Towing Laws in Rhode Island: Your Rights, Costs & Impound Rules

If your car was just towed in Rhode Island - from a private lot, a garage, or a crash scene - this page explains what state law says about the fees you can be charged, how to get your vehicle back, and where to file a complaint. Every fact below comes directly from Rhode Island statutes and regulator pages, each cited so you can verify it yourself.

Who regulates towing in Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, through its Motor Carriers Division, regulates tow companies. Operators must show fitness, willingness, and ability to provide the service they're offering, and tariff rates for tows performed without the owner's prior consent must be approved by the Division. If you have a complaint about charges, the Division investigates them using its own field investigators.

What a tow can cost

The Division of Public Utilities and Carriers approves the tariff rates that apply statewide to non-consensual tows. Under its docket 96MCI order, the storage charge for a non-consensual tow is set at $17.00 per day, with the first and last day billed at $1.00 an hour instead of the full daily rate.

Because this is a state-approved tariff rather than a locally set figure, it applies the same way across Rhode Island - so it's a solid benchmark to check your storage bill against. Our towing cost calculator can help you compare an itemized invoice to this rate.

Getting your car back from impound

Under RI Gen Laws 31-42-5, a vehicle left at a garage becomes legally "abandoned" after more than 10 days, and the garage keeper is required to report it to police within 10 days after it reaches that status - or risk losing the claim to storage charges altogether. Once police take custody of an abandoned vehicle, it can be sold under the same chapter, with the proceeds going first toward the garage keeper's storage charges.

If you're towed from private property

A property owner or the person controlling the property can order a trespass tow, but it must be done in writing. The impound lot the vehicle is taken to must be within 10 miles of where it was towed, and it must be open for release whenever it's open to receive vehicles - so you shouldn't be locked out of retrieving your car during the facility's normal operating hours.

After an accident

Rhode Island requires you to report a crash on a highway or on premises open to the public if it involves injury, death, or property damage of at least $1,000. The driver must submit the motorist accident report to the DMV within 21 days of the crash.

The Move Over law

Rhode Island requires drivers approaching stationary emergency vehicles, tow trucks, transporter trucks, roadside assistance vehicles, or highway maintenance equipment with flashing lights to move into a lane that isn't the one nearest the stopped vehicle, or to slow to a reduced, safe speed until they're completely past it. The fine for a violation is $95.00.

FAQ

What does storage cost after a non-consensual tow in Rhode Island? The Division of Public Utilities and Carriers has set the statewide storage rate at $17.00 per day, with the first and last day charged at $1.00 an hour instead.

How long before an abandoned vehicle at a garage can be sold in Rhode Island? A vehicle becomes abandoned after more than 10 days at a garage, and the garage keeper must report it to police within 10 days of that point. Police can then take custody and have it sold, applying proceeds first to storage charges.

How far can an impound lot be from where I was towed in Rhode Island? For a trespass tow, the impound lot must be within 10 miles of where the vehicle was removed, and it must be open for release whenever it's open to accept vehicles.

Sources