Compare ADU rules across Rhode Island

Bristol's Sec. 28-151(a), rewritten by Ord. No. 2025-07 (5-28-2025), copies the state's three by-right circumstances word for word: one ADU per lot on an owner-occupied property as a disability accommodation for family members, on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more in residential use, or inside the existing footprint of the house or an existing accessory structure without expanding it. A detached ADU is therefore allowed by right on lots of 20,000 sq ft or more, or by converting an existing garage or shed within its footprint. A new detached ADU on a smaller lot (most R-6 to R-15 lots) needs a dimensional variance from the Zoning Board of Review under Sec. 28-151(d)(3). The town's definition in Sec. 28-1 expressly includes detached units and units in accessory structures.

Ordinance read October 2026

An internal conversion (basement, attic or other space inside the existing house footprint) is allowed by right on any residential lot under Sec. 28-151(a)(3), and any attached form is by right on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more under (a)(2). An addition that expands the house footprint on a lot under 20,000 sq ft falls outside the three circumstances and needs a dimensional variance from the Zoning Board of Review under Sec. 28-151(d)(3). By-right ADUs are building-permit matters under R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-37(e).

Ordinance read October 2026

Owner occupancy appears in Sec. 28-151 only as part of the first by-right circumstance (an ADU on an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities), mirroring R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-73(a)(1). ADUs allowed under the lot-size circumstance (20,000 sq ft or more) or the existing-footprint circumstance carry no owner-occupancy requirement, and none is stated for ADUs approved by variance. The pre-2025 Bristol ordinance limited ADUs to owner-occupied single-family houses and family, caretaker or deed-restricted affordable occupants; Ord. No. 2025-07 struck that text.

Ordinance read October 2026

ADUs meeting one of the three Sec. 28-151(a) circumstances are a permitted use approved through an administrative building permit only (R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-37(e)). An ADU that does not meet Sec. 28-151 (for example a new detached unit or footprint-expanding addition on a lot under 20,000 sq ft) 'shall be reviewed through an application for a dimensional variance' under Sec. 28-151(d)(3), which the Zoning Board of Review decides after a noticed public hearing (Sec. 28-409). ADUs may also be included in new-dwelling and subdivision applications and considered through unified development review (Sec. 28-151(d)(1), (2)).

Ordinance read October 2026

Coventry adopted the state's three by-right circumstances nearly word for word in § 255-920F(1) (Ord. No. 2025-12, 3-25-2025): one ADU per lot is allowed by right on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more whose primary use is residential, inside the existing footprint of the house or an existing attached or detached accessory structure (a garage or barn conversion), or on an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities. Because every residential district's minimum lot size is at least 20,000 sq ft (R20 is 20,000 sq ft; RR2, RR3 and RR5 are 2, 3 and 5 acres), most conforming house lots qualify for a new detached unit by right; undersized lots of record and village lots under 20,000 sq ft need Unified Development Review before the Planning Commission (§ 255-920F(2)(i)). Detached units must meet the detached accessory structure rules: rear yard (or side yard where the principal setback can be kept), never the front yard; setbacks of 10 ft in R20, 15 ft in RR2/RR3 and 35 ft in RR5; and the district lot coverage limit (§ 255-920A(1)).

Ordinance read October 2026

An internal conversion (basement, attic, or other space inside the existing house footprint) is allowed by right on any lot under § 255-920F(1)(c), and § 255-920F(2)(g) adds that no zoning relief is needed when that footprint is a legal nonconforming structure. An attached ADU that expands the footprint (an addition) is by right only on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more (or as a disability accommodation); on smaller lots it goes through Unified Development Review. Attached ADUs follow the principal structure's yard requirements, may not extend in front of the house, and must be incidental and subordinate to it and match its architecture (§ 255-920A(2)).

Ordinance read October 2026

Owner occupancy appears only in the disability-accommodation path: § 255-920F(1)(a) allows an ADU by right 'on an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities', mirroring R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-24-73(a)(1). The 20,000 sq ft lot path and the existing-footprint path carry no owner-occupancy requirement, and nothing in § 255-920F imposes an ongoing residency rule, deed restriction or affidavit. State law also bars a town from revoking a legal ADU on transfer of title or occupancy (§ 45-24-73(b)(2)(xii)).

