# Rhode Island — How long before a car left on your property or towed from it can legally be sold — by US state

For Rhode Island, time to count as abandoned on private property is more than three (3) days; statutory citation is R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-42-1, verified against its source on 2026-08-18.

- **State:** Rhode Island _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Time to count as abandoned on private property:** more than three (3) days _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statutory citation:** R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-42-1 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-42-1 § 31-42-1. Definitions. (a) “Abandoned motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle that is inoperable and over eight (8) years old and is left unattended on public property for more than forty-eight (48) hours, or a motor vehicle that has remained illegally on public property for a period of more than three (3) days, or a motor vehicle that has remained on private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of the property for more than three (3) days.

## Source

- http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE31/31-42/31-42-1.htm

Last verified: 2026-08-18. Review by: 2027-08-18.
Part of [How long before a car left on your property or towed from it can legally be sold — by US state](https://referencesource.org/abandoned-vehicle-private-property-timelines-by-state/).