# Rhode Island S3302: AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE--COURTS -- SUPERIOR COURT . Rhode Island S3302, AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE--COURTS -- SUPERIOR COURT ., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Jacob Bissaillon (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-06-23 (Signed by Governor — Chapter 407) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3302-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Rhode Island S3302 - State: Rhode Island - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE--COURTS -- SUPERIOR COURT . - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-05-15 - Last action: 2026-06-23, Signed by Governor — Chapter 407 - Sponsor: Jacob Bissaillon (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 2 (83 yes, 26 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 28 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Easier path for affordable housing projects: benefit, medium. Starting January 1, 2026, projects with at least 25% low‑ or moderate‑income units can file one comprehensive permit, unless the town already has over 10% low/mod housing and a compliant inclusionary law, unless the town allows it. Towns may not impose moratoria or numerical limits on comprehensive… - Faster affordable housing permits and bonuses: benefit, medium. The law speeds up comprehensive permits and locks in clear timelines. A permit lapses if work does not start in 12 months and finish in 60 months after the final plan is recorded, unless a longer or phased schedule is agreed. Affordable units must be built and occupied before or with market-rate ho… - Land use appeals shift to Superior Court: benefit, medium. Beginning January 1, 2024, you appeal comprehensive-permit decisions to Superior Court. File within 20 days after the decision is recorded and posted; serve the board, and the board must file the record in 30 days. The Superior Court runs a dedicated land use calendar, with briefs due within 60 day… - Statewide ADU definition starts in 2026: benefit, medium. Beginning January 1, 2026, an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a separate living unit on the same lot as a legal home. It can be detached, part of another accessory structure, or part of the main house. This statewide definition guides local zoning for homeowners who want to add an ADU. - Taller homes allowed in flood zones: benefit, medium. Beginning January 1, 2026, building height is measured from set grade points. For properties in FEMA flood areas or on the CRMC SDE map, a portion of elevation is excluded from height: the greater of FEMA base flood elevation plus up to 5 feet of freeboard, or the CRMC suggested design elevation, e… - State tracking and priority for housing: benefit, medium. State agencies give priority, where allowed, to towns with an approved affordable housing plan. The Executive Office of Housing must publish a public report each year by March 15 with letters of eligibility, subsidy sources, unit counts, and permit status by town; towns must report by February 1. T… - Tighter limits on local housing moratoria: benefit, medium. For most residential moratoria, a town must prove it is vital to public health and that no other option exists. A moratorium cannot cover comprehensive‑permit projects or inclusionary units, must be advertised at least 14 days before hearing, and may last no more than 120 days. It must protect appl… - Faster minor zoning fixes and certificates: benefit, low. Zoning rules now let the enforcement officer grant small dimensional changes. Towns must allow up to 15%, and may allow up to 25%. The officer must decide within 10 days and the change cannot harm neighbors, need a flood‑hazard variance, or break wetlands rules. If you ask in writing, the official… - Quicker administrative subdivision decisions: benefit, low. For administrative subdivisions, the officer has 20 days to certify completeness and 20 days to decide once complete. If the officer does not act in 20 days, the plan is approved on your request. Denials can be appealed, or you can resubmit as a minor subdivision. You may file a small zoning modifi… - Zoning waived for small group homes: benefit, low. Beginning January 1, 2026, licensed community residences with six or fewer children or adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities are allowed in family settings. All local zoning rules are waived for these licensed homes. This removes local barriers and supports community living. - More projects qualify as minor: benefit, low. The law sets statewide minimums for what counts as a minor land development. Examples include small commercial up to 7,500 square feet, expansions up to 50% or 10,000 square feet, mixed‑use with up to six homes and 2,500 square feet of nonresidential space, and multi‑family or condos of nine units… - Updated small-lot subdivision standards: benefit, low. More projects count as minor subdivisions, including oversized‑lot splits. For oversized lots, minimum lot size is 3,000 sq ft with public water and sewer; 10,000 sq ft if a private well is feasible or on‑site wastewater is used; and 20,000 sq ft when both a private well and on‑site wastewater are… - More paperwork at minor final plans: cost, low. At final plan submission for a minor subdivision or minor land development, you must file legal documents, easements, and all required state or federal permits. This includes wetlands, coastal, floodplain, on‑site wastewater, public water, and state road connection permits. A DOT permit can be show… - Limits on converting homes to co-living: cost, low. Beginning January 1, 2026, the law defines co‑living housing as private sleeping units with shared bathrooms or kitchens. You may not convert existing dwelling units to co‑living unless a local zoning ordinance allows it or another statute permits it. - Past pause on for-profit permits: cost, low. From February 13, 2004 to January 31, 2005, private for‑profit developers were barred from using the comprehensive permit process. New applications were not allowed until July 1, 2005, unless the local board agreed. Towns that submitted a plan could also refuse to accept new for‑profit applications… - Easier building on small and narrow lots: mixed, medium. Towns must let you build on single substandard lots of record without needing a variance just for lot size, frontage, width, or depth. Setbacks and widths are reduced in proportion to lot size, and building coverage can increase by the inverse proportion. You may also get neighborhood character-bas… - Faster local reviews and deadlines: mixed, medium. Towns must move faster on land-use reviews. Pre-application meetings