Ordinance read October 2026

ADUs meeting one of the three § 255-920F(1) circumstances are 'allowed by right', which under R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-24-37(e) means an administrative building permit process only (through the Building Official's online portal). ADUs not allowed by right 'shall utilize the Unified Development Review process' (§ 255-920F(2)(i)): the Planning Commission hears the ADU together with any dimensional variance in a public hearing (§ 255-4140), which in practice covers oversized units, front-yard placement and lot coverage overruns (Therriault and Torborg ADUs, 2026). Table 6-1 (the use schedule) has no ADU row; ADUs are regulated only through § 255-920F.

Ordinance read October 2026

Since Ord. 2026-2 (City No. 12-25-01, passed 1-20-2026, approved 1-21-2026) Cranston allows one ADU per lot by right only in the three state circumstances: as a disability accommodation on an owner-occupied property, on a residential lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, or inside the existing footprint of the house or an existing accessory structure. A new detached ADU therefore works by right on lots of 20,000 sq ft or more (or as a disability accommodation); on smaller lots only a conversion of an existing garage or outbuilding without expanding its footprint qualifies. The ordinance has no special use permit route for other ADUs, and § 17.60.010(A)(3) bars residential occupancy of accessory uses except an ADU conforming with § 17.24.010, so anything else needs a variance from the Zoning Board of Review. Detached ADUs must meet the accessory-building setbacks of § 17.60.010(B).

Ordinance read October 2026

An internal ADU (basement, attic or other conversion inside the existing footprint of the house) is allowed by right on any residential lot under § 17.24.010(F)(1)(iii), the common case. An attached ADU that expands the footprint, such as an addition, is allowed by right only on a residential lot of 20,000 sq ft or more or as a disability accommodation on an owner-occupied property; otherwise it needs a variance. The value is conditional because the footprint and lot-size gates decide additions.

Ordinance read October 2026

Owner occupancy applies only to the disability-accommodation ADU of § 17.24.010(F)(1)(i), which must be on an owner-occupied property; the owner signs an affidavit that the occupant is a parent or grandparent by blood or marriage, and the approval lasts only while the disabled resident lives there and until a change of ownership. ADUs on lots of 20,000 sq ft or more and ADUs within an existing footprint carry no owner-occupancy requirement. Ord. 2026-2 deleted the old accessory family apartment rules (yearly renewal, termination on any change of ownership).

Ordinance read October 2026

ADUs meeting one of the three § 17.24.010(F)(1) circumstances are allowed by right, which under state law means an administrative building permit process only (§ 45-24-37(e)). Ord. 2026-2 deleted the old zoning board special permit for accessory family apartments and created no special use permit path for other ADUs, so an ADU outside the three circumstances, or one that misses a dimensional standard, needs a variance from the Zoning Board of Review under § 17.92.010 (the 9-1-2026 Plan Commission agenda lists such a variance for an ADU over a garage within the front and side setbacks).

Ordinance read October 2026

Cumberland allows one ADU per lot by right only in the three state circumstances, which Ord. No. 25-21 (adopted December 3, 2025) copied into § 6-6(a): a disability accommodation on an owner-occupied property, a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more in residential use, or a unit inside the existing footprint of the house or an existing attached or detached accessory structure. A new detached ADU building therefore needs a lot of at least 20,000 sq ft; on smaller lots a detached ADU is possible only by converting an existing garage or shed without expanding it. Sewered R-2 and R-3 lots start at 10,000 sq ft, so the gate bites in most of the built-up town. The Use Table lists ADUs (use 9B) as allowed in the A-1, A-2, R-1, R-2 and R-3 zones and prohibited in commercial, industrial and open space zones. Under the directory's Rhode Island convention a town whose only by-right path is the three statutory circumstances is recorded as conditional.

Ordinance read October 2026

An internal conversion (basement, attic or other space within the existing footprint of the house) is allowed by right on any qualifying residential lot under § 6-6(a)(3), and legal nonconforming structures need no zoning relief for a within-footprint ADU (§ 6-6(i)). An ADU built as an addition that expands the footprint is by right only on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more (§ 6-6(a)(2)) or as an owner-occupied disability accommodation (§ 6-6(a)(1)). The ordinance provides no special use permit path for ADUs outside these circumstances, so an expanding addition on a smaller lot has no listed route short of zoning relief.

