reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
RI Gen L § 45-24.3-9 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.3 - Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code|Section 45-24.3-9 - Minimum thermal standards for heating.

§ 45-24.3-9. Minimum thermal standards for heating.No person shall occupy, as owner or occupant, or let to another for occupancy, any dwelling or dwelling unit, for the purposes of living, which does not comply with the following requirements:(1) Every dwelling must have heating facilities properly installed and maintained in safe and working condition, and capable of safely and adequately heating all habitable rooms, bathrooms, and water closet compartments in every dwelling unit located at a distance of eighteen inches (18") above the floor level under average winter conditions to a temperature of at least sixty-eight degrees (68 °) fahrenheit.(2) Unvented flame space heaters are prohibited in any dwelling or dwelling unit except as provided in § 45-24.3-9.2. No owner or occupant shall install, operate, or use a space heater employing a flame that is not vented outside the structure in an approved manner, except those unvented portable space heaters which conform to the provisions of § 45-24.3-9.2. Portable electric heaters, approved under the appropriate local or state electrical and/or fire prevention code, are acceptable where they meet the above provisions of this section.History of Section.P.L. 1970, ch. 325, § 1; P.L. 1981, ch. 268, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.3-9.1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.3 - Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code|Section 45-24.3-9.1 - Repealed.

§ 45-24.3-9.1. Repealed.
RI Gen L § 45-24.3-13 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.3 - Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code|Section 45-24.3-13 - General requirements relating to the safe and sanitary maintenance of nonresidential structures and premises.

§ 45-24.3-13. General requirements relating to the safe and sanitary maintenance of nonresidential structures and premises.No person shall occupy as owner or occupant, or let to another for occupancy, any vacant dwelling or nonresidential structure, unless it and the premises are clean, sanitary, fit for human occupancy, and comply with §§ 45-24.3-6, 45-24.3-9, 45-24.3-10, and 45-24.3-14 — 45-24.3-22 and all applicable legal requirements of the state of Rhode Island and the corporate unit.History of Section.P.L. 1970, ch. 325, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.3-14 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.3 - Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code|Section 45-24.3-14 - Adoption of plans of inspection.

§ 45-24.3-14. Adoption of plans of inspection.(a) The enforcing officer is authorized and directed to develop and adopt plans for the inspection of dwelling units subject to the provisions of this chapter, including a plan for the systematic inspection of dwelling units contained in contiguous areas within the corporate unit as may from time to time be designated by the enforcing officer.(b) Before making inspections within a contiguous area pursuant to a plan authorized in this section, the enforcing officer must advise the organization which represents the property owners and other residents of the contiguous area, if any organization exists.History of Section.P.L. 1970, ch. 325, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.3-16 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.3 - Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code|Section 45-24.3-16 - Rules and regulations - Enforcement agencies - Housing board of review.

§ 45-24.3-16. Rules and regulations — Enforcement agencies — Housing board of review.(a) The local authority is authorized to make, adopt, revise, and amend rules and regulations that it deems necessary for the carrying out of the purposes of this chapter.(b) Establishment of enforcement agencies. The local authority will further provide for the creation and establishment of divisions, offices, departments, bureaus, and agencies and their respective officers, deputies, and agencies that may be required to enforce and administer the powers and duties authorized by this chapter.(c) Housing board of review. The local authority will provide for the selection and organization of a housing board of review consisting of five (5) members, provided that the Westerly housing board of review shall have three (3) members, with two (2) members constituting a quorum. The local authority is authorized to designate the board of appeals as the housing board of review in the cities and towns where these boards of appeal now exist or may be authorized by law. The chairperson or, in his or her absence, the acting chairperson, may administer oaths and compel the attendance of witnesses. All hearings of the board are open to the public. Any housing board of review established pursuant to this chapter shall be governed by the following procedure:(1) The board shall keep minutes of its proceedings, showing the vote upon each question, and keep records of its decisions and findings and the reasons therefor, and of its examinations and other official actions, all of which shall be filed immediately in the office of the board and be a public record.(2) The housing board of review is governed by § 45-24.3-21 pertaining to appeals.History of Section.P.L. 1970, ch. 325, § 1; P.L. 1972, ch. 118, § 6; P.L. 2009, ch. 244, § 2; P.L. 2009, ch. 260, § 2.
RI Gen L § 45-24.3-19.1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.3 - Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code|Section 45-24.3-19.1 - Avoiding residential demolition through owner neglect.

