Driving Tests

Rhode Island Teen Driver Penalties: Permit Breaks, Phone Ban, .02 Rule

informational·how to guide·Published May 16, 2026

What happens if a teen driver breaks the rules in Rhode Island?

A Rhode Island teen who breaks a seating or passenger limit on a permit or provisional license pays $100 for a first offense, $110 for a second and $140 after that. Breaking a time or supervising-driver limit counts as driving without a license. Under 18, phone use while driving is banned. At ages 18 to 20, a test result of .02% to under .08% means driving while impaired.

Where these Rhode Island rules come from

Rhode Island sets these penalties in the state law. The limit violation rules in R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10-6.4, the under-21 alcohol rule in § 31-27-2.7 and the under-18 phone ban in § 31-22-11.9 are the main texts. The licensing limits come from § 31-10-6 and the first license rule from § 31-10-26. The under-18 drunk driving penalties come from §§ 31-27-2 and 31-27-2.5. The repeat ticket rule comes from § 31-27-24. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (dmv.ri.gov) before you drive.

Fines and penalties by type of break

Fines and penalties by type of break
What the driver does	Who it applies to	Penalty
Drives outside the time limit or without the supervising driver	Permit, temporary permit or provisional license holder	Counts as operating a motor vehicle without a license
Breaks another limit, such as a seating or passenger limit	Permit, temporary permit or provisional license holder	Infraction: $100 first offense, $110 second, $140 third or later
Uses a phone while driving (emergency excepted)	Driver under 18	$100 first, $150 second; $250 and/or loss of license until age 18 for a third or later
Test result of .02% to under .08%	Driver aged 18 to 20	First violation: up to $250, 30 hours of community restitution, a one to three month suspension and a special course
Test result of .02% to under .1%	Driver under 18	First violation: $150 assessment or community restitution, a six-month suspension (up to 12 months) and a special course

Which permit and license limits can lead to a penalty?

Rhode Island law forbids driving against the limits of a limited learner's permit, a temporary permit or a limited provisional license. A limited provisional license holder may drive alone from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. At other times, a supervising driver must be in the car, except on a few listed trips, such as to or from work. During the first 12 months, no more than one passenger younger than 21 may ride along; immediate family or household members are excepted. The guide to the provisional license curfew and passenger limit explains each limit and exception.

Do violations delay the next license?

They can. To move to a limited provisional license, a permit holder must have held the limited instruction permit for at least six months and have no conviction for a moving violation or seat belt infraction in the preceding six months. To get the full operator's license at 17, the driver must have held the provisional license for at least 12 months and also have no such conviction in the preceding six months.

What is the first license hearing?

A first license in Rhode Island is issued for a one-year period. An applicant who has one adjudicated moving violation, one reportable crash, or both, is summoned to a hearing before a traffic tribunal judge. The judge decides whether to grant an operator's license, reissue a first license, or deny a license.

The phone ban for drivers under 18

A minor, meaning anyone under 18, may not use a personal wireless communication device while driving, except in an emergency. The fine is $100 for a first conviction and $150 for a second. A third or later conviction brings a $250 fine and/or loss of license until the driver turns 18. This ban is different from the adult phone law, which the guide to the 2025 hands-free phone law update covers. The practice question on a 17-year-old and a hands-free call tests this rule.

Alcohol penalties: which rule applies to you?

You are 18 to 20 and a test shows .02% to under .08%

A district court judge decides after a hearing. A driving while impaired finding is not a criminal offense. A first violation brings a fine of up to $250, 30 hours of community restitution, a license suspension of one to three months and a special course on driving while intoxicated. A second or later violation brings a fine of up to $250, a $300 highway safety assessment, up to 60 hours of community restitution and a suspension of three to six months.

You are under 18 and a test shows .02% to under .1%

A family court judge decides. A first violation brings a $150 highway safety assessment or community restitution, a license suspension of six months that may go up to 12 months, and a special course on driving while intoxicated. On a second violation, the license is suspended until you turn 21.

You are under 18 and refuse a chemical test

Your license is suspended for six months on a first violation, and the other refusal penalties of § 31-27-2.1 also apply.

You are under 18 and convicted of drunk driving

On a first violation, your license is suspended for six months and may be suspended up to 18 months. You must also do 10 to 60 hours of public community restitution, and you may also have to pay a highway assessment fine of up to $500. On a second or later violation, your license is suspended until you turn 21.

Other facts about alcohol penalties for young drivers

Police who charge a driver under 18 with refusing a chemical test, driving while impaired or drunk driving must notify the custodial parent in writing within 10 days of the charge.
When the state issues a first license to a 16- or 17-year-old, it must give written notice of the under-18 test refusal and driving while impaired penalties.
The practice question on the under-21 alcohol standard checks the .02% rule.

What if a driver gets many tickets?

A person convicted of moving violations on four separate occasions within an 18-month period may be fined up to $1,000. That person must attend 60 hours of driver retraining and perform 60 hours of public community service. The court may suspend the license for up to one year or revoke it for up to two years, but first it must find that further driving would be a substantial traffic safety hazard. For this rule, moving violations are a set list of offenses, such as speeding and running a stop sign. The rule applies to drivers of any age.

Key takeaways

Breaking a time or supervising-driver limit counts as driving without a license. Other limits, such as passenger limits, are infractions with fines of $100, $110 and $140.
A conviction for a moving violation or seat belt infraction in the preceding six months blocks the next license step.
Drivers under 18 may not use a personal wireless communication device while driving, except in an emergency.
At ages 18 to 20, a test result of .02% to under .08% is driving while impaired. Under 18, the range is .02% to under .1%.
Next step: practice the rules of the road on the free Rhode Island operator license practice test.

Rhode Island teen driver penalties: common questions

What happens if I drive alone after 1 a.m. on a Rhode Island provisional license?

Unless the trip is one of the listed exceptions, such as driving to or from work, it breaks a time-of-driving limit. The law says that this constitutes operating a motor vehicle without a license. A seating or passenger break is different: it is an infraction with fines of $100, $110 and $140 for a first, second and third or later offense.

What is the legal alcohol limit for a driver under 21 in Rhode Island?

It is lower than for adults. A driver aged 18 to 20 whose test shows .02% to under .08% is found to have been driving while impaired, which is not a criminal offense. For a driver under 18, the range is .02% to under .1%, and a family court judge decides the case.

Can a teen lose a Rhode Island license for a phone ticket?

Yes, on a third or later conviction. The law then allows a $250 fine, loss of the license until age 18, or both. The first conviction brings a $100 fine and the second a $150 fine. The ban covers any use of a personal wireless communication device by a driver under 18, except in an emergency.

Does a speeding ticket stop me from getting my full license at 17?

It can. The law requires a driver to have no conviction for a moving violation or seat belt infraction in the preceding six months, along with 12 months on the provisional license. A conviction inside that six-month window blocks the step. On a first license, one adjudicated moving violation also leads to a hearing before a traffic tribunal judge.

Can a judge shorten an under-21 alcohol suspension in Rhode Island?

No. For a driving while impaired finding, at ages 18 to 20 or under 18, no suspension, assessment, alcohol school or treatment program can be suspended, shortened or changed. At ages 18 to 20, a driver who does not attend the special course or an ordered treatment program stays suspended until it is completed.