2009 Rhode Island Code
Title 12 - Criminal Procedure
CHAPTER 12-14 - Payment of Traffic Fines
§ 12-14-1 - Payment of fines for ordinance violations to clerk of district court.
SECTION 12-14-1
§ 12-14-1 Payment of fines for ordinance
violations to clerk of district court. –
The town council of any town or the legislative body of any city, except the
cities of Providence, Newport, Central Falls, Cranston, and Warwick and the
towns of Bristol, Charlestown, Johnston, Narragansett, North Kingstown, South
Kingstown, Warren, Westerly, and North Providence may by ordinance provide that
whenever a person shall be charged with a violation of a provision of any of
its ordinances relating to traffic, the jurisdiction and cognizances of
violations of which ordinance is in the district court, and the person is
notified in writing by a police officer to appear on a day and hour stated in
the notice to answer the charge before a division of the district court having
jurisdiction, the person, instead of personally appearing in court, may, in
person or by one duly authorized by him or her in writing, appear before the
clerk of the division of the district court having jurisdiction, admit the
truth of the charge and pay to the clerk any fine that the court may from time
to time, by standing order or rule establish or as may be fixed by the
ordinance enacted under this section as the fixed penalty for those violations,
not to exceed in any case the maximum fine imposed by law; provided, that
appearance, admission, and payment is made at the office of the clerk during
the office hours of the clerk within seven (7) days of the notification, and
failure to appear within that time shall be deemed a waiver of the right to
dispose of the charge without personal appearance in court. The payment of the
fine to the clerk in the manner provided in this section shall operate as a
final disposition of the charge and the proceedings shall not be deemed
criminal. The notice shall indicate the offense charged and shall also contain
any information that will enable the person charged to take advantage of the
provisions of the ordinance enacted under this section.
Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. Rhode Island may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
