Rhode Island CRMC Coastal Jurisdiction (§46-23) (RI)
Tracked preemption from the Rhode Island overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1971-04-23
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 Statewide ADU Mandate (§45-24-73, 2023 H 6082)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)
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
OR
parcel.in_crmc_envelope==True- AND
project.use_category==energyproject.capacity_mw≥40
Preempted fields
2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
review_type | add_layer | CRMC_assent | CRMC assent operates in parallel with — and independently of — municipal zoning within the jurisdictional envelope |
shoreline_setback | set_floor_by_water_type | — | Water Type 1–6 classifications govern shoreline-development intensity |
Citation
Authority source
R.I. Gen. Laws §46-23
§ §46-23 (Coastal Resources Management Council)
Research notes
RI's Coastal Resources Management Council is the closest analog among US states to a fully separate coastal land-use regulator. Jurisdiction covers all tidal waters out to 3 nautical miles, a 200-ft envelope inland of every coastal feature, all energy facilities >40 MW anywhere in the state, and SAMP-designated watersheds (Ocean SAMP — first US offshore-wind SAMP, 2010 — plus Salt Ponds, Narrow River, Metro Bay, Beach SAMP). A city cannot zone its way around CRMC, and CRMC cannot zone its way around the city's underlying use rules outside its envelope. Federal conflict check enabled because CRMC implements the federal Coastal Zone Management Act and overlaps with NOAA Office for Coastal Management approvals.