Ordinance read October 2026

Ord. No. 25-21 deleted the former rule that 'the owner of the property must reside in either the principal dwelling or the ADU' along with the family-member declaration recorded in the land evidence records. Owner occupancy now appears only in the disability-accommodation circumstance of § 6-6(a)(1) ('on an owner-occupied property'), matching § 45-24-73(a)(1). ADUs allowed on 20,000 sq ft lots or within an existing footprint carry no owner-occupancy requirement. A leftover clause, § 4-7(e) (Ord. No. 23-26), still speaks of an ADU 'in an owner-occupied residence' as a reasonable accommodation for family members; it frames an additional accommodation route rather than a condition on § 6-6 ADUs.

Ordinance read October 2026

Johnston's own ADU section (§ 340-24.1, added 2019) allows a detached ADU only inside an accessory structure, such as a garage or barn, that already existed before March 1, 2019; it makes no provision for a newly built detached cottage. State law overrides that for two by-right circumstances: a new detached ADU is allowed on any residential lot of 20,000 sq ft or more (R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-24-73(a)(2)), and an ADU inside the existing footprint of any existing accessory structure is allowed regardless of its age ((a)(3)), both through an administrative building permit (§ 45-24-37(e)). Conforming single-family lots in the R-40 and R-20 districts (40,000 and 20,000 sq ft minimums) therefore qualify for a new detached unit, while a new detached ADU on a smaller R-15, R-10 or R-7 lot is not allowed by right and would need zoning relief. Rhode Island directory convention: 'conditional' because the only by-right path for a new detached unit on an ordinary lot is the statute's 20,000 sq ft gate.

Ordinance read October 2026

An ADU meeting § 340-24.1 'is permitted in residential zones' and proceeds to a building permit once the owner-occupancy lien is recorded, an administrative path; ADUs in any of the three state by-right circumstances also get an administrative building permit only (§ 45-24-37(e)). ADUs outside both, such as a new detached structure on a lot under 20,000 sq ft, need Zoning Board relief. The Table of Use Regulations still lists the pre-2019 'accessory family dwelling unit' as a special use (S) in R-40 through R-7, PD and PMUD, and § 340-147 allows accessory family dwelling units in conservation developments by special use permit only; past applicants used that route and use variances for in-law additions.

Ordinance read October 2026

Lincoln adopted the state's three by-right circumstances nearly word for word in § 260-9M(1): one ADU per lot is allowed by right on an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities, on any lot of 20,000 sq ft or more whose primary use is residential, or inside the existing footprint of the house or an existing attached or detached accessory structure. A new detached backyard unit therefore needs a lot of at least 20,000 sq ft (every conforming lot in RA-40 and RS-20 qualifies; most RS-12, RL-9 and RG-7 lots do not) unless it converts an existing garage or outbuilding without enlarging it. The use table marks the ADU row 'P' in RA, RS, RL, RG, BL and VCMU, but the ordinance lists no other path (no special use permit) for ADUs outside the three circumstances.

Ordinance read October 2026

An internal conversion (basement, attic or other space inside the existing footprint of the house) is by right on any residential lot under § 260-9M(1)(c), as is a unit in an existing attached accessory structure that is not enlarged. An addition that expands the footprint is by right only on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more under § 260-9M(1)(b), or under the disability-accommodation circumstance in (1)(a). The state definition, repeated in Lincoln's § 260-7, recognizes units in an expanded or remodeled primary dwelling as ADUs.

Ordinance read October 2026

Owner occupancy appears only in the first by-right circumstance, an ADU 'on an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities' (§ 260-9M(1)(a)). ADUs under the 20,000 sq ft lot circumstance or the existing-footprint circumstance carry no owner-occupancy requirement in the ordinance, matching § 45-24-73(a). § 260-20A requires an accessory use to be under the same ownership as the principal use, which is a common-ownership rule, not a residency rule, and § 260-9M(2)(b)[12] bars revoking a legal ADU on transfer of title or occupancy. The town's 2019 'Accessory Family Dwelling Unit Affidavit' (family member 62 or older, no rent, permit lapses on transfer) is still posted but conflicts with the current ordinance.

