Rhode Island Ordinances (2026)

Rhode Island state law (R.I. Gen. Laws Section 45-24-73) requires municipalities to allow accessory dwelling units by right in defined circumstances on residential lots, preempting more restrictive local…

Carports in Rhode Island fall under the uniform State Building Code (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-27.3); permits are typically required for permanent structures, with technical standards uniform across all…

Garage-to-living-space conversions in Rhode Island are governed by the State Building Code (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-27.3) and uniform energy and fire codes; municipalities enforce but cannot vary these technical…

Rhode Island's State Building Code (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-27.3) governs shed construction uniformly statewide, exempting accessory structures 200 square feet or smaller from building permits, though local zoning…

Tiny homes in Rhode Island must comply with the uniform State Building Code (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-27.3), which adopts IRC Appendix Q for dwellings 400 square feet or less, applying statewide.

Rhode Island Title 4 Chapter 1 criminalizes animal cruelty including neglect and unsanitary confinement that constitutes hoarding. Owners must provide adequate food, water, shelter, and care, with violations…

Rhode Island law expressly prohibits municipalities from enacting breed-specific dog regulations. Under Section 4-13-43 and Section 4-13.1-16, no city or town may adopt or enforce ordinances that single out…

Rhode Island state law requires dogs to be under control or restrained when off the owner's premises. Title 4 establishes statewide rules for dog confinement, and owners are liable when dogs run at large or…

Rhode Island law restricts importing, possessing, and exhibiting wild and exotic animals through DEM permits under Title 4. Many species including big cats, primates, bears, and venomous reptiles require state…

Rhode Island DEM regulations and Title 20 prohibit feeding deer and certain wildlife to reduce disease and nuisance. Hunting baiting rules apply statewide. Intentional feeding of wild animals can trigger…

Rhode Island licenses cannabis retailers statewide under RIGL Chapter 21-28.11 through the Cannabis Control Commission, with a one-time municipal opt-out window and statewide siting standards that limit local…

The Rhode Island Cannabis Act, R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 21-28.11, lets adults 21 and older cultivate a limited number of cannabis plants at home. Section 21-28.11-22 allows up to three mature and three immature…

Commercial drone operations in Rhode Island require FAA Part 107 certification and comply with state aviation law under RIGL Chapter 1-4, with municipal authority limited to ground-based activity.

Recreational drone use in Rhode Island is governed primarily by FAA Part 107 and 49 USC 44809, with state law under RIGL Chapter 1-4 limiting where municipalities can regulate flight operations.

Rhode Island sets minimum wage statewide under RIGL Chapter 28-12, which reached $16.00 per hour effective January 1, 2026, generally preempting local minimum wage ordinances.

Rhode Island requires paid sick and safe leave statewide under RIGL Chapter 28-57, the Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act, providing employees up to 40 hours of leave annually from employers with 18…

Rhode Island has not enacted statewide predictive scheduling or fair workweek legislation, leaving employee scheduling primarily to employer discretion under existing wage and hour laws in RIGL Title 28.

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) under RIGL Chapter 46-23 holds primary jurisdiction over development within the coastal zone, preempting inconsistent local rules across all coastal…

Rhode Island requires erosion and sediment control on land-disturbing activities under RIGL Chapter 45-46 and the RI Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook, with statewide standards that municipalities…

Rhode Island enforces floodplain construction standards through the State Building Code under RIGL Chapter 23-27.3, adopting NFIP minimums uniformly statewide so municipalities cannot weaken flood-zone rules.

Rhode Island regulates stormwater under RIGL Chapter 46-12 and the RIPDES program administered by DEM, applying uniform statewide design and permitting standards that municipalities must implement at minimum.

Rhode Island General Laws section 34-10-20 declares any fence over six feet that is maliciously erected to annoy a neighbor a private nuisance. Affected adjoining property owners may sue for damages and…

Residential and public swimming pool barriers in Rhode Island follow the state Swimming Pool and Spa Code (RISBC-14), which adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with state amendments. Standards…

Rhode Island permits only ground-based and handheld sparkling devices statewide; aerial and explosive consumer fireworks remain illegal. The State Fire Marshal's office uniformly enforces RIGL Chapter 11-13.

