Rhode Island Wants To Charge Motorists $15 Just For Showing Up At The DMV

FBI and ICE Use State DMV Databases For Federal Facial Recognition Searches

Officials in Rhode Island want to discourage people from going to the Department of Motor Vehicles and want to charge motorists a $15 fee if they show up in person. The new fee would only apply to services that can be done online or through the mail, such as license and registration renewals.

Motorists who are required to show up in person would not be charged the extra fee.

"Try to do your transactions online first," DMV spokesman Paul Grimaldi told WPRI. "There are nearly two million vehicles registered in Rhode Island. That was not the case 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago. There's just an intense customer volume that wasn't there before."

The fee was part of the agency's annual budget request and is projected to bring in $1 million annually. The agency also proposed a $15 late fee, which would bring in around $1.5 million per year.

It appears unlikely the $15 fee will make it in the final budget. A spokesman for Governor Gina Raimondo said that her office opposes the fee and does plan to include it in the budget proposal that will be sent to the legislature. 

Photo: Getty Images


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content