Title 24, Title 24 Title 24

If any real property or any estate or interest therein is unclaimed or held by a person or persons whose whereabouts are unknown, after making inquiry satisfactory to the superior court for the county in which the real property lies, the city or town council, after the expiration…

The superior court shall have power to make such orders with respect to encumbrances, liens, taxes, and other charges on the land, if any, as shall be just and equitable.

Whenever in the opinion of the city or town council a substantial saving in the cost of acquiring title can be effected by conveying other real property, title to which is in the city or town, to the person or persons from whom the estate or interest in real property is being pur…

Within one year after its passage, the city or town council shall cause to be filed in the land evidence records a copy of its resolution declaring that the public interest and convenience makes necessary or advantageous the acquisition of real property in the manner prescribed b…

Immediately after the taking of property, the city or town council shall cause to be filed in the superior court in and for the county in which the real property lies a statement of the sum of money estimated to be just compensation for the property taken, and shall deposit in th…

Upon the filing of the copy of the resolution, description and plat in the land evidence records and upon the making of the deposit in accordance with the order of the superior court, title to the real property in fee simple absolute or such lesser estate or interest therein spec…

After the filing of the copy of the resolution, description and plat, notice of the taking of land or other real property shall be served upon the owners of or persons having any estate or interest in the real property by the city or town sergeant or any constable of the city or …

After the filing of a resolution, description and plat, the city or town council shall cause a copy of the resolution to be published in some newspaper having general circulation in the city or town at least once a week for three (3) successive weeks. The newspaper notice contain…

If any party shall agree with the city or town council upon the price to be paid for the value of the land or other real property so taken and of appurtenant damage to any remainder or for the value of the party’s estate, right or interest therein, the court, upon application of …

Any owner of, or person entitled to any estate or right in, or interested in any part of the real property so taken, who cannot agree with the city or town council upon the price to be paid for his or her estate, right or interest in such real property so taken and the appurtenan…

After the service of a notice of condemnation the court may proceed to a trial. The trial shall be conducted as other civil actions at law are tried. The trial shall determine all questions of fact relating to the value of the real property, and any estate or interest therein, an…

All lands which have been or shall be quietly, peaceably, and actually used and improved and considered as public highways for the space of twenty (20) years, and which shall be declared by the town council of the town wherein they lie to be public highways, shall be taken and co…

Nothing contained in § 24-2-9 shall be so construed as to render any town liable for the mending and repairing of any highway, unless the highway shall have been declared to be a public highway by the town council of the town wherein it lies.

Every town council, before they proceed to act under the provisions of § 24-2-1, shall give personal notice of their intention to all persons interested, or who may have any claim to the land over which a highway passes, as described in § 24-2-1, if known to reside in this state,…

Every person aggrieved by the proceedings described in § 24-2-2 may appeal therefrom to the superior court.

In declaring lands which have been quietly, peaceably and actually used and improved and considered as public highways and streets for the space of twenty (20) years, to be public highways as provided in § 24-2-1, the town council of the town in which the lands lie shall determin…

In case any lands have previously been declared to be a public highway under § 24-2-1, and no such plat was made and recorded as provided in § 24-2-4, the town council may cause the lands, appropriated by such declaration as a public highway, to be marked out, platted, and record…

If any lands used and improved for twenty (20) years and upwards as a public highway or street, shall not in the judgment of the town council be wide enough for the necessities or convenience of the public, the town council may proceed to widen the highway in whole or in part, pu…

The proceedings before the town council under §§ 24-2-1 — 24-2-6, insofar as the proceedings shall not have been set aside on appeal as provided in § 24-2-3, with the accompanying plat or duly certified copies thereof, shall forever thereafter be conclusive evidence upon the town…

Except as otherwise provided by special act concerning particular cities and towns, whenever the owner of any land shall make a deed thereof to the town in which the land lies, for the especial purpose of being used and improved as a public highway, and the deed shall have been d…

(a) The town of Charlestown shall be permitted to utilize the below listed procedure to provide for the acceptance and upgrading of highways not yet accepted into the town’s highway system: (1) Owners of land fronting on an existing means of ingress and egress to their property w…

(a) The town of Richmond shall be permitted to utilize the below listed procedure to provide for the acceptance and upgrading of highways not yet accepted into the town’s highway system: (1) Owners of land fronting on an existing means of ingress and egress to their property whic…

(a) The town of Burrillville shall be permitted to utilize the below listed procedure to provide for the acceptance and upgrading of highways not yet accepted into the town’s highway system: (1) Owners of land fronting on an existing means of ingress and egress to their property …

(a) The town of West Warwick is permitted to utilize the below listed procedure to provide for the acceptance and upgrading of highways not yet accepted into the town’s highway system: (1) Owners of land fronting on an existing means of ingress and egress to their property which …

