Environmental Rules in Pawtucket, RI (2026)
5 verified environmental rules for Pawtucket, Rhode Island, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Pawtucket requires a stormwater management plan for development triggering site plan review, and for any project adding more than 300 square feet of impervious surface, under City Code § 410-92.16. Plans must cut post-development pollutant runoff by 80% and control peak discharge through the 100-year storm, per § 410-92.17.
Pawtucket Stormwater Management Rules
Some RestrictionsPawtucket City Code §§ 410-92.16, 410-92.17, 410-92.22
§ 410-92.16. Applicability. ...No person shall engage in land development activities without receiving approval from the City Planning Commission or the Department of Planning and Redevelopment. Development that does not require development plan review in accordance with § 410-15.1, but does increase the amount of impervious surface on a parcel, but more than 300 square feet must demonstrate co...
Erosion Control
Pawtucket requires an erosion and sediment control plan before any land-disturbing activity of an acre or more (or part of a larger common development), approved by the Department of Planning and Redevelopment under Zoning Code Article XA, adopted in 2005 to keep silt out of the Blackstone River and City storm drains.
Pawtucket Construction Erosion Control
Some RestrictionsPawtucket City Code § 410-92.3
This article shall apply to any situation involving any disturbance to the terrain, topsoil or vegetative ground cover upon any property within the City of Pawtucket that requires approval in accordance with § 410-15.2, including all projects sites with greater than or equal to one acre of disturbance or projects which are a part of a larger common plan of development or sale that propose more ...
Flood Zones
Pawtucket regulates every FEMA-mapped flood zone in the city, Zones A, AE, AH, AO, A99, V, and VE, as a floodplain overlay district under Chapter 410, Article IV. Any construction, filling, grading, or excavation there needs a City permit before work starts, and the Department of Planning and Redevelopment administers compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program.
Pawtucket Floodplain Development Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsPawtucket City Code § 410-17
The special flood hazard areas are herein established as a floodplain overlay district. The district includes all special flood hazard areas within the City of Pawtucket designated as Zone A, AE, AH, AO, A99, V, or VE on the Providence County Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Digital FIRM issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the administration of the National Flood Ins...
Boat Dock Permits
Pawtucket confines marinas to parcels with access to the Seekonk or Pawtucket Rivers under Zoning Ordinance § 410-60O, and requires a special use permit before one can operate. Marinas need at least 10 boat-docking spaces in summer, one parking space per boat-leasing slip, Coastal Resources Management Council compliance, and a fire-approved egress plan for any off-season boat storage.
Pawtucket Marina and Boat Dock Rules
Some RestrictionsPawtucket City Code § 410-60O
O. Marina. (1) Marinas are limited to land parcels with access to Seekonk and Pawtucket Rivers. (2) There shall be a minimum of 10 boat-docking spaces during summer boating season. (3) An accessory use permitted is the sale of boating supplies, excluding fuels. (4) There shall be one parking space per boat leasing space at the marina. (5) Marinas shall be in compliance with Coastal Resources Ma...
Flood Elevation Requirements
Pawtucket ties construction height in flood-prone AO zones to the flood depth number on FEMA's map, or two feet above the highest adjacent ground if no depth number is shown. Citywide, the Zoning Ordinance also lets a property owner exclude the base flood elevation plus up to five feet of extra freeboard from the zone's maximum building-height calculation.
Pawtucket Flood Elevation and Freeboard Rule
Some RestrictionsPawtucket City Code § 410-19 and § 410-132
Within Zones AO on the FIRM, new and substantially improved residential structures shall have the top of the lowest floor at least as high as the FIRM's depth number above the highest adjacent grade and nonresidential structures shall be elevated or floodproofed above the highest adjacent grade to at least as high as the depth number on the FIRM. On FIRMs without a depth number for the AO Zone,...