Ordinance read October 2026

Narragansett allows one ADU per lot by right only in the three circumstances it copied from R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-73(a): a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more in residential use, a unit inside the existing footprint of the house or of an existing attached or detached accessory structure (a garage conversion, for example), or an owner-occupied property where the unit is a reasonable accommodation for a family member with a disability. The Table of Use Regulations lists 'Accessory dwelling unit' as P in R-80, R-40, R-20, R-10 and R-10A (X in every business, industrial and public zone) but sends the reader to section 7.3(6), which offers no other path. A new detached cottage on a lot under 20,000 sq ft (most R-10 and R-10A lots) therefore has no by-right or special use permit route in the ordinance. Under the directory's Rhode Island convention this is 'conditional': the only by-right path is the statutory circumstances.

Ordinance read October 2026

An internal conversion (basement, attic, part of the existing house) qualifies by right anywhere in the five residential zones because it stays within the existing footprint under §7.3(6)(a)(3). An attached ADU that expands the house's footprint is by right only on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, or as a disability accommodation on an owner-occupied property; on smaller lots the ordinance offers no route for an expanding addition. The ADU definition in §2.2 matches the state definition word for word and covers a unit that is part of an expanded or remodeled primary dwelling, and ADUs are allowed with single-family or multifamily principal dwellings.

Ordinance read October 2026

The only owner-occupancy language in section 7.3(6) is the statutory disability-accommodation circumstance: an ADU on 'an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities.' ADUs that qualify on a 20,000 sq ft lot or within an existing footprint carry no owner-occupancy requirement, at application or afterward. The older 'Accessory family dwelling unit' definition (family-only, no separate entrance needed) still sits in §2.2 but no longer appears in the use table or in any operative section.

Ordinance read October 2026

Newport's Chapter 17.79 (Ord. No. 2024-27, adopted 8-28-2024) copies the three statutory by-right circumstances and adds no other path. A detached ADU is allowed by right only on a residential-district lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, inside the existing footprint of an existing detached accessory structure such as a garage (with up to 100 sq ft of expansion solely for ingress and egress), or on an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities. A new detached cottage on an ordinary lot under 20,000 sq ft has no permit path at all: the district use lists do not mention ADUs and there is no special use permit route. Under the Rhode Island directory convention this is 'conditional'.

Ordinance read October 2026

An internal ADU (basement, attic or other conversion inside the existing footprint of the house or an existing attached structure) is allowed by right on any lot in a residential district under §17.79.020(C), with up to 100 sq ft of footprint expansion allowed only for ingress and egress (§17.79.030(D)). An addition that expands the footprint is by right only on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more or as a disability accommodation on an owner-occupied property; on smaller lots it has no path. Expanding a nonconforming structure (for example adding a floor) to hold an ADU needs a dimensional variance under Chapter 17.108 (§17.79.040(C)(2)).

Ordinance read October 2026

Owner occupancy appears only in the disability-accommodation circumstance of §17.79.020(A) ('On an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities'), mirroring R.I. Gen. Laws §45-24-73(a)(1). ADUs on 20,000 sq ft lots or within an existing footprint carry no owner-occupancy requirement. Separately, §17.79.030(H) requires every structure on the lot to stay in single or undivided ownership, so the ADU cannot be sold off as a condominium, and §17.79.040(E) confirms a legal ADU is not revoked on transfer of title or occupancy.

Ordinance read October 2026

North Kingstown's own text allows an ADU only inside the principal dwelling or an existing accessory structure (Sec. 21-22 definition), and only by special use permit from the zoning board in the RR, PP, NR, VR, PV, VLDR and LDR residential districts (Article III, use 6; prohibited in MF). A brand-new detached cottage is therefore not an ADU under the local definition. State law overrides this for qualifying lots: R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-37(e) and 45-24-73(a) make one ADU per lot permitted by right, through an administrative building permit, on any residential lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, within an existing structure's footprint, or as a disability accommodation. Because every residential district's single-family minimum lot area is 20,000 sq ft or more (Article IV), nearly every conforming lot qualifies under the state's 20,000 sq ft circumstance; smaller nonconforming lots fall back to the local special use permit route. Under the Rhode Island directory convention this is recorded as conditional because the only by-right path is the statutory one.