Nothing contained in this chapter shall be so construed as to hinder or prevent the public from acquiring, by dedication or user, lands or any interests in lands for highways or other public uses, according to the course of the common law, or to take away or abridge any legal or …

Town councils may mark out, relay, widen, straighten, or change the location of the whole of or any part of any municipal road, whether laid out by the state or otherwise, except the highways on both sides of the Woonasquatucket River directed to be laid out by chapter 362 of the…

The town or city, after electing by the town or city council to make the improvements as provided in § 24-3-9, shall become seized of all the land in the report mentioned that shall be required for making the improvements, in trust for use as a public highway. And the town or cit…

The town council or city council, after the election to make improvements, as provided in § 24-3-9, shall confirm the report of the commissioners to all persons who have not given notice of their intention to claim a jury trial as provided in § 24-3-8, and shall finally confirm t…

Whenever the whole of any lot or parcel of land, or any building under lease or other contract, shall be taken as provided in § 24-3-10, for any of the purposes as provided in this chapter, upon the election of the town or city council, as provided in § 24-3-9, to make improvemen…

The town or city shall, within four (4) months after the confirmation of the report of the commissioners, pay to the person entitled thereto the amount of damage finally awarded upon the report. In the case of a default of the payment, the person entitled to the payment, after ap…

The amount of benefit apportioned and assessed to the owners of real estate by the commissioners in their report, confirmed as aforesaid, and required by the report to be paid by the respective owners, shall be added to the taxes assessed against the real estate and the owners th…

The commissioners shall be entitled to receive for their services a reasonable compensation, to be allowed by the town council or city council; and all sums reasonably expended for maps, plats, and clerk hire and other necessary expenses, shall be paid by the town.

Whenever all buildings and impediments have been removed, by order of the town council or city council, from the street or portion thereof taken, and the street shall be open for public use, the town council or city council shall declare the opening, and it shall be a public high…

Sections 24-3-3 — 24-3-16 shall apply only to the cities of Newport, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Central Falls, Cranston, Warwick, and the towns of Lincoln, Johnston, Warren, Bristol, Middletown, East Greenwich, East Providence, New Shoreham, Little Compton, West Warwick, Cumberland, …

Whenever in any town any person or persons owning land abutting on any platted street or way, which is not a public highway, the plat of which is recorded in the office of the clerk of the town in which the land is situated, shall petition the town council of the town to cause th…

The town council thereupon shall cause such notice as the council may deem best to be given to all the owners of land abutting on the street or way, to appear before the council at the time named in the notice, if they shall see fit, and be heard for or against receiving the repo…

The town council shall, after hearing the persons appearing to be heard, proceed to reject, confirm, or recommit the report of the commissioners in whole or in part, to the same or new commissioners, to be appointed by the town council for that purpose, who shall revise the repor…

Whenever any street or way shall be received and established as a public highway, the defined grade shall be the established grade of the street or highway; but no action relating to the grade of any street or highway shall be so construed as to be a receiving or establishing of …

The commissioners shall be entitled to a reasonable compensation for their services, and for all sums of money expended for the plat and other necessary disbursements, to be allowed by the town council, whether the report is rejected, confirmed, or recommitted, to be paid by the …

Town councils may order highways or parts of highways to be graded within their respective towns, and whenever a grade for any highway shall be established the grade shall not be changed without the consent of the town council of the town in which it is located, nor without notic…

Whenever any highway is graded, or the grade thereof is changed, the town council may order sidewalks therein to be established, and the sidewalks to be curbed, upon like notice to the abutting proprietors of lands as provided in § 24-3-23.

Whenever any highway shall be graded, and sidewalks established therein, and the sidewalks shall be ordered to be curbed as provided in § 24-3-24, the owners of land abutting on the sidewalks shall pay the cost of the curbstones to be set against their respective lands.

The costs of the curbstones shall be ascertained by the surveyor of highways, and be by the surveyor submitted to and be approved by the town council, and then the surveyor of highways shall demand the costs of the abutting owner, and if the owner shall neglect or refuse to pay t…

Whenever any abutting owner shall deem himself or herself to be injured by any change in the grade of a highway, and the owner shall make a claim for compensation for the injury to the town council within forty (40) days after the change of grade shall have been completed, the to…

Every person having been notified as provided in § 24-3-23, and having objected in writing to the action of the town council, on or before the day specified in the notice, who shall be aggrieved by any appraisal of damages made by any town council under the provisions of § 24-3-2…

If the person appealing from any appraisal of damages made by the town council shall fail to have the damages increased on the appeal, the person shall pay the costs, and shall have judgment for the amount of damages awarded him or her, but if the damages are increased on the app…