§ 45-24.3-19.1. Avoiding residential demolition through owner neglect.A city or town may by ordinance empower city or town councils in consultation with the local building inspection or code enforcement office, to identify residential structures the physical condition of which have deteriorated so as to endanger the preservation of the structure or its appurtenances. Upon the petition to the local building inspection office or code enforcement office that a residential structure is so determined that its preservation is endangered, the town or city council may establish a reasonable time not less than thirty (30) days within which the owner(s) must begin repairs. If the owner(s) have not begun repairs within the time allowed, the council or a body it may designate may conduct a hearing at which the owner(s) may appear and state their reasons for not commencing repairs. If the owner(s) do not appear at the hearing or do not comply with the council's orders, the council may cause the required repairs to be made at the expense of the city or town, and cause a lien to be placed against the property for repayments.History of Section.P.L. 1991, ch. 307, § 4.
RI Gen L § 45-24.3-20 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.3 - Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code|Section 45-24.3-20 - Collection and dissemination of information.

§ 45-24.3-20. Collection and dissemination of information.The enforcing officer is authorized to collect and disseminate information concerning techniques of maintenance, repair, and sanitation in housing, and concerning the requirements of this chapter and applicable rules and regulations issued pursuant to it.History of Section.P.L. 1970, ch. 325, § 1; P.L. 1972, ch. 118, § 10.
RI Gen L § 45-24.3-22 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.3 - Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code|Section 45-24.3-22 - Conflict of provisions - Severability.

§ 45-24.3-22. Conflict of provisions — Severability.In any case where a provision of this chapter is found to be in conflict with provisions of any zoning, building, fire, safety, or health ordinance or code of the corporate unit and of this state on or after January 1, 1971, the provision which establishes the higher standard for the promotion and protection of the health and safety of the people prevails, except those provisions established under the State Building Code effective July 1, 1977, as delineated in § 45-24.3-4, are to be the "higher standard". In any case where a provision of this chapter is found to be in conflict with a provision of any other ordinance or code of the corporate unit or of this state existing on January 1, 1971, which establishes a lower standard for the promotion and protection of the health and safety of the people, the provisions of this chapter are deemed to prevail, and any other ordinances or codes are declared to be repealed to the extent that they may be found in conflict with this chapter. If any section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase of this chapter is declared invalid for any reason whatsoever, that decision shall not affect the remaining portions of this chapter, which shall remain in full force and effect, and to this end the provisions of this chapter are declared to be severable.History of Section.P.L. 1970, ch. 325, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 42, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.3-23 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.3 - Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code|Section 45-24.3-23 - Repealed.

§ 45-24.3-23. Repealed.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-1 - Declaration of purpose.

