Rhode Island Statewide ADU Mandate (§45-24-73, 2023 H 6082) (RI)
Tracked preemption from the Rhode Island overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
2023-06-09
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:RI
Other Rhode Island preemptions
Rhode Island Transit-Area Parking Maximum (2026 package, provisional)Rhode Island Village / Mixed-Use Mandate (2025 Craven/Bissaillon)Rhode Island Manufactured Housing By-Right (2024 HB 7980)Rhode Island Objective-Design-Standards Requirement (2023 H 6090)Rhode Island I-195 Redevelopment District (§42-64.19, Providence)Rhode Island Zoning Enabling Act of 1991 (§45-24)Rhode Island Low and Moderate Income Housing Act — §45-53 (RI's 40B)Rhode Island Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act (§45-22.2)
Primary-source summary
**Statewide ADU mandate** (H 6082 / §45-24-73, amending §45-24)
Every municipality must permit at least **one accessory dwelling unit (ADU)** on owner-occupied single-family lots **by right** where lot size meets a state-specified minimum (~20,000 sq ft in most districts; smaller in denser categories).
ADUs on lots below the threshold may be permitted within the existing footprint of the primary dwelling (interior conversion) by right.
Municipalities cannot impose owner-occupancy requirements on both units, cannot require additional off-street parking beyond 1 space, and cannot require a…Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
parcel.base_zone_category ∈ {res_sf, res_mf, res_th, mu}Preempted fields
6 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
base_districts[category=res_sf].allowed_uses | add | adu_by_right | At least one ADU permitted by-right on owner-occupied single-family lots meeting state-specified minimum lot size (~20,000 sf in most districts; smaller in denser categories). 2024 package adjusted thresholds downward. |
base_districts[*].adu.interior_conversion | permit_by_right | — | ADUs within the existing footprint of the primary dwelling permitted by-right regardless of lot size |
base_districts[*].adu.owner_occupancy_requirement | waive | — | Municipality cannot require owner-occupancy on both units |
base_districts[*].adu.parking_requirement | cap | 1 | Maximum 1 additional off-street space |
base_districts[*].adu.review_type | set | by_right | No special-use permit may be required where statute mandates by-right |
base_districts[*].adu.outright_ban | prohibit | — |
Citation
Authority source
R.I. Gen. Laws §45-24-73 (2023 H 6082, Public Laws of 2023)
§ §45-24-73 (Accessory Dwelling Units)
Research notes
Marquee 2023 omnibus preemption — closes the prior patchwork of municipal ADU bans. Substantively stronger than CT PA 17-170 (which is enabling, not preemptive). 2024 package adjusted lot-size thresholds downward and brought additional zone categories into by-right coverage. Cities that have not yet conformed their ordinance are governed by the state default.