Rhode Island generally prohibits open burning under the Air Pollution Control Act (R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 23-23) and DEM Air Pollution Control Regulation No. 4. Burning leaves, garbage, and construction debris…

Rhode Island enforces a uniform Comprehensive Fire Safety Code regulating propane storage statewide. RIGL 23-28.1 adopts NFPA 58 standards through the State Fire Marshal, preempting inconsistent municipal…

Rhode Island operates a dual-track concealed carry licensing system under RIGL 11-47-11 and 11-47-18, with both the Attorney General and local licensing authorities issuing permits subject to different…

Rhode Island General Laws section 11-47-58 establishes limited statewide preemption of firearm regulation, reserving most licensing and possession rules to state law while allowing some municipal authority…

Rhode Island technically permits open carry of handguns only with a license under RIGL 11-47-8, making the practice rare and effectively unavailable to most residents without permits.

Rhode Island General Laws section 11-47-8 makes it a felony to carry a pistol or revolver in a vehicle without a Rhode Island concealed carry license, with limited exemptions for transport to ranges…

Rhode Island requires all mobile food establishments to hold a state Department of Health license under the Food Code. Trucks must meet uniform sanitation, equipment, and operator standards regardless of which…

Under Rhode Island's Common Interest Ownership Act, an association has an automatic lien on a unit for unpaid assessments and fines. The lien carries a six-month super-priority over a recorded first mortgage…

Rhode Island requires advance written notice of condominium meetings—10 to 60 days—stating the time, place, and agenda. Notably, the Act does not impose an open-meeting mandate. Owners may examine the…

A Rhode Island condominium association may adopt and amend rules and regulations and enforce the declaration, bylaws, and rules against unit owners. Enforcement tools include reasonable fines and litigation…

Rhode Island law lets a condominium association levy reasonable fines for violations, but only after notice and an opportunity to be heard. Unlike many states, Rhode Island sets explicit daily caps: no more…

Rhode Island provides almost no statewide statutory protections that override condominium-association restrictions on owner displays. There is no solar-access law limiting HOAs, and the Condominium Act…

Rhode Island's Cottage Food law, R.I. Gen. Laws Section 21-27-6.2, lets residents register with the Department of Health for $65 a year to sell nonperishable baked goods made in a home kitchen, up to $50,000…

Rhode Island licenses family child care homes through the Department of Human Services under RIGL Chapter 42-12.5, and RIGL 45-24-37 protects licensed family daycare from exclusionary zoning across all…

Rhode Island has no statewide statutory mandate requiring private employers to use the federal E-Verify system, leaving participation voluntary except for certain state contractors under executive orders that…

Rhode Island has no statewide sanctuary preemption statute, leaving cities and towns free to set their own policies on cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, with Providence and Central Falls…

Rhode Island's food-waste ban (R.I. Gen. Laws Section 23-18.9-17) requires large organic-waste generators located within 15 miles of a composting or digestion facility to divert food waste, applying statewide…

Rhode Island places no permit requirement or water-rights limit on residential rainwater harvesting for non-potable use. Roof-runoff capture for irrigation is unregulated statewide; potable systems must meet…

Rhode Island's Public Shade Tree Act (R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-14) protects trees in public ways statewide, requiring tree warden authorization before removal and applying uniformly across all municipalities.

Rhode Island law (R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 2-14) places public shade trees under the municipal tree warden's control, requiring the warden's authorization before removing or substantially trimming them…

Aircraft operations and noise in Rhode Island are governed almost exclusively by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Rhode Island Airport Corporation operates state airports but cannot regulate flight…

Rhode Island General Laws Chapter 42-136 requires state-funded outdoor lighting to be fully shielded, energy efficient, and designed to minimize light pollution and glare. The statute applies statewide to…

Rhode Island General Laws Chapter 31-42, the Abandoned Motor Vehicles law, sets uniform statewide procedures for declaring, removing, and disposing of abandoned vehicles on public and private property across…

Rhode Island regulates EV charging infrastructure through the State Building Code under RIGL Chapter 23-27.3 and state utility law, with statewide standards municipalities must apply uniformly.

For nonpayment, R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 34-18-35 lets a landlord send a demand only after rent is 15 days in arrears, then the tenant has 5 days from mailing to cure before the lease terminates. For other lease…

R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 34-18-22 requires landlords to keep rentals fit and habitable, meet building and housing codes, maintain common areas and major systems, and supply running water, reasonable hot water, and…

Rhode Island's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18) establishes uniform eviction grounds and procedures statewide, including no-cause termination of month-to-month tenancies with proper…

Under R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 34-18-26, a Rhode Island landlord must give the tenant at least two days' notice before entering the unit for inspections, repairs, services, or showings, and may enter only at…

