Business Licensing & Operations in Cranston, RI (2026)
6 verified business licensing & operations rules for Cranston, Rhode Island, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Cranston forbids nude and topless exposure on any liquor-licensed premises citywide, backing the ban with fines and liquor-license revocation rather than a zoning permit scheme.
Cranston Bans Nudity at Bars
Heavy RestrictionsCranston Code of Ordinances § 5.12.080
In accordance with and pursuant to authority granted by RIGL 3-7-7.3, it shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, partnership or other entity holding a liquor license in the city...to suffer or permit...any person, while on the premises of the liquor license holder, to expose to public view, his or her genitals, pubic area, anus, anal cleavage, or anal cleft...Any person...who viola...
Massage Establishments
Operating a massage therapy establishment in Cranston without a license from the city's licensing agency is prohibited under Code Section 5.25.010, with a $25 application fee due 30 days before opening.
Cranston Massage Establishment License
Significant RestrictionsCranston Code of Ordinances § 5.25.010
No person, acting severally or jointly with any other person shall conduct, maintain or operate a massage therapy establishment in this city of Cranston without a license issued by the licensing agency.
Secondhand Dealers
Cranston requires anyone buying, selling, or gathering junk, old metals, or secondhand articles, including automobile junkyards, to hold a license from the city council's safety services and licenses committee.
Cranston Junk & Secondhand Dealer License
Significant RestrictionsCranston Code of Ordinances § 5.48.010
No person shall engage in the business of selling, purchasing, bartering or dealing in junk, old metals, secondhand jewelry, precious metals or other metals, or any other secondhand articles, nor establish, operate or maintain automobile junkyards, nor keep a shop or storehouse or the reception of any junk, old metals, secondhand jewelry, precious metals or other metals or other secondhand arti...
Pawnbrokers
Cranston requires pawnbrokers to hold an annual $100 license from the bureau of licenses, post it publicly, and post a $2,000 surety bond before opening for business.
Cranston Pawnbroker Licensing
Significant RestrictionsCranston Code of Ordinances § 5.56.010
It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in business as a pawnbroker in the city, unless he or she first shall have procured a license therefor from the bureau of licenses.
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Cranston requires a city council license for any motor vehicle repair business, including home-based operations, and bars approval unless zoning allows the use and repairs occur entirely inside a building.
Cranston Home Auto Repair Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsCranston Code of Ordinances § 5.72.070
No license shall be granted for a motor vehicle repair business unless the following conditions are met: A. The motor vehicle repair business must be allowed in the proposed location pursuant to the zoning ordinances of the city. B. The motor vehicle repair business must be operated and maintained entirely within a building. C. The motor vehicle repair business must meet all applicable...
Towing Companies
Cranston caps police-ordered tow charges at $25 by day or $30 at night plus $8 a day for storage, and lets owners demand a municipal-court hearing within 48 hours to contest an impoundment.
Cranston Non-Consent Tow Charges & Hearing
Some RestrictionsCranston Code of Ordinances § 10.36.010
There shall be a charge of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for towing performed during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or a charge of thirty dollars ($30.00) for towing performed during the hours of 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.; ... plus a storage charge of eight dollars per day (twenty-four (24) hours), or for a fraction thereof, for storage off the public highway in a secured lot; ... all fees to...