Title 32, Title 32 and Recreational Areas

If a city council or town council shall vote to establish a board of recreation, the city council or town council shall, by ordinance or resolution, specify the number of members on the board of recreation, the manner of their appointment, and the term for which they are chosen, …

The respective boards or committees of two (2) or more towns or cities, exercising the powers conferred by §§ 32-3-2 — 32-3-6, may vote to unite as a joint committee for the purpose of employing a superintendent of recreation, teachers, supervisors, and other officers; may fix th…

Any city or town may appropriate money for: (1) The acquisition by lease or purchase, or for the equipment, of land or buildings for the purposes enumerated in §§ 32-3-2 — 32-3-5; (2) The operation of playgrounds and recreation places; and (3) The carrying on of recreation activi…

The provisions of §§ 32-3-2 — 32-3-6 shall not affect the provisions of any special law respecting any particular city or town, none of which are repealed hereby.

Towns may appropriate sums of money for the purpose of acquiring certain lands to be set apart as town forests and may expend money for developing and planting those town forests and for the necessary nursery stock required for planting purposes, provided, that the expenditures s…

The town council of any town is hereby authorized to appoint five (5) persons who shall constitute the forest and park commission of that town, to serve for a term of one, two (2), three (3), four (4), and five (5) years, respectively. Annually thereafter, at the meeting held for…

This chapter may be cited as the “Green Acres Land Acquisition Act of 1964”.

A state grant shall not be made under this chapter until the local unit has adopted regulations governing the administration, use, and development of the lands in question and until the director shall have approved them. No regulation may be altered thereafter without the approva…

Grants under this chapter shall be made by the director. In the case of a single, local unit, the grant shall be in an amount equal to fifty percent (50%) of the nonfederal share of the cost of the lands, and in the case of two (2) or more contiguous local units that shall join t…

(a) Lands acquired by one or more local units with the aid of a state grant under this chapter shall not be disposed of or diverted to a use for other than recreation and conservation purposes without the approval of the director. That approval shall not be given unless the local…

Any other provision of law notwithstanding, the state may acquire lands under this chapter from any local unit at private sale.

The director is authorized to do all things necessary, useful, or convenient to carry out his or her duties under this chapter, including, but not limited to: (1) Obtaining engineering, inspection, legal, financial, geological, hydrological, and other professional services, estim…

(a) Unless otherwise provided, money appropriated for use in executing the provisions of this chapter shall be allocated as follows: (1) With respect to acquisition of lands by the state hereunder, two-thirds (⅔) thereof; and (2) With respect to state grants under this chapter to…

The general assembly hereby finds and declares that: (1) Providing land for public recreation and the conservation of natural resources promotes the public health, prosperity, and general welfare and is a proper responsibility of government; (2) The lands now provided for those p…

As used in this chapter, unless the context shall otherwise require: (1) “Director” means the director of administration or his or her designated representative; (2) “Land” or “lands” means and includes real property, and improvements thereon, rights of way, water, riparian and o…

(a) The director shall use the sum appropriated by this chapter, and such other sums as may be appropriated or as may otherwise be available from time to time, for the purposes herein set forth, to acquire lands for recreation and conservation purposes and to make grants to assis…

In acquiring lands and making grants to assist local units to acquire lands, the director shall: (1) Seek to achieve a reasonable balance among all areas of the state in consideration of the relative adequacy of area recreation and conservation facilities at the time and the rela…

Lands acquired under this chapter by the state shall be acquired by the director with the approval of the governor by purchase, gift, devise, or otherwise on such terms and conditions as the director shall determine, or by the exercise of eminent domain, in accordance with the pr…

The director shall prescribe rules and regulations governing the administration, operation, and use of lands acquired by the state under this chapter to effect the purpose of this chapter.