Rhode Island sets no statutory cap on rent late fees, so the amount is governed by the lease. There is no formal late-fee grace period in the Act, but R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 34-18-35 bars a nonpayment demand…

Under R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 34-18-37, either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice, or a week-to-week tenancy with at least 10 days' written notice. The notice must be in…

Rhode Island has no statewide rent control and no cap on how much rent may increase. The state's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act is silent on rent control, neither expressly authorizing nor preempting…

Rhode Island has no rent control, but R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 34-18-16.1 requires a landlord to give written notice at least 60 days before any residential rent increase takes effect. Month-to-month tenants over…

Rhode Island law limits a residential security deposit to one month's periodic rent. After the tenancy ends, the landlord has 20 days to return the deposit and provide an itemized written statement of any…

Rhode Island allows title by adverse possession after 10 years of continuous possession under R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 34-7-1, one of the shorter periods nationally. The possession must be open, peaceful, actual…

Rhode Island supports agricultural zoning through RIGL Chapter 2-23 Right to Farm provisions and RIGL Chapter 45-24 zoning enabling statutes, encouraging municipal agricultural districts and farm-friendly land…

Rhode Island's Right to Farm Act under RIGL Chapter 2-23 protects qualifying agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits and overly restrictive municipal ordinances when farms follow generally accepted…

Rhode Island imposes no liability-insurance requirement on short-term rentals. Statewide STR registration under R.I. Gen. Laws Section 42-63.1-14 does not require proof of insurance, and any coverage rule is…

Rhode Island requires statewide registration of short-term rental units rented for under 30 nights with the Department of Business Regulation under R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-63.1-14. Hosts must register and display…

Rhode Island taxes short-term rentals at 7% state sales tax and 5% statewide hotel tax, plus a local hotel tax that rose to 2% on January 1, 2026. A new 5% tax applies to whole-home rentals.

Rhode Island enacted a statewide plastic carryout bag ban effective January 1, 2024 under RIGL Chapter 23-92, the Plastic Waste Reduction Act, prohibiting most single-use plastic checkout bags at retail stores.

Rhode Island has not enacted a comprehensive statewide ban on expanded polystyrene foam food containers, leaving regulation to municipalities while DEM encourages voluntary phase-outs by food service…

Rhode Island has no statewide plastic straw ban, but several municipalities including Providence have adopted upon-request rules requiring food service establishments to provide plastic straws only when…

Rhode Island has no statute limiting homeowner or condominium association restrictions on solar panels. Chapter 34-40 only authorizes voluntary solar easements between owners; it does not void HOA covenants…

Rhode Island authorizes solar easements under § 34-40-1 and applies the statewide building and electrical codes to solar installations. Permits are required uniformly, and OER guidelines support standardized…

Rhode Island guarantees a statewide three-day right to cancel home solicitation sales. RIGL 6-28 preempts contract terms and applies to all door-to-door transactions over $25 regardless of city.

Above-ground pools in Rhode Island fall under the statewide building code. Pools deeper than 24 inches require permits, barriers, and entrapment protection per the ISPSC, with uniform standards enforced in…

Rhode Island adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code through the State Building Code Standards Committee, mandating four-foot barriers, self-closing gates, and entrapment protection statewide. All…

Rhode Island regulates hot tubs and spas under the state building code through the adopted ISPSC. Spas require permits, electrical inspection, and either a lockable safety cover or barrier, with uniform…

Rhode Island requires building permits for in-ground and most above-ground pools under the statewide building code. Local building officials issue permits but enforce uniform state standards from Chapter…

Rhode Island prohibits the sale of tobacco and vapor products to anyone under 21 under R.I. Gen. Laws Section 11-9-13, aligning with federal Tobacco 21 standards and applying to all retailers statewide.

Rhode Island bans the sale of flavored electronic nicotine-delivery system products other than tobacco flavor through a Department of Health regulation, and enforces the federal flavored-cigarette ban through…

Rhode Island licenses tobacco and electronic nicotine-delivery system (ENDS) retailers through the Division of Taxation under R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 44-20, requires age-21 verification, and bans flavored ENDS…

Rhode Island prohibits disposal of designated bulky and hazardous items in regular trash statewide. Mattresses, electronics, mercury devices, and tires must be diverted under separate state programs.

Rhode Island requires statewide source separation of recyclables under RIGL 23-18.9. Residents and businesses must separate designated materials; the Resource Recovery Corporation sets uniform standards across…

Rhode Island law protects public shade trees on highway rights-of-way. RIGL 2-14 prohibits removal or substantial damage to public trees without written permission from the local tree warden.