RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES — ZONING ORDINANCES
RI HB 7352 was introduced on Feb. 4th, 2022 by Representatives Ackerman, Shekarchi, and Speakman and is now referred to House Committee On Municipal Government And Housing. The bill defines a tiny house and requires tiny homes to be accessorary dweling units (ADUs).
Highlights Of The Bill
(2) Accessory dwelling unit. A dwelling unit: (i) Rented to and occupied either by one or
more members of the family of the occupant or occupants of the principal residence; or
Reserved for rental occupancy by a person or a family where the principal residence is owner
occupied and that meets the following provisions:
A) In zoning districts that allow residential uses, no more than one accessory dwelling unit
may be an accessory to a single-family dwelling.
(B) An accessory dwelling unit shall include separate cooking and sanitary facililities with its’
own legal means of ingress and egress, and is a complete, separate dwelling unit.
The accessory dwelling unit shall be within, or attached to, the principal dwelling-unit structure or
within an existing structure, such as a garage or barn, and designed so that the appearance of
the principle structure remains that of a one-family residence.
(65) Tiny house. A structure intended for year-round occupancy that meets the
requirements of the state building code in chapter of title and is of a smaller square footage
than may be normally permitted by local zoning requirements, and may include single-room
structures, and which is built on a permanent foundation.
Rhode Island HB7352 AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES — ZONING ORDINANCES (Provides a definition within the chapter on “zoning ordinances” for tiny houses and requires these homes to be counted as affordable housing.)
Related: In RI’s New Push For Housing Affordability, A Czar And Tiny Houses
Rhode Island home prices are through the roof, and House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi sees a state “housing czar” and tiny houses as elements in the affordability solution.
The first-year speaker on Monday unveiled an eight-bill legislative package that would include making it illegal for landlords to refuse to rent to tenants who pay with housing vouchers. The “Fair Housing Practices Act,” sponsored by Rep. Anastasia Williams, D-Providence, is scheduled for a House vote Tuesday and has strong support in the Senate, where it’s passed in prior years.
Tiny houses have been dismissed by some as more of a lifestyle statement than a significant housing option, but the new House bill appears to be part of a longer-term effort to allow more extra units next to existing homes
Source In RI’s New Push For Housing Affordability, A Czar And Tiny Houses