Ordinance read October 2026

Locally, an ADU within the principal dwelling needs a special use permit from the zoning board in every residential district except MF, where it is prohibited (Article III, use 6), and the building must keep the appearance of a single-family residence, with new entrances on the side or rear and enclosed stairways (Sec. 21-325(7)a.8). State law makes an internal conversion that does not expand the footprint, or any ADU on a residential lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, permitted by right through an administrative building permit (45-24-37(e), 45-24-73(a)(2) and (3)). A footprint-expanding addition on a lot under 20,000 sq ft still needs the local special use permit.

Ordinance read October 2026

The local ordinance routes every ADU through a zoning board special use permit (Article III, use 6, 'S'; Sec. 21-325(7)a.11 lists the site plan, floor plans, elevations and parking plan the special use permit application needs), with planning commission development plan review added in business districts within the groundwater overlay (a.5). State law overrides that for ADUs meeting 45-24-73(a), on a residential lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, within an existing footprint, or as a disability accommodation, which must be permitted 'through an administrative building permit process only' (45-24-37(e)). In practice that covers most conforming residential lots; ADUs outside those circumstances still need the special use permit hearing.

Ordinance read October 2026

Pawtucket allows one ADU per lot only where it meets R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-73(a), and §410-46B(3) makes such an ADU a permitted use in every residential district. For a detached unit that means one of three statutory paths: converting an existing detached accessory structure (garage, workshop) without expanding its footprint, which works on any lot; building a new detached unit on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more; or building one on an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for a family member with disabilities. Most Pawtucket house lots are far below 20,000 sq ft, so a new backyard cottage on a typical lot has no path: the Table of Use Regulations (410 Attachment 1) has no ADU row, and §410-12G prohibits unlisted uses. New detached units must sit in the rear yard and keep to accessory-structure height and the district lot coverage (§410-46B(5)).

Ordinance read October 2026

An internal ADU (basement, attic or other conversion inside the existing house) qualifies under 45-24-73(a)(3) and is a by-right permitted use on any residential lot in the city under §410-46B(3). An addition that expands the house's footprint qualifies only on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more or as a disability accommodation on an owner-occupied property; Pawtucket's code offers no other route for it. The local definition (§410-46B(2)) copies the state definition, so ADUs are allowed with single-family and multifamily principal dwellings alike.

Ordinance read October 2026

Pawtucket's ADU section imposes no owner-occupancy rule of its own. Owner occupancy arises only through the statute the city adopted by reference: the 45-24-73(a)(1) path (an ADU as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities) applies only 'on an owner-occupied property'. ADUs inside an existing footprint or on a 20,000 sq ft lot carry no owner-occupancy requirement, and 45-24-73(b)(2)(xii) bars revoking a legally established ADU on transfer of title or occupancy. The general accessory-use clause in §410-46 requires accessory uses to be under the same ownership as the principal use, which in practice means the ADU cannot be sold separately from the house.

Ordinance read October 2026

South Kingstown's ordinance calls ADUs "accessory apartments" and allows one per lot, inside the house or "as an accessory structure" (Sec. 503.2.A). The local gates are tight: a unit on public sewer may go in any district that allows dwellings, but only on a lot meeting the larger accessory-apartment minimums in the Sec. 401 table (for example 15,000 sq ft in R10, 30,000 in R20, 45,000 in R30). Without public sewer the text allows one only in R200 by special use permit, and never inside the Carrying Capacity Overlay District around the salt ponds and Narrow River (Sec. 503.2.C and D). Detached units also need 15 ft side and rear setbacks (Sec. 402 note B). State law (R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-37(e) and 45-24-73(a)) overrides these gates for a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, a conversion within an existing footprint, or a disability accommodation. In 2026 the zoning board has treated 20,000 sq ft as the lot area needed for an ADU and has granted dimensional variances on smaller lots.

Ordinance read October 2026

An accessory apartment may be "within" a principal residence (Sec. 503.2.A) and must then meet the principal-use dimensional rules (Sec. 503.2.B.1). The same sewer, lot-size and Carrying Capacity Overlay gates apply as for detached units, so an attached unit is not by right everywhere. State law makes a conversion inside the existing house footprint, and any ADU on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, by right through a building permit. Footprint-expanding additions on smaller lots fall back to the local gates or a variance; ZBR-26-7 (312 Woodruff Avenue, R10, 19,782 sq ft) needed a dimensional variance for an attached 1,040 sq ft ADU.

