Warwick, RI Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 40-13(d)-(f)
- Liability window
- 60 days from mailed notice
- 2nd violation fine
- $250.00 minimum
- 3rd violation fine
- $350.00 minimum
- 4th+ violation fine
- $500.00 minimum
Summary
Warwick holds property owners, residents and event organizers jointly liable for repeat public-nuisance gatherings. After police respond once and mail notice, a second nuisance response within 60 days triggers escalating fines up to $500 under § 40-13.
(d)Mailing of notice to property owner. Notice of police intervention pursuant to this section shall be mailed to any property owner of the City of Warwick Property Tax Assessment Records and shall advise the property owner that any subsequent such intervention within 60 days on the same premises shall result in liability of the property owner for all penalties associated with such intervention as more particularly set forth below:(e)Persons liable for a subsequent response to a gathering constituting a public nuisance. If the police department is required to respond to a gathering constituting a public nuisance on the premises more than once in any 60-day period, the following persons shall be jointly and severally liable for fines as set forth below:(1)The person or persons who own the property where the gathering constituting the public nuisance took place, provided that notice has been mailed to the owner of the property as set forth herein and the gathering occurs at least two weeks after the mailing of such notice.
Full Breakdown
City Code § 40-13(d) requires that after police intervene at a nuisance-gathering premises, notice be mailed to the property owner of record from the city's tax assessment records, warning that another intervention at the same premises within 60 days makes the owner liable for penalties. Subsection (e) then makes the property owner, the resident or person in control of the property, and the organizer or sponsor of the gathering jointly and severally liable if police must respond to a public-nuisance gathering there more than once in a 60-day period, so long as the owner's notice was mailed at least two weeks before the repeat gathering. Subsection (e)(5) carves out a defense: liability doesn't attach for uninvited guests' conduct if the resident or sponsor took all steps reasonably necessary to exclude them, including a landlord actively trying to evict a problem tenant, or for an isolated, unforeseeable guest violation the sponsor could not reasonably control.
Violations & Fines
Subsection (f)(1) sets a minimum mandatory fine schedule specifically for these repeat nuisance-gathering violations under § 40-13(a)(3): $250.00 minimum for a second violation at the same location within 60 days, $350.00 minimum for a third, and $500.00 minimum for a fourth or any later violation in that 60-day window. The board of public safety can grant a special, dated exception as part of its event-licensing process under subsection (g).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is liable for a loud, repeat house party in Warwick?
Does the owner get warned before facing liability?
What are the fines for repeat nuisance gatherings?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Warwick
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