Local units are hereby authorized and empowered to acquire lands for the conservation and recreation purposes of this chapter. If the director approves the acquisition of lands by a local unit with state assistance, the lands may be acquired in the name of the local unit in any m…

A state grant to assist a local unit to acquire lands for recreation and conservation purposes shall not be made under this chapter until: (1) The local unit has applied to the director on forms prescribed by the director: (i) Describing the lands for the acquisition of which the…

All recognized bridle and hiking trails situated upon state property as of June 4, 1971 shall remain in existence unless and until closed pursuant to the provisions of § 32-5-2. All of those trails shall be reasonably accessible to any horserider or hiker during the daylight hour…

No bridle or hiking trail shall be closed except by the director of environmental management and only after the director, after a public hearing of which due and proper notice is given, shall have found as a fact that the trail is not used at all and that there is no prospect for…

The purpose of this chapter is to encourage owners of land to make land and water areas available to the public for recreational purposes by limiting their liability to persons entering thereon for those purposes.

As used in this chapter: (1) “Charge” means the admission price or fee asked in return for invitation or permission to enter or go upon the land; (2) “Land” means land, roads, water, watercourses, private ways and buildings, structures, and machinery or equipment when attached to…

Except as specifically recognized by or provided in § 32-6-5, an owner of land who either directly or indirectly invites or permits without charge any person to use that property for recreational purposes does not thereby: (1) Extend any assurance that the premises are safe for a…

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the provisions of § 32-6-3 and this section shall be deemed applicable to the duties and liability of an owner of land leased to the state or any subdivision or agency thereof or land that the state or any subdivision or agency thereof possesse…

(a) Nothing in this chapter limits in any way any liability that, but for this chapter, otherwise exists: (1) For the willful or malicious failure to guard or warn against a dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity after discovering the user’s peril; or (2) For any injury…

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to: (1) Create a duty of care or ground of liability for an injury to persons or property; (2) Relieve any person using the land of another for recreational purposes from any obligation that he or she may have in the absence of this chap…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Rhode Island Recreational Vehicle Parks and Campgrounds Act”.

The following standards shall apply to recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds: (1) Potable water supply and distribution: (i) The supply or supplies of potable water shall comply with the applicable potable water standards of the authority having jurisdiction or, in the absen…

The following standards shall apply to recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds. All sanitary conveniences shall be installed in accordance with this code: (1) Sewage facility approval: Each sewage disposal system material and design layout shall be approved by the authority ha…

Facilities for the storage, collection, and disposal of refuse shall be provided.

(a) Rules/policies: Any operator of a recreational vehicle park or campground may establish reasonable rules and regulations for the management of the establishment and its guests and employees, and each guest or employee staying or employed in the establishment shall conform to …

(a) The local permitting authority shall be responsible for enforcing compliance with the standards adopted in this chapter during its review of plans for the recreational vehicle park or campground. The arrangement of each recreational vehicle park and campground shall meet the …

If any provisions of this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter, that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end t…

It is hereby found and declared that: (1) The freedom to travel is among America’s most cherished liberties and the recreational vehicle and automobile are key modes of travel for those enjoying this freedom. (2) Recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds provide secure places of…

The legislative intent and purpose of this chapter are: (1) To provide a safe environment in urban, rural, and wilderness settings that will accommodate the full range of camping units desired by the consumer; (2) To allow the greatest latitude in designing recreational vehicle p…

This chapter shall apply to all recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds, as defined in § 32-7-7. No person or organization or government entity shall establish and maintain a recreational vehicle park or campground within the state of Rhode Island, except in conformity with th…

(a) This chapter is intended to include all elements to be regulated by the state of Rhode Island. The regulations contained in this chapter shall not supercede any applicable zoning ordinance enacted by any municipality pursuant to chapter 24 of title 45. (b) Where differences o…

The provisions of this chapter are not intended to prevent the use of any material, method of construction, or installation procedure not specially prescribed by this code; provided that any such alternative is of equal or greater quality and is verified by the authority having j…

The following definitions are adopted for purposes of this chapter and for use by state and local agencies. In addition to standards established by local codes and other laws of the state of Rhode Island and standards adopted by reference, the following definitions shall apply to…

(a) Standards set forth in the following documents are adopted by reference in this chapter: ANSI A119.2; ANSI 119.5; NFPA 501D; and HUD Interpretive Bulletin 3282.8. (b) Recreational vehicles must comply with ANSI A119.2 or A119.5 and as further described in HUD Interpretive Bul…

In addition to standards contained in the Uniform Fire Code and the referenced NFPA standards, the following standards shall apply to recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds: (1) Campfires: Designated outdoor campfire locations, if provided, shall be in safe, convenient areas …