Warwick, RI Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

8 ties Warwick's short-term rental occupancy limit to two separate constraints. First, the numeric formula: no more than two persons per bedroom. Second, a septic constraint that matters in a city where many lots rely on on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) rather than sewer: the number of bedrooms counted for occupancy purposes can't exceed the number of bedrooms supported by the design load of the property's OWTS, so a home with a four-bedroom floor plan but a three-bedroom-rated system is capped at three bedrooms for rental purposes, or six occupants.

The owner must supply records the building official finds reasonably sufficient to establish the OWTS-rated bedroom count; without that documentation the building official can set a lower number. 10. 8(B) adds that the maximum occupancy can be trimmed further if the building department decides additional off-street parking is required and the lot can't accommodate it. Because the cap is inspection-verified and printed on the permit, a rental that exceeds its stated occupancy is operating outside its own permit terms, not just breaking a general rule.