate of title or on a separate form the division of motor vehicles prescribes, to name the lienholder on the certificate, […]

Section 31-3.1-21. – Assignment by lienholder.

§ 31-3.1-21. Assignment by lienholder. (a) A lienholder may assign, absolutely or otherwise, his or her security interest in the vehicle to a person other than the owner without affecting the interest of the owner or the validity of the security interest, but any person without notice of the assignment is protected in dealing with […]

Section 31-3.1-22. – Release of security interest.

§ 31-3.1-22. Release of security interest. (a) Upon the satisfaction of a security interest in a vehicle for which the certificate of title is in the possession of the lienholder, the lienholder shall, within fifteen (15) business days, execute a release of his or her security interest, in the space provided for it on the […]

Section 31-3.1-23. – Duty of lienholder.

§ 31-3.1-23. Duty of lienholder. A lienholder named in a certificate of title shall, upon written request of the owner or of another lienholder named on the certificate, disclose any pertinent information as to his or her security agreement and the indebtedness secured by it. History of Section.P.L. 1971, ch. 100, § 1.

Section 31-3.1-24. – Exclusiveness of procedure.

§ 31-3.1-24. Exclusiveness of procedure. The method provided in this chapter of perfecting and giving notice of security interests subject to the chapter is exclusive. Security interests subject to this chapter are exempted from the provisions of law which prescribe technical requirements in execution or acknowledgment of or otherwise require or relate to the filing […]

Section 31-3.1-25. – Suspension or revocation of certificates.

§ 31-3.1-25. Suspension or revocation of certificates. (a) The division of motor vehicles shall suspend or revoke a certificate of title, upon notice and reasonable opportunity to be heard in accordance with § 31-3.1-36, when authorized by any other provision of law or if it finds: (1) The certificate of title was fraudulently procured or […]

Section 31-3.1-26. – Powers of division of motor vehicles.

§ 31-3.1-26. Powers of division of motor vehicles. (a) The division of motor vehicles shall prescribe and provide suitable forms of applications, certificates of title, notices of security interests, and all other notices and forms necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter. (b) The division of motor vehicles may: (1) Make necessary investigations […]