Showing ordinances that apply to Harrisville, RI
Harrisville is an unincorporated community (population 1,745) in Providence County, Rhode Island. Because Harrisville is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal code. Instead, Providence County ordinances apply directly to properties here. The property blight rules below are the ones that govern your area.
Providence County municipalities enforce property maintenance codes under RIGL Title 45 Ch. 24.3 (Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code) and local minimum housing ordinances. Blight conditions including peeling paint, broken windows, and accumulated debris trigger written notices with 10-30 day compliance periods, fines of $100-$500 per day, and municipal abatement with liens.
Rhode Island authorizes municipal property maintenance enforcement through RIGL §45-24.3 (State Minimum Housing Code) and RIGL §45-2-18, allowing cities and towns to adopt stricter local housing codes. Providence Code of Ordinances Ch. 17 (Housing) and §17-32 address unsafe and blighted structures, requiring exteriors to be free of peeling paint, loose siding, broken windows, rotted wood, and structural deterioration. Cranston Code Ch. 10.16 and Pawtucket Code Ch. 220 impose similar minimum housing standards. Woonsocket enforces its Chronic Nuisance Property ordinance against repeatedly-cited properties. Enforcement begins with a written Notice of Violation from the Minimum Housing inspector (or Building Official) specifying defects and a compliance deadline, typically 10-30 days. Non-compliance results in municipal court citations under RIGL §45-24.3-18. Providence imposes fines up to $500 per day per violation. The municipality may abate dangerous conditions under RIGL §45-24.3-17 and file a lien against the property for costs, which runs with the land until paid. Vacant buildings must be registered under many municipal vacant-property ordinances (Providence §17-189 et seq., annual fee).
Written Notice of Violation with 10-30 day compliance window under RIGL §45-24.3-13. Fines $100-$500 per day per violation (Providence §17-32). Municipal abatement of nuisance conditions with costs becoming a lien on the property per RIGL §45-24.3-17. Repeat or egregious violations may trigger Superior Court receivership under the Abandoned Property Act.
See how Harrisville's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
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