ADU rules in Pawtucket

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)).

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.

§410-46B(4)(a) adopts the state minimums in 45-24-73(b)(1) as Pawtucket's maximums, so the local cap sits exactly at the statutory floor: 900 sq ft or 60% of the principal dwelling for a studio or one-bedroom unit, 1,200 sq ft or 60% for a two-bedroom unit, whichever is less. ADUs follow the principal dwelling's setbacks and height (§410-46B(4)(b)), but newly built detached units may not exceed the accessory-structure height for the district (§410-46B(5)(b)), which the §410-44 dimensional table sets at 15 feet in every residential zone. New detached units must also meet the district lot coverage limit (30% in the RL, RS, RT and RM zones).

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.

§410-46B(4)(c) requires 'a minimum of one off-street parking space per ADU'. That is within the state cap in 45-24-73(b)(2)(viii), which forbids requiring more than one space per bedroom of the ADU. The principal one- or two-family dwelling keeps its own requirement of 2 spaces per dwelling unit under §410-76, where a driveway may count for one- and two-family dwellings.

Every ADU Pawtucket allows is reviewed administratively: §410-46B(3) says a qualifying ADU 'shall be permitted through an administrative building permit process only', and §410-46B(8) has the owner apply for a zoning certificate from the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement before the building permit is reviewed. There is no special-use-permit path for ADUs outside the three statutory circumstances; those are simply not provided for (the use table has no ADU row and §410-12G prohibits unlisted uses), so an owner would have to seek a use variance from the Zoning Board of Review.

State law bars ADUs from being offered or rented for tourist or transient use (occupancy under 30 consecutive days) or through a hosting platform (45-24-73(b)(8), definitions in 42-63.1-2), and Pawtucket repeats the bar word for word in §410-46B(7). Long-term rental is allowed, and the city may not restrict tenants by family relationship or age (45-24-73(b)(2)(i)); the local text has no family-only rule. Pawtucket's Code has no short-term rental ordinance (eCode360 searches for 'short-term rental(s)' returned nothing on 2026-10-15). The ADU must stay under the same ownership as the house (§410-46 accessory-use rule).