Warwick, RI Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit authority
- City Council, via written agreement with clerk
- Application needs
- Plat showing pole/wire location and purpose
- Reserved capacity
- 3-inch duct for city use in every conduit trench
- Revocation
- Anytime, without notice (§ 70-73)
- Abandoned pole fine
- $500 per day after 10-day removal deadline
Summary
Warwick requires city council permission before anyone places electric or utility wires in, over, or under a street, square, lane, or highway. Applicants file a written agreement with the city clerk and a plat showing the work, and the council can revoke or remove the installation at any time without notice.
No wire to be used for conducting currents of electricity shall be placed in, over or under any street, square, lane or highway in the city without permission of the council or until the person placing or maintaining the same shall have filed with the city clerk a written agreement accepting and promising to abide by and perform all the conditions and provisions of this article. ... Any violation of this section shall be punishable by a fine of $500.00. Each day in which the violation occurs shall constitute a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Section 70-71 makes it unlawful to place any wire for conducting electric current in, over, or under a city street, square, lane, or highway without council permission, which requires the installer to file a written agreement with the city clerk promising to follow the article's conditions. Section 70-72 requires the application to state the intended pole and wire locations and their purpose, backed by a plat. Section 70-73 lets the council revoke permission in whole or in part at any time, and the city can remove poles or wires itself without advance notice.
Section 70-74 controls where above-ground wires are strung, keeping electric power lines separated from parallel telephone and telegraph lines on the same side of the highway. Section 70-76 requires anyone burying a cable or conduit in a public way to install a three-inch duct reserved for the city's own signal circuits, free of charge, with the city entitled to access it whenever needed. Section 70-77 requires anyone erecting or using poles or wires to indemnify the city against claims for injuries or property damage they cause.
Section 70-78 further requires a utility to remove any pole no longer in service, or wires no longer used, within ten days of that pole going out of service or being replaced.
Violations & Fines
Unauthorized wires or poles can be removed by the city at any time without notice under Section 70-73. Separately, Section 70-78 makes it a violation, punishable by a $500.00 fine, for a utility to leave an out-of-service or replaced pole standing, or unused wires attached to it, more than ten days after the pole is retired or replaced; each day of noncompliance is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run utility wires across a Warwick street?
Can Warwick remove a utility pole it already approved?
What happens if a utility leaves a dead pole standing in Warwick?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Warwick
Compare Warwick to another location·View the Rhode Island sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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