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H7989APersonal

Motor and Other Vehicles - Registration of Vehicles

Exempts vehicles manufactured without a front license plate bracket from displaying a front plate, provided it is kept inside.

Introduced36 Yea1 Nay1 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This bill amends the state's motor vehicle rules regarding the display of license plates. Under current law, most passenger vehicles must display both a front and a rear license plate. This legislation creates an exemption for vehicles that are manufactured and sold without a front license plate bracket or a designated mounting spot. Owners of these specific vehicles are no longer required to display a front plate. Instead, they must properly attach the rear license plate and keep the front license plate inside the vehicle to present to a law enforcement officer if requested.

For younger readers

Usually, cars have to wear two license plates—one on the front and one on the back. A license plate is the metal sign with numbers and letters that shows who the car belongs to. This new rule says that if a car is built without a special spot to hold a front license plate, the driver doesn't have to put one on the front. They just need to securely attach the plate on the back of the car and keep the second plate inside the car to show a police officer if they get pulled over.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
car ownerslaw enforcement officersvehicle manufacturersauto dealerscar enthusiasts
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely. The bill simply provides an exemption to a minor motor vehicle equipment regulation and does not implicate free speech, due process, or protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Reduces the likelihood of pretextual traffic stops by law enforcement for a minor equipment issue, which historically disproportionately affects marginalized communities.
  • Prevents low-income vehicle owners from incurring unnecessary fines for failing to display a front plate when their vehicle was manufactured without a way to attach one.
  • Saves consumers the financial burden of having to pay for aftermarket modifications or drilling into their vehicles just to comply with front license plate mandates.
  • Makes it harder for pedestrians, cyclists, and witnesses to identify vehicles involved in hit-and-runs or other crimes from the front, impacting community safety.
  • Disproportionately benefits owners of expensive luxury or sports cars, which are frequently the types of vehicles manufactured without front license plate brackets.
  • Could hinder the effectiveness of automated traffic enforcement cameras and toll readers that rely on front plates, potentially reducing public revenue used for social services.
For Conservatives
  • Reduces government overreach by eliminating an unnecessary regulation for vehicles that are not designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a front license plate.
  • Protect private property rights by ensuring car owners are not forced to drill holes into or permanently alter the bodywork of their vehicles.
  • Prevents law-abiding citizens from being penalized or fined by the state for a manufacturing design choice that is entirely outside of their control.
  • Hinders law enforcement's ability to quickly identify suspect vehicles from the front, potentially making it harder for police to track down criminals and maintain law and order.
  • Creates an inconsistent standard where some vehicles must display two plates and others only one, complicating the strict enforcement of traffic laws.
  • May encourage individuals to intentionally remove front plate brackets to exploit this loophole and avoid automated license plate readers used by police.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 10 additions

SECTION 1. Section 31-3-18 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-3 entitled "Registration of Vehicles" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-3-18. Display of plates — Penalties.

(a) Registration plates issued for a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle, trailer, transporter vehicle, in-transit vehicle, or a bailee engaged in a business as defined in § 31-1-17(a), or other than a motor vehicle owned by a duly authorized dealer in motor vehicles and which is used in the dealer’s business shall be attached thereto one in the front and the other in the rear. The registration plate issued for a motorcycle, trailer, bailee, or a dealer’s motor vehicle as defined in this subsection shall be attached to the rear of the vehicle.

(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, any motor vehicle that, as manufactured and delivered for sale, is not equipped with a manufacturer-provided front registration plate bracket, mounting point, or other manufacturer-provided means or location intended for the attachment and display of a front registration plate, shall not be required to display a front registration plate, and shall be in compliance with this section if:

(i) One registration plate issued in accordance with § 31-3-10 is properly attached to the rear of the vehicle; and

(ii) The second registration plate issued in accordance with § 31-3-10 is carried within the vehicle and displayed by the driver upon demand of a duly sworn law enforcement officer.

(b) Every registration plate shall at all times be securely fastened in a horizontal position to the vehicle for which it is issued so as to prevent the plate from swinging at a height of not less than twelve inches (12") from the ground, measuring from the bottom of the plate; in a place and position to be clearly visible and shall be maintained free from foreign materials and in a condition to be clearly legible.

(c) Penalties. Any person who shall violate the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a violation and subject to a fine as enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.

(d) All vehicles registered as passenger, commercial, trailer, motorcycle, suburban, farm, combination, taxi, radio operator, camper, public, racer tow, jitney, and antique must have displayed on them the registration plate(s) as described in § 31-3-11. This subsection does not apply to those registrants in possession of an alternative design plate as described in § 31-3-60 or any other specially authorized plate described in this chapter.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.