are allowed, and if a conference is not held in 30 days, you can file for preliminary review. Completeness must be decided in 25 days (15 days for some minor plans), and the clock pauses when you fix an incomplete filing. Prelimin… - Faster permits and safeguards for affordable projects: mixed, medium. Local boards must decide comprehensive-permit stages on a clock: 60 days for master, 90 for preliminary, 45 for final; no decision means approval. Final plans must include required state and federal permits and a monitoring agreement. Affordable units must be secured by a deed restriction or land l… - One unified review, clear hearing rules: mixed, medium. Cities and towns must use a single, unified development review with one public hearing. Notices go to properties within 200 feet and, when needed, to neighboring towns and watersheds. Applicants pay the notice costs, and notices must list any variances or special‑use permits. Variances and special‑… - Stronger local control of developments: mixed, medium. You must submit a plan and get approval before starting any land development project. Local rules can set site size, allowed uses, density, roads, utilities, parking, buffers, and landscaping. When open space is required, the land must be conveyed to the town, a nonprofit, an owners’ trust, or rema… - Towns can cap growth or give bonuses: mixed, medium. A city or town may limit building permits if the limit follows its comprehensive plan and is vital to protect public health and welfare. These limits do not apply to comprehensive-permit projects or inclusionary units. A town with more than 10% low- or moderate‑income housing may cap, each year, th… - Clear approval standards and lot-line rules: mixed, low. Before approval, boards must record five positive findings: plan consistency; zoning compliance or granted relief; no significant environmental harm with conditions; no creation of lots with physical constraints unless protected; and permanent access to a public street. For administrative lot-line… - Stronger conditions on zoning variances: mixed, low. When a board grants a variance or rules on an appeal, it can add enforceable conditions based on credible evidence. For a use variance, the board may limit the type, intensity, design, or operations to reduce impacts on neighbors. These conditions must be written into the decision. Breaking a condi… - Tougher variances, protections for small lots: mixed, low. Use variances now require proof the land or structure has no beneficial use under the rules. Dimensional variances need a hardship that is more than a mere inconvenience, and relief must be the minimum needed; profit or added value cannot justify it. Towns may only force the merger of contiguous su… - Unified variance process with clear notice: mixed, low. Where towns adopt unified development review, you file variance requests with your project and get a single public hearing. For administrative subdivisions and minor projects, variance or special-use requests must be submitted early and decided before plan approval. Variance hearings require at lea… - Cities must align plans and zoning: mixed, low. Cities and towns must keep their comprehensive plans consistent with this law and chapters 23 and 24 of title 45. They must submit plans, amendments, zoning text, maps, and status reports to the state’s chief for review. Local land‑use decisions must follow the adopted plan, and zoning must be amen… - New land-use appeal rules in court: mixed, low. You can appeal certain land‑use decisions to Superior Court by filing within 20 days after the decision is recorded and posted. The permitting authority must file the record with the court within 30 days after being served. The court reviews the record without a jury, may allow extra evidence, and… - Short moratorium tools and state penalties: mixed, low. A town may pause building permits or land‑use approvals during a dire emergency, but only as long as needed and no more than 120 days. After adopting a new comprehensive plan, a town may enact a one‑time moratorium for up to 12 months (with a possible 90‑day extension) if a mapped zoning change is… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Jacob Bissaillon (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-06-11 | House | CIVIL PROCEDURE- SUPERIOR COURT PASSAGE IN CONCURRENCE | pass | 59 | 12 | | | 2026-06-10 | Senate | COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE-- COURTS -- SUPERIOR COURT Passage | pass | 24 | 14 | | ## Actions (11) - 2026-06-23: Signed by Governor — Chapter 407 (Governor) - 2026-06-18: Transmitted to Governor (Governor) - 2026-06-11: House passed in concurrence (House) - 2026-06-10: Placed on House Calendar (06/11/2026) (House) - 2026-06-10: Senate read and passed (Senate) - 2026-06-09: Placed on Senate Calendar (06/10/2026) (Senate) - 2026-06-09: Committee recommends passage - 2026-06-05: Scheduled for consideration (06/09/2026) - 2026-05-21: Committee recommended measure be held for further study - 2026-05-15: Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/21/2026) - 2026-05-15: Introduced, referred to Senate Housing and Municipal Government (Senate) ## Bill text - S3302 - As Introduced, 2026-05-15: [HTML](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S3302.htm), [PDF](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S3302.pdf) ## Related bills - S3363: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION . (became law) - S3353: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS . (became law) - S3337: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION . (became law) - S3333: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT . (became law) - S3315: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES . (became law) - S3293: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION . (became law) ## Sources - [S3302 - As Introduced (HTML)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S3302.htm) - [S3302 - As Introduced (PDF)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S3302.pdf) ## Related - [S3363: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3363-2026) - [S3353: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3353-2026) - [S3337: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3337-2026) - [S3333: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3333-2026) - [S3315: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3315-2026) - [S3293: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3293-2026) - [Rhode Island bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island/bills) - [Rhode Island state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3302-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).