Rhode Island Low and Moderate Income Housing Act — §45-53 (RI's 40B) (RI)
Tracked preemption from the Rhode Island overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1991-01-01
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 Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act (§45-22.2)
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
AND
project.affordable_pct≥25city.lmih_pct<10
Preempted fields
7 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
review_type | consolidate | comprehensive_permit | Single comprehensive-permit filing replaces separate zoning/planning/building filings |
base_districts[*].max_height_ft | waive | — | |
base_districts[*].max_units_per_acre | waive | — | |
base_districts[*].max_far | waive | — | |
base_districts[*].allowed_uses | waive | — | |
base_districts[*].min_lot_area_sf | waive | — | |
review_appeals | redirect | State Housing Appeals Board (SHAB) → RI Supreme Court (expedited) |
Citation
Authority source
R.I. Gen. Laws §§45-53-1 through 45-53-8
§ §45-53 (Low and Moderate Income Housing Act)
Research notes
RI's analog to Massachusetts GL c. 40B. At least 25% of units must be deed-restricted at ≤80% AMI for a minimum 30-year covenant (extended to 99 years for certain categories after 2023 reforms). LMIH percentage is published quarterly by RI Housing. Below 10% → SHAB may override local denial as 'inconsistent with local needs'; at/above 10% → safe harbor. 2023 omnibus (H 6081) tightened SHAB override standards, required municipalities below 10% to adopt a state-approved Affordable Housing Plan, and clarified that inclusionary zoning ordinances cannot substitute for actual deed-restricted LMIH inventory. Federal conflict check enabled because LMIH overrides touch base districts that may sit under NAVSTA Newport, Quonset Point, Block Island, or coastal-zone federal envelopes.