Ordinance read October 2026

A sewered accessory apartment that meets the Sec. 401 lot-size row and the Sec. 503.2 standards needs only a building permit, a deed restriction and a certificate of occupancy. An unsewered unit is allowed only in R200 by special use permit from the zoning board of review (Sec. 503.2.C), with mandatory septic conditions. Size relief above 750 sq ft is also by special use permit (Sec. 503.2.E.2), and lot-area or height shortfalls go to the board as dimensional variances (Secs. 401 and 907). Under 45-24-37(e), an ADU on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, inside an existing footprint, or as a disability accommodation must be allowed through an administrative building permit only.

Ordinance read October 2026

Warwick's zoning ordinance allows its accessory family dwelling unit only 'in a principal residential structure' (601.4(B)), residential accessory buildings may not 'contain any dwelling units' (601.1(D)), and section 304.4 allows only one residential building per lot, so the local text offers no path for a detached ADU. State law overrides this for qualifying lots: under R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-37(e) and 45-24-73(a) one ADU is allowed by right through an administrative building permit on any residential lot of 20,000 sq ft or more (every conforming A-40 lot qualifies; A-15, A-10 and A-7 lots usually do not), inside the existing footprint of an existing detached accessory structure such as a garage, or on an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for a family member with a disability. A new detached unit on a smaller lot has no local permission and would need zoning relief. The local code is internally inconsistent: 601.1(C) caps detached accessory buildings at 20 ft 'excepting ADUs which shall not exceed 24 feet', and the 200.2 definition copies the state's list of forms including 'a detached unit'.

Ordinance read October 2026

An accessory family dwelling unit inside the principal structure is permitted by right in any A district, with the building official issuing a certificate of occupancy after checking the 601.4(B) conditions; no hearing applies. ADUs that meet a 45-24-73(a) circumstance (lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, within an existing structure's footprint, or a disability accommodation) must go through 'an administrative building permit process only' under 45-24-37(e). A detached ADU on a smaller lot that does not reuse an existing accessory structure has no local permission (601.4(B), 601.1(D), 304.4) and would need relief from the zoning board of review under section 906.

Ordinance read October 2026

West Warwick allows a detached ADU by right only in the three statutory circumstances that Zoning Ordinance Sec. 5.2.1(a) copies from R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-73(a): an owner-occupied property as a disability accommodation for family members, a residential lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, or a unit inside the existing footprint of an existing detached accessory structure (for example a garage conversion) that does not expand it. A new-build detached cottage on an ordinary lot does not qualify, and the residential districts (R-10, R-8, R-7.5, R-6) have minimum lot areas of only 6,000 to 10,000 sq ft, so most lots fall below the 20,000 sq ft gate. The Sec. 5.1 use table has no ADU row, so the ordinance names no separate path for ADUs outside the three circumstances. Rhode Island directory convention: 'conditional' because the only by-right path is the statutory one.

Ordinance read October 2026

An attached or internal ADU is by right when it sits within the existing footprint of the house or an existing attached accessory structure without expanding it (basement, attic or attached-garage conversion), on any residential lot of 20,000 sq ft or more, or on an owner-occupied property as a disability accommodation for family members (Sec. 5.2.1(a), copying 45-24-73(a)). A footprint-expanding addition on a lot under 20,000 sq ft is outside those circumstances and the ordinance gives it no by-right path. Rhode Island directory convention: 'conditional' because expanding additions on ordinary lots are not by right.

Ordinance read October 2026

Owner occupancy appears only in the first by-right circumstance, an ADU 'on an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities' (Sec. 5.2.1(a)(1), matching 45-24-73(a)(1)); ADUs on 20,000 sq ft lots or within an existing footprint carry no owner-occupancy condition. Ord. No. 2024-5 (6-18-2024) had limited Sec. 5.2(e) to 'an accessory dwelling unit in an owner-occupied residence'; Ord. No. 2024-18 (effective 11-4-2024) replaced that wording with the statute's. Sec. 5.2.1(c)(12) bars revoking a legal ADU on transfer of title or occupancy. The Sec. 5.1 preamble requires accessory uses to be under the 'same ownership' as the principal use, which bars separate sale but is not an occupancy rule.

