Junk and dead cars in Newport

On the street and other public land

The rule in full: "No person shall deposit, store or keep, or permit to be deposited, stored or kept, in the open on public property, a dismantled, unserviceable, junked or abandoned vehicle, a vehicle legally or physically incapable of being operated or a vehicle that is not displaying a current safety inspection certificate on its windshield."

The section also says junked vehicles "shall be deemed to include major parts thereof, including bodies, engines, transmissions, rear ends." An engine on a pallet by the curb counts.

Your own lot: the setback

Newport's zoning code reaches into the yard. Under section 17.78.030, "All dismantled, junked, or abandoned vehicles, including major parts thereof ... are considered junk and explicitly prohibited within the designated setback area." A car that is merely unregistered needs a permit: "No unregistered motor vehicle may be parked or stored ungaraged in the designated setback area without the issuance of a special use permit by the Zoning Board of Appeals." Boats, trailers and motorcycles kept in the setback must be registered and carry insurance.

Beyond zoning, section 8.16.010 bars letting "junked automobiles" pile up on a lot to the point that they threaten health or safety. Section 8.16.020 lets the director of planning, zoning and development issue a notice to clean it up.

Downtown parking lots

A dead car left in the Mary Street lot does not get to sit. Section 10.28.050 says "Any vehicle parked at any time during the entire year in excess of seventy-two (72) hours will be removed by the city at the owner's expense." Cars in that lot are always parked at the owner's risk.

Paperwork for a Newport sale

We checked the DMV office just over the line in Middletown, at 52 Valley Road; its phone is (401) 846-5451. That is 3 miles or so as the crow flies, northeast of central Newport. Rhode Island titles are a state document, and the county has no role.

Model year 2001 and up: the back of the title carries both signatures and the odometer figure. Pre-2001 cars pick up a title only when they change owners. The registration card has a back side to fill in as well. Section 31-4-2 asks for the new owner's name, their address and the date of sale, and wants the card mailed to the DMV promptly. Once a scrapper destroys the car, it owes the DMV the title for cancellation.

Plates stay on your side

You keep the plates, and a private buyer puts their own on the car. Cancel the registration online; the DMV counts its confirmation email as proof. After you sell has the rest.

Nearby

North Kingstown is 9.4 miles away, South Kingstown 12.6 and Bristol 14.0. The Rhode Island page covers state rules.

Offer details

Call (877) 421-6008, or tell us about your Newport car on the offer form. We can collect from a garage, a tight street by the harbor, or a driveway up the hill.