Warwick, RI Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Disabled or abandoned vehicle obstructing traffic
- First step
- Police direct owner to remove it
- If owner can't/won't
- City calls approved towing service
- Owner appeal
- Post-seizure hearing, municipal court
Summary
Warwick police can order the owner of a disabled or abandoned vehicle blocking a public street to remove it, and if the owner cannot or will not, the department directs a towing service to remove it to a suitable place in the city. Removed vehicles cannot be altered without the owner's written consent.
(a)Order to remove. Whenever any vehicle is disabled by reason of accident or for any other reason or abandoned upon a public street or highway of the city, and such disabled or abandoned vehicle constitutes an obstruction to the normal flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic upon the highway which cannot be readily removed, the police department, or any officer thereof, shall direct the owner or operator to remove such vehicle and shall give him/her a reasonable opportunity to do so.
Full Breakdown
Section 76-217(a) applies whenever a vehicle is disabled by accident or any other reason, or abandoned, upon a public street or highway, and it constitutes an obstruction to pedestrian or vehicular traffic that cannot readily be removed: the police department or any officer must direct the owner or operator to remove the vehicle and give a reasonable opportunity to do so. Subsection (b) covers what happens when the owner is unable or unwilling: the owner is directed to call a towing service of their own choice, and if they refuse, fail, are unable, or are not readily available, the police department calls an approved towing service to remove the vehicle to a suitable place within the city.
Section 76-218 then protects the owner's interest after removal, barring anyone from moving, altering or repairing the vehicle further without the owner's or an authorized agent's written consent. Section 76-219 lets the owner regain immediate possession from the towing service or wherever the vehicle was delivered upon payment of the towing and storage charges set out in the chapter. A post-seizure hearing procedure under section 76-221 extends the same municipal-court hearing rights that apply to vehicles towed under section 76-216 to vehicles removed under section 76-217, letting an owner contest the towing before the municipal court judge.
Violations & Fines
An owner who fails to remove a disabled or abandoned vehicle after being directed to do so by police faces city-directed towing under section 76-217(b), with the owner responsible for the towing service's charges before the vehicle is released. Anyone who moves, alters or repairs a vehicle removed under this section without the owner's written consent violates section 76-218, and an owner disputing the removal or the towing charges may request a post-seizure hearing before the municipal court under section 76-221.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Warwick police tow my disabled car off the street?
Who picks the tow company for an abandoned vehicle in Warwick?
Can I get my towed vehicle back and dispute the charges?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Warwick
Compare Warwick to another location·View the Rhode Island parking rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.