Blood Alcohol Concentration | RI Division of Motor Vehicles

RHODE ISLAND’S TITLE LAW HAS CHANGED Effective March 1, 2024

The Rhode Island DMV will no longer be accepting photocopies, images, or electronic copies of titles.
All new registration and/or new title transactions will now REQUIRE THE ORIGINAL TITLE to be submitted to the RI DMV at the time the transaction takes place.
Your lienholder or leasing company can send the original title to the RI DMV, ATTN: Research Office, 600 New London Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920 or to you directly. We highly recommend that the title and other documents are sent with tracking information to enable customers and lienholders to know when the title was received.
As long as your contact information (name, address, phone and e-mail) is included with the title, the RI DMV will contact you once your original title has been received so you can complete your transaction. Be advised that this process can take several weeks for the original title to be sent to the RI DMV. Please also be advised that the RI DMV cannot request a title from a lienholder or lease company.
A VIN check is required for all transactions involving an Out-of-State title/vehicle.
Reservations are required for all visits. PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY.
For more information on RI’s new title laws, and new requirements for registration and title transactions, CLICK HERE and scroll down.

Blood Alcohol Concentration

The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the ratio of alcohol to blood (to body weight) present in the bloodstream at any given time. In Rhode Island the BAC level is evidence that you are legally intoxicated or unfit to drive. The current BAC level set by law in Rhode Island is different for different ages:

Any person of any age with a BAC of .08% or more is intoxicated and will be charged with drunk driving – Driving Under the Influence (DUI).

Any person under the age of twenty-one (21) with a BAC of .02% but less than .08% is impaired and will be charged with Driving While Impaired (DWI).

When alcohol enters your stomach, it goes into your blood and to all parts of your body. Your BAC depends on several factors:

How much alcohol you have had to drink.

How much you weigh.

How much food you ate before drinking.

How much time you have been drinking.

The speed at which your body processes the alcohol in your system, which is different for each person.