§ 45-24.4-1. Declaration of purpose.(a) It is declared that there exist within the various cities of the state, including, but not limited to, Providence, numerous railroad or former railroad properties and adjacent lands that are or may be the subject of railroad relocation projects involving the coordination of federal, state, local, and private action. These areas represent or are contiguous with urban areas of historical, aesthetic, social, cultural, and economic importance, and are an important public asset.(b) It is further declared that there is a statewide need for coordinated attention to and supervision of the development of these areas for the purpose of preserving for the education, enjoyment, and welfare of the general public, important historical and aesthetic features, the promotion of commercial and economic development, the attraction to our urban centers of appropriate business, industrial, and tourist trade, resources, and investment, the development of an attractive urban environment that fosters the social welfare and health of the public and is harmonious with the social, historic, and cultural environment that already exists, and the harmonious coordination of the federal, state, local, and private action that influences the urban railroad relocation project.(c) It is further declared that the developmental tools presently available to cities in the state do not contain sufficient flexibility to address the unique problems arising from the urban railroad relocation project and to govern comprehensive and coordinated development of areas subject to these projects consistently with the previously-declared public needs and purposes. Proper development of these areas, consistent with the general welfare, may require designation of special land use districts and special land-use controls which may be more stringent or more flexible than existing zoning, planning, and other developmental tools, and may require the adoption, implementation, and administration of a plan that establishes a framework for development and sets out detailed design and development criteria, regulations, and enforcement procedures.(d) It is further declared that the most efficient and effective method to further the previously-declared public policy of the state to encourage the appropriate, comprehensive, and coordinated development of railroad or former railroad properties and adjacent lands that are or may be the subject of railroad relocation projects involving federal, state, local, and private action, is to permit the creation of special development districts in the cities of the state and the creation of special development district commissions to adopt, implement, and administer plans of development that establish and enforce design and development criteria and regulations for the development of these areas.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-2 - Short title.

§ 45-24.4-2. Short title.This chapter may be referred to and cited as the "Rhode Island Special Development District Enabling Act".History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-3 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-3 - Definitions.

§ 45-24.4-3. Definitions.As used in this chapter, the following words and terms have the following meanings, unless the context indicates another or different meaning or intent:(1) "Certificate of approval" means the document issued by a special development district commission approving an application for construction, erection, alteration, demolition, or use of a structure or land within a special development district, and pursuant to which a building permit may be issued.(2) "Certificate of rejection" means the document issued by a special development district commission rejecting an application for construction, erection, alteration, demolition, or use of a structure or land within a special development district.(3) "Commission" means a special development district commission designated by a city council pursuant to this chapter.(4) "Development map" means a map of a special development district that shows the parcels into which the district may have been divided according to the plan of development.(5) "Permit" means a building permit issued by a city building inspector.(6) "Person" means a natural person or any other legal entity, including, but not limited to, a corporation, firm, partnership, or trust.(7) "Plan of development" or "plan" means a plan, including design and development criteria and regulations, for the development of a special development district adopted by a special development district commission pursuant to this chapter.(8) "Regulations" means the rules regulating the construction, erection, alteration, demolition, or use of a structure or land within a special development district adopted by a special development commission pursuant to a plan of development.(9) "Special development district" means an area of a city established, designated, laid out, or defined by a city council pursuant to this chapter because it is or may be the subject of combined federal, state, local, and private action relating to a railroad relocation project.(10) "Structure" means a building or anything that is constructed or erected and that requires location on the ground or attachment to something located on the ground.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-4 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-4 - Special development districts authorized.

§ 45-24.4-4. Special development districts authorized.For the purposes stated in § 45-24.4-1, the city council of any city has the authority to establish, designate, lay out, and define, as special development districts, areas that are or may be or have been the subject of or substantially affected by combined federal, state, local, and private action in connection with railroad relocation projects and/or railroad abandonment actions, in the same manner as cities are presently empowered to establish, designate, lay out, and define zoning districts.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 344, § 3; P.L. 2003, ch. 345, § 3.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-5 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-5 - Procedure for designating special development districts.

