Pawtucket, RI Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum heat
- 68°F at 3 ft, when outside is 0°F
- Minimum hot water temp
- 120°F at every fixture
- Smoke detectors
- Within 15 ft of every sleeping room
- Max fine
- $500 per offense, per day
- Enforced by
- Division of Zoning and Code Enforcement
- Chapter adopted
- Oct. 17, 1967, Ch. No. 1135
Summary
Pawtucket's Housing Standards chapter sets hard numeric minimums for rented dwellings: heat capable of 68°F at three feet off the floor when it is 0°F outside, hot water of at least 120°F, working plumbing fixtures, and smoke detectors near every sleeping room.
Every dwelling and dwelling unit shall be supplied with adequate heating facilities rigidly connected to chimneys or flues sufficient to accommodate facilities for the safe and adequate heating of all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms or compartments. Where central heating equipment is not supplied by the owner, equipment as herein specified shall be provided by the occupant. Heating equipment shall be capable of maintaining a minimum air temperature of at least 68° F. at three feet above the floor level, in all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms or compartments, during an outside air temperature of 0° F.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 247, adopted in 1967 and enforced by the Division of Zoning and Code Enforcement, declares that establishing minimum standards for dwellings is essential to public health and safety (§ 247-2, § 247-3). No owner-occupant may occupy or let another occupy a dwelling unit that fails Article V's plumbing standards or Article VI's heating and cooking standards (§ 247-64, § 247-74). Every dwelling unit must have a kitchen sink, a private flush toilet and lavatory basin, and a bathtub or shower, all properly connected to an approved water supply and sewage system (§§ 247-65 to 247-67), with both hot and cold water lines required at each fixture (§ 247-68) and water heated to at least 120°F (§ 247-77).
Heating facilities must maintain a minimum air temperature of at least 68°F at three feet above the floor in every habitable room, bathroom and toilet room when it is 0°F outside (§ 247-75). Rented or leased buildings must carry smoke detectors within 15 feet of every room used for sleeping and at the top of each interior stairwell, bearing a nationally recognized testing lab label (§ 247-80).
Violations & Fines
Anyone who violates any Chapter 247 provision or an adopted rule is fined up to $500 for each offense, with each day of noncompliance counted as a separate violation (§ 247-18). The City Solicitor can also pursue an injunction or abatement action on the Director's complaint, and these remedies are cumulative, not exclusive, so a landlord can face both fines and a court order to fix the same defect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum heat a Pawtucket landlord must provide?
How hot must the water be in a Pawtucket rental?
Are smoke detectors required in Pawtucket rentals?
What happens if my landlord ignores a housing code violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pawtucket
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Repairs & Habitability in Nearby Cities
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