Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-34-1 (2026)

Proof of financial responsibility required

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section RI-LEGwebserver.rilegislature.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

(a) It shall be unlawful for the owner of any motor vehicle or truck engaged in the business of renting motor vehicles or trucks without drivers to rent a motor vehicle without a driver otherwise than as a part of a bona fide transaction involving the sale of the motor vehicle or truck, unless the owner has previously notified the division of motor vehicles of the intention to so rent the vehicle and has given proof of financial responsibility, in the following amounts:

(1) Ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for property damage;

(2) Twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for injury or death sustained by one person;

(3) Fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for all personal injuries or deaths resulting from one accident.

(b) The division of motor vehicles shall not register the vehicle unless and until the owner gives proof of financial responsibility as provided in this chapter. The division of motor vehicles shall cancel the registration of any motor vehicle or truck rented without a driver whenever the division of motor vehicles ascertains that the owner has failed or is unable to give and maintain proof of financial responsibility.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 9 cases, 1990–2019 · leading case: Oliveira v. Lombardi, 794 A.2d 453 (R.I. 2002).
Oliveira v. Lombardi, 794 A.2d 453 (R.I. 2002). · cites it 5× “1 provides that, once a license is obtained, “[t]he owner of any motor vehicle offered for lease in this state by a motor vehicle lessor shall provide proof of financial responsibility to the Division of Motor Vehicles as required by Section 31-34-1 of the General Laws.” Chase…”
Miles-Un-Ltd., Inc. v. Fanning, 624 A.2d 843 (R.I. 1993). · cites it 35× “1956 (1982 Reenactment) § 31-34-1, as amended by P.L.1982, ch. 28, § 1.”
Fratus v. Amerco, 575 A.2d 989 (R.I. 1990). · cites it 6× “General Laws 1956 (1982 Reenactment) § 31-34-1, as amended by P.L.1982, ch. 28, § 1 provides in pertinent part: “It shall be unlawful for the owner of any motor vehicle or truck engaged in the business of renting motor vehicles or trucks without drivers to rent a motor vehicle…”
Jason Puerini v. Jeanne LaPierre, 208 A.3d 1157 (R.I. 2019). · cites it 4× “When HLT filed its first motion for summary judgment, it argued that the Graves Amendment preempted G.L. 1956 §§ 31-34-1 and 31-34-4. Section 31-34-1(a) prohibits a motor vehicle owner "engaged in the business of renting motor vehicles or trucks without drivers" from "rent[ing]…”
Ryan v. Knoller, 695 A.2d 990 (R.I. 1997). · cites it 4× “Section 31-34-1. A certificate of self-insurance issued pursuant to G.”
Mendez v. Brites, 849 A.2d 329 (R.I. 2004). “This Court held that a rented vehicle, registered in Michigan and leased in Massachusetts, was not subject to §§ 31-34-1 and 31-34-4. See Fratus, 575 A.”
Victoria v. Smythe, 703 A.2d 619 (R.I. 1997). · cites it 2× “We held essentially that a rented vehicle registered in Michigan and leased in Massachusetts was not subject to G.L.1956 §§ 31-34-1 and 31-34-4 which require of rental-vehicle owners that have rented or registered their vehicles in the State of Rhode Island to file proof of…”
Scottsdale Ins. Co. v. United Rentals (N. Am.), Inc., 305 F. Supp. 3d 223 (D.D.C. 2018). “The parties are directed to submit a joint status memorandum and proposed scheduling order on or before April 20, 2018 proposing *234 a process to be followed to bring this case to final judgment.”
Scottsdale Ins. Co. v. United Rentals (North Am.), Inc. (D. Mass. 2018). “2 2 Scottsdale argues that the remaining count, alleging vicarious liability under R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-34-1, would have failed as a C.”
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-34-1(a): 1 case
Jason Puerini v. Jeanne LaPierre, 208 A.3d 1157 (R.I. 2019). “When HLT filed its first motion for summary judgment, it argued that the Graves Amendment preempted G.L. 1956 §§ 31-34-1 and 31-34-4. Section 31-34-1(a) prohibits a motor vehicle owner "engaged in the business of renting motor vehicles or trucks without drivers" from "rent[ing]…”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.