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Pawtucket, RI Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Applies in
Conant Thread District only
Standard
No RI Invasive Species Council-listed plants
Citation
§ 410-43.20E(1)(a)
Reviewed by
Joint Planning Commission (DPR)
Max fine
$500 per day (§ 410-101)

Summary

Pawtucket's Conant Thread District site-design standards bar any landscaping plan from including a tree, shrub or plant identified as invasive by the Rhode Island Invasive Species Council. The rule sits inside the mill-conversion overlay's development plan review process, not in a citywide invasive-species ordinance, and pairs with seasonal-interest and drought/pest-resistance planting standards.

No tree, shrub or plant shall be proposed that has been identified as an invasive species by the Rhode Island Invasive Species Council or other reputable scientific publication.

View official code

Full Breakdown

The Conant Thread (CT) District, established under § 410-2 with boundaries shown on the City's official zoning map, covers the mill-conversion area near the Pawtucket/Central Falls commuter rail station. 14's development plan review (DPR) process. 20E(1)(a), forbids proposing any tree, shrub or plant identified as invasive by the Rhode Island Invasive Species Council or another reputable scientific publication. The same subsection also requires plants selected for year-round attractiveness across seasons and for resistance to drought, moisture, salt, urban stress or pests, so the invasive-species ban is one piece of a broader landscaping performance standard reviewed at the permitting stage rather than an independent citywide prohibition.

Outside the CT District boundaries, Pawtucket's 517-hit zoning chapter carries no parallel invasive-plant restriction, so a homeowner planting Japanese knotweed or bittersweet in an ordinary residential yard elsewhere in the city is not touched by this section.

Violations & Fines

Noncompliant landscaping plans get rejected or sent back at Joint Planning Commission review under the district's DPR process (§ 410-43.14) before any building permit issues. If invasive species are installed anyway, it becomes a chapter violation under § 410-101: the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement can fine the property owner up to $500 for each day the violation continues, with appeal to Rhode Island District Court, and the City Solicitor may seek an injunction in Providence County Superior Court.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this invasive-plant rule apply to my house outside the Conant Thread District?
No. The prohibition sits inside § 410-43.20, the site-design standards for the Conant Thread District, the mill-conversion overlay near the Pawtucket/Central Falls train station. Pawtucket's zoning chapter has no separate citywide ban on planting invasive species on residential lots outside that district; the standard only binds landscaping plans submitted for development review inside CT District boundaries shown on the official zoning map.
Who decides whether a plant counts as invasive?
The ordinance defers to the Rhode Island Invasive Species Council's list, or another reputable scientific publication, rather than the city keeping its own list, under § 410-43.20E(1)(a). Applicants proposing landscaping in the Conant Thread District should cross-check proposed trees, shrubs and plants against that state list before submitting a development plan for Joint Planning Commission review.
What happens if a developer plants a banned species anyway?
The Joint Planning Commission can require replacement or hold up approval during development plan review under § 410-43.14. If a plan is approved and then built out of compliance, § 410-101 lets the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement fine the property owner up to $500 for each day the violation continues, with the City Solicitor able to seek a court injunction.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Pawtucket

Fence Regulations: Height LimitsSome RestrictionsBuilding Setbacks & Zoning: Setback RulesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: RV & Boat ParkingSome RestrictionsFence Regulations: Material RestrictionsSome RestrictionsFence Regulations: Fence Permit RequirementsSome RestrictionsLandscaping Rules: CompostingSome Restrictions

All Pawtucket rules

Compare Pawtucket to another location·View the Rhode Island invasive plant rules overview

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