Plate Types

Available for Sedans (Cars), SUV’s, Wagons, Passenger (not cargo) vans
Renewed every two years
Renewal month is based on the first letter of a registered owner’s last name, or the first letter of the name of the company to which the vehicle is registered

Any vehicle that could be registered with commercial plates with a maximum GVWR of 8800 lbs
Renewed annually in March
RIGL 31-3-64

Trailers (vehicles without a motor to power them that are used on the public roads)
Commercial Trailers – Renewed annually in March
Non-Commercial Trailers – Renewed every two years in April
RIGL 31-1-5

Any vehicle 25 years old or older used for pleasure only and not the “primary vehicle” of the owner
Dual Registration Permitted
Renewed every two years in May
Requires Antique Affidavit
RIGL 31-1-3 (a)(1)

Vehicles used to transport persons for compensation of any form including buses and most ambulances
Requires GU-1338 Insurance and Approval Form from State Safety and Emissions Garage
Renewed every two years in July

Any vehicle owned by a radio amateur licensed by the FCC. The FCC license must be furnished to the DMV for issuance of these plates and the plate number shall be the individual’s call sign
Renewed every two years in June
Maximum GVWR – 9000 lbs
RIGL 31-3-39

Vehicles used for agricultural operations and owned by agricultural organizations that would be ineligible to be registered with passenger plates
Requires approval from State Division of Taxation and DMV Enforcement Office for initial issuance of plates
Renewed every two years in February
RIGL 31-1-8 and RIGL 31-3-31

Defined as "A kit or replica vehicle intended to resemble a vehicle model year 1948 and older OR it is an authentic 1948 model year or older vehicle that has been altered significantly from the manufacturer's original design and/or has a body constructed mostly from non-original materials".
Must be approved, classified and assigned a VIN by the Safety and Emissions office
RIGL 31-3-31.1

Defined as "A kit or replica vehicle intended to resemble a vehicle at least 25 model years old, but newer than model year 1948 OR it is an authentic vehicle from those model years but has been altered significantly from the manufacturer's original design and/or has a body constructed mostly from non-original parts".
Must be approved, classified and assigned a VIN by the Safety and Emissions office
RIGL 31-3-31.2

Defined as "every vehicle of a type that must be registered under chapters 3-9 of this title, but not originally constructed under a distinctive name, make, model, or type by a generally recognized manufacturer of vehicles; provided, that specially constructed vehicles shall include hand-built, home-built, and one-off cars that do not resemble any production car. Specially constructed vehicles shall be entitled to standard passenger automobile plates; provided, that all safety and emissions standards applied to reconstructed vehicles are met".
must be pre-approved by the Safety and Emissions office
RIGL 31-1-6
RIGL 31-3-31.3

Antique plates will be limited to authentic vehicles whose model year is more than 25 years old.

Modified Vehicles

If an authentic antique vehicle has been heavily modified, and the owner of the vehicle wants to have Street Rod / Custom Vehicle plates, the Safety and Emission Control Office will make the final determination as to whether the vehicle should have Antique Plates or Street Rod / Custom Vehicle Plates.
For Authentic Vehicles that have been heavily modified, but are not replicas, the regular registration procedure would prevail. Make and model information would be entered normally.

5-day plates issued at DMV locations for the express purpose of obtaining a VIN Inspection from a local police station prior to an initial registration in Rhode Island
All paperwork, including proper proof of Rhode Island insurance, (besides a required VIN check) is required to be submitted before obtaining a 5-day temp plate
These cannot be used to transport a vehicle from Rhode Island to another state
RIGL 31-3-17.3