Ordinance read October 2026

An ADU meeting 45-24-31 and 45-24-73(a) 'shall be permitted through an administrative building permit process only' (Sec. 5.2(e), copying 45-24-37(e)), so the three by-right circumstances need only a building permit. The use table has no ADU row and no ADU-specific special use permit; Sec. 5.2.1(e) contemplates 'an application for an ADU that is not allowed by right,' and the only route the ordinance offers for an unlisted use is Sec. 11.1, under which the zoning enforcement officer may deem it similar to a special-use-permit use for a zoning board hearing (or a variance under Sec. 10). Sec. 5.2(e)'s first sentence cites 45-24-73 without the '(a)' the statute uses, which could be read to make any ADU meeting the uniform standards a permitted use; that reading is untested.

Ordinance read October 2026

Westerly's ADU section, § 260-62.1 (added 6-22-2026 by Ord. No. 2093), allows a detached ADU by right in two cases only: inside the existing footprint of an existing detached accessory structure such as a garage, on any residential lot (an upward addition is allowed if the footprint does not grow), or as a new structure on a residential lot of at least 20,000 sq ft. A brand-new detached cottage on a smaller lot is not one of the listed circumstances, and § 260-17D says any use not specifically permitted is prohibited, so that case would need a use variance. This tracks the statute's by-right floor in R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-73(a), so the directory records 'conditional' with the 20,000 sq ft gate.

Ordinance read October 2026

Woonsocket allows one ADU per lot in every residential district (R-1 to R-4) only where it fits one of the three by-right circumstances that §6.18-2 copies from R.I. Gen. Laws 45-24-73(a). For a detached unit that means converting an existing detached accessory building (garage, barn) without expanding its footprint, on any lot; building a new detached unit on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more whose primary use is residential, which covers most conforming R-1 lots (the R-1 minimum lot is 25,000 sq ft); or building one on an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for a family member with disabilities. A new backyard cottage on a typical R-2, R-3 or R-4 lot (10,000, 7,000 and 6,000 sq ft minimums) has no by-right path; the city's October 2026 ADU quick reference says such projects need zoning relief from the Zoning Board of Review, heard as dimensional variances.

Ordinance read October 2026

An internal ADU (basement, attic or other conversion inside the existing house, or inside an existing attached accessory structure) qualifies under §6.18-2(3) and is a by-right permitted use on any residential lot, with no zoning relief needed even where the existing structure is legally nonconforming (45-24-73(b)(2)(vii)). An addition that expands the house's footprint is by right only on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more or as a disability accommodation on an owner-occupied property; elsewhere it needs zoning board relief. The local definition (§18(d), Ch. 8558) matches the state definition, so ADUs are allowed with single-family and multifamily principal dwellings alike.

Ordinance read October 2026

Woonsocket's ADU section imposes no general owner-occupancy rule. Owner occupancy appears only in the disability-accommodation path, §6.18-2(1) ('On an owner-occupied property as a reasonable accommodation for family members with disabilities'), copied from 45-24-73(a)(1). ADUs inside an existing footprint or on a lot of 20,000 sq ft or more carry no owner-occupancy requirement, and the city's quick reference says so ('This is the only path that requires owner occupancy'). §6.18-4 bars the restrictions listed in 45-24-73(b)(2), including revoking a legally established ADU on transfer of title or occupancy ((b)(2)(xii)). The 2025 amendment struck the former zoning-board 'accessory family dwelling unit' regime in §7.2-7.

Ordinance read October 2026

An ADU that fits a §6.18-2 circumstance 'shall be a permitted use in all residential zoning districts through an administrative building permit process only' (§6.18-1, mirroring 45-24-37(e)); the applicant files a building permit with the Building and Zoning office, with no hearing. Woonsocket created no special use permit for other ADUs, and the use table in §4.4 has no ADU row (§3.2 prohibits unlisted uses). An ADU outside the three circumstances therefore needs relief from the Zoning Board of Review, which the city's October 2026 quick reference says the board currently hears as dimensional variances. §6.18-5 adds that such an application is not, by itself, a minor or major land development project, and §6.18-7 allows unified development review for applications that include ADUs.

Ordinance read October 2026