§ 45-24.4-5. Procedure for designating special development districts.(a) A special development district may be established, designated, laid out, and defined by any city council only after a public hearing before the city council or a committee or commission authorized by the city council to investigate and make recommendations concerning the proposed special development district. All interested persons shall be given an opportunity to be heard at the hearing. Notice of the time, place, nature, and purpose of the public hearing shall be given to all owners of any real property within two hundred feet (200′) of the perimeter of the proposed special development district, by registered or certified mail at least seven (7) days before the date of the hearing, and by publication of notice in a newspaper of general circulation within the city at least once each week for three (3) successive weeks prior to the date of the hearing. The newspaper notice containing a description of the proposed special development district shall be inserted once in its entirety, and, thereafter, a weekly formal legal notice shall be inserted stating that a public hearing will be held specifying the time and place of the hearing. The subsequent formal notices shall include a reference to the original advertisement which gave full description.(b) The boundaries of a special development district established, designated, laid out, and defined according to the provisions of this chapter, may be amended only in accordance with procedures established in this section.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 84, § 107.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-6 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-6 - Designation of commission authorized.

§ 45-24.4-6. Designation of commission authorized.The city council of any city that has established a special development district shall designate a commission that has been created by the general assembly, as a public corporation and instrumentality of the state, to adopt, implement, and administer a plan of development for the special development district. Upon that designation, the commission becomes an agency both of the designating city and of the state, and is known as a special development commission.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-7 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-7 - Creation of commission.

§ 45-24.4-7. Creation of commission.The general assembly may create a special development district commission which is a public corporation and which, when designated by the city council of any city, has the authority to adopt, implement, and administer a plan of development for the special development district established in that city.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-8 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-8 - Purposes and powers of commission.

§ 45-24.4-8. Purposes and powers of commission.Any special development district commission created pursuant to this chapter has any purposes that are consistent with the declaration of purpose established in § 45-24.4-1, and has any powers that are necessary and incidental to the effectuation of the stated purposes and the adoption, implementation, and administration of a plan of development for the special development district, and any other powers that the general assembly may grant in the creation of the commission.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-9 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-9 - Adoption of special development district plan - Regulation of structures and uses - Notice.

§ 45-24.4-9. Adoption of special development district plan — Regulation of structures and uses — Notice.(a) A special development district commission shall adopt a plan of development for the special development district. Any plan of development adopted by a special development district commission pursuant to this chapter may regulate and restrict, by means of regulations duly adopted by the commission, the erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, or use of buildings, structures, or land within the special development district in a uniform, consistent, and nondiscriminatory manner that is rationally related to the purposes of this chapter. The plan may include regulations relating to allowable land uses, the location and use of buildings, street systems, dimensional and area coverage requirements, setbacks and build-to lines, frontage, parking requirements, landscaping, pedestrian travel, signs, design review, open spaces, and population density.(b) Pursuant to the plan of development, the commission may divide the special development district into several parcels as indicated on a development map, and may regulate structures and uses differently in different parcels, so long as regulation of similar structures and uses is uniform within any one parcel.(c) A plan of development may be adopted or amended only after a public hearing before the commission, at which all interested parties have an opportunity to be heard. Notice of the time, place, nature, and purpose of the public hearing shall be given to all owners of real property within the bounds of the special development district and within two hundred feet (200′) of the perimeter thereof, by registered or certified mail at least seven (7) days before the date of the hearing, and by publication of notice in a newspaper of general circulation within the city at least once each week for three (3) successive weeks prior to the date of the hearing.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-10 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-10 - Permit required to erect, construct, alter, repair, or demolish structure - Commission quorum and voting.

§ 45-24.4-10. Permit required to erect, construct, alter, repair, or demolish structure — Commission quorum and voting.(a) Before any structure may be erected, constructed, altered, repaired, or demolished within a special development district, the person proposing the construction or other alteration shall file with the commission an application for permission to erect, construct, alter, repair, or demolish the structure, together with plans and specifications, all that may be required by regulations adopted by the commission. It is the duty of the commission to review the application, plans, and specifications, and no building permit shall be granted until the commission has acted on it. No construction or other alteration of a structure may be undertaken within a special development district without a permit.(b) At all meetings of the commission, a majority of the commissioners is necessary and sufficient to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and the act of a majority of the commissioners present at any meeting at which there is a quorum is the act of the commission, except as otherwise provided by law.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.