The Building Code and Commissioner Reform clarifies procedures for and centralizes duties of the State Building Code Office to create similar expectations regarding building codes throughout the state. This bill also expands the use of residential building codes for three- and four-family dwellings.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5804
Podcast Time Stamps: 1:17 – 4:28
To protect public health, this bill imposes the Contractor’s Registration and Licensing Board (CRLB) with establishing a licensing program for contractors supervising or performing structural work in residences of one to four-family dwelling units, which would go into effect on January 1, 2028. This bill also provides for evidence-based competency demonstration pathways for grandfathered licensure, and reforms the CRLB board to allow an engineer to serve in place of an architect, and changes the home inspector’s seat to be filled by a second public member.
The CRLB Reforms are currently in effect; however, changes to the Residential Licensing will take effect on January 1, 2028.
To see the full bill, click here: S0749
Podcast Time Stamps: 4:29 – 6:39
This bill creates a 4-year test program to help build affordable dwelling units for moderate-income families. This program will provide alternative criteria for units for sale as long as they spend no more than 38% of their income on the home. This applies to families earning between 100% and 120% of the average income in the area.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5956
Podcast Time Stamps: 6:40 – 8:30
To encourage more redevelopment of historic buildings, this bill increases the project size limit for which higher wages must be paid. Instead of applying to projects costing $10 million or more, it will now apply only to those with at least $25 million in direct construction costs, such as labor, materials, and contractor fees.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: S0940
Modeled after a 1987 Vermont law that produced 15,000 affordable homes, conserved half a million acres of land, and revitalized 80 historic sites for commercial use, this bill revives and updates the RI Housing & Conservation Trust Fund to help support both affordable housing and land conservation at the same time. The Governor will appoint 11 public members for the board, with Senate approval, including one nonprofit and one for-profit developer or builder.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5310
Podcast Time Stamps: 8:46 – 9:28
This bill, aimed at creating a more coordinated permitting process, requires that applications for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation be integrated into the electronic building permit system.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5803
Podcast Time Stamps: 9:29 – 10:49
This bill aims to make the process clearer by fixing issues that cause unnecessary delays. It updates the adaptive reuse rules to encourage turning empty commercial buildings into useful spaces. Also included in this bill are important tools that enable the division of oversized lots more easily, based on the size of nearby lots. A new tool that allows some building rules to be adjusted, once again, based on surrounding properties.
Lastly, this bill also changes the rules for adaptive reuse projects by lowering the affordable housing requirement and allowing more units based only on building and fire code limits.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5794
Podcast Time Stamps: 11:00 – 18:22
To clarify standards and findings required for development, this bill helps remove subjectivity in the planning process. The amendments to this bill make important changes, such as allowing a developer to elect to submit for master plan review and approval under a limited application process. Due to the rental exemption, effective January 1, 2026, communities that were previously exempt will be included in the comprehensive permitting process.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5801
To ease the impact of new housing on the 4% municipal tax levy cap by allowing a three-year phase-in period for qualifying new housing units to be incorporated into the minimum tax levy.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5793
Podcast Time Stamps: 26:20 – 28:54
This bill permits purchasers to reasonably rely on zoning opinions issued by local officials by eliminating the non-binding nature of zoning certificates. This would allow property owners, depending on the municipality’s determination of the legality of a property’s current use, and provide the requesting party with the right to appeal the decision stated in a zoning certificate.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5795
To promote residential development in commercial areas, municipalities would be required to establish village or mixed-use zoning districts. In communities with a population over 40,000, at least 30% of commercial districts must permit residential uses.
This bill will go into effect on January 1st, 2026.
To see the full bill, click here: H5800
Podcast Time Stamps: 28:54 – 30:02
To encourage higher-density development within areas served by public infrastructure, municipalities would be required to permit residential uses beyond solely single-family homes in locations where public water and sewer services are available and within the urban services boundary.
This bill will go into effect on January 1st, 2026.
To see the full bill, click here: H5796
Podcast Time Stamps: 30:08 – 31:4
To expand access to lower-cost homeownership options such as townhomes, municipalities would be encouraged to permit housing units that share a party wall and lot line but exist on separate lots. This would apply in areas where current zoning already allows similar residential density through vertically arranged buildings like two-, three-, or multi-family structures.
This bill will go into effect on January 1st, 2026.
To see the full bill, click here: H5798
Podcast Time Stamps: 31:47 – 34:18
To provide alternative, cost-effective housing options, municipalities would be allowed to permit co-housing arrangements. These energy-efficient, low-cost living models are similar to dormitories, featuring shared common spaces, amenities, and facilities while providing residents with separate private bedrooms.
This bill will go into effect on January 1st, 2026.
To see the full bill, click here: H5797
Expanding opportunities for municipalities to repurpose vacant school buildings by allowing their conversion into low- and moderate-income housing. This approach helps address housing shortages by making use of existing structures, revitalizing communities, and providing affordable living options for residents in need.
This bill is currently in effect
To see the full bill, click here: H6067
Providing preferential access to state resources, municipalities that meet criteria established by the housing department and demonstrate strong support for housing development may receive a housing champion designation.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5229
To support the creation of more affordable housing, a Housing Land Bank would be established within RI Housing to acquire, receive, and hold real property for future residential development.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5955
To restructure governance while preserving independence, changes to the Coastal Resources Management Council would revise its membership to include the Director of the Department of Environmental Management and six public members with expertise in environmental and coastal management issues, including at least one engineer and one coastal biologist
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H6126
To verify identity, contractors would be required to include a legible copy of a valid government-issued identification as part of their application process.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5558
Due to safety concerns, municipalities would prohibit the use of locked gates or fences that restrict access in and out of active construction sites while work is ongoing.
This bill is currently in effect.
To see the full bill, click here: H5946
