Rhode Island license plate: Dealer

Format, years and the law

Format

L9999, for example E8004 (L is any letter, 9 any digit)

The format above is broad: a registration that fits it has the right shape, which does not show that this series issued it.

Years issued

2018 to today. Still issued.

Vehicle class

Dealer: trade/garage plates bound to a business, not a vehicle. Issued for car, van, truck, bus, and motorcycle.

Size

12 × 6 in (305 × 152 mm) · every country's size

Replacement

years: 3. statutory text: § 31-3-25(a): dealer plates issued 'every three (3) years in clearly distinguishable colors'; § 31-3-25(b): 'The dealer plate issuance scheduled for January 1, 2017, shall be deferred until January 1, 2018 to coincide with the dealer license renewal cycle.'. note: THE ONLY LEGISLATED PLATE REPLACEMENT CYCLE FOUND ANYWHERE IN THE NORTHEAST GROUP, and it sits well inside AAMVA §1.1's 7-to-10-year recommendation because its purpose is not retroreflectivity but ENFORCEMENT, a colour that changes every three years makes an expired dealer plate visible at a glance.

Legal basis and sources

1. § 31-3-25(a): the general distinguishing number, the per-plate discriminating number or symbol, the three-year issuance cycle, and the three mandated category colours (new dealers / used dealers / transporter and... https://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/TITLE31/31-3/31-3-25.HTM
2. § 31-3-10: one fully reflective plate for a dealer vehicle, a transporter and a bailee vehicle https://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/TITLE31/31-3/31-3-10.HTM