Junk and dead cars in Westerly

Westerly's street rules

Section 238-1 holds most of the town's towing rules. Any car in a tow zone "shall be removed by tow-away method at the expense of the owner," on the order of any town police officer. The section also lists conditions that subject a car on a town street to a tow and a penalty. One of them is a car parked during snow removal that "substantially inhibit[s] the operation of snow removal vehicles." Nobody can drive a dead car clear of a plow.

Parking tickets have a short fuse: they are paid to the Municipal Court "within the seven days specified."

A car in the yard

What we found in Westerly's code covers streets and junkyards. For a driveway or back lot, the state statute is the guide, and the town may still have extra rules we did not find. Section 31-42-1 calls a car abandoned once it has spent more than 3 days on private land the landowner never agreed to.

Police may impound an abandoned car on either kind of property once a vehicle survey report has been made, says section 31-42-2, after tagging it with a notice 48 hours ahead. A police auction receipt, under section 31-42-4, is good title only for passing the car to a demolisher.

Several dead cars on one property

Westerly zoning section 260-82 also says motor vehicle junkyards must "comply in all respects with Chapter 150, Junkyards, of the Town Code." If a yard is unlicensed, state section 31-42-6 lets the Department of Environmental Management director have its junked vehicles crushed and taken away within 3 months.

The DMV trip from Westerly

The DMV office we checked for Westerly is the Wakefield branch on Tower Hill Road, number 4808. Call (401) 789-1430 before the drive. That is 19 miles as the crow flies, off to the northeast of Westerly's center.

For 2001 and later cars, the transfer is done on the back of the certificate with your signature, the buyer's signature, and the mileage. An older car is titled for the first time at the sale. Your bill of sale should name the price, the color and VIN, and the year, make and model, with your signature and your address. If the registration is lost, section 31-42-7 lets you apply to the local police for a certificate of authority, which a demolisher accepts instead of the registration.

Plates

They go home with you. Cancel online, or fill in the Affidavit for Cancellation of Registration and drop it in a DMV branch's box together with identification or a registration copy.

Nearby

South Kingstown is 14.5 miles away, North Kingstown 25.0 and Coventry 26.9. State rules are on the Rhode Island page.

Requesting an offer

Westerly owners can call (877) 421-6008 or use the form. We load off Broad Street, at beach cottages or back lots.