reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
RI Gen L § 23-18-10.1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18 - Cemeteries|Section 23-18-10.1 - Registering historical cemeteries.

§ 23-18-10.1. Registering historical cemeteries.In addition to the records and indexes now required to be maintained by every recorder of deeds in all cities and towns, the recorder of deeds in every city and town shall maintain a register of all historical cemeteries located within the city or town. The tax assessor of each city or town shall note the location of each historical cemetery so registered on the appropriate tax assessor's map with a symbol consisting of the letters "CEM" inside a rectangle.History of Section.P.L. 1979, ch. 383, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 117, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 126, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18-10.2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18 - Cemeteries|Section 23-18-10.2 - Exemption from liability.

§ 23-18-10.2. Exemption from liability.(a) A city, town, or public body shall not be held civilly liable for any breach of duty resulting in injury to the person or damage to the property or any person who voluntarily and without compensation, undertakes to maintain or to repair any designated historical cemetery pursuant to § 23-18-10.1, provided that nothing in this section shall eliminate or limit the liability of a city, town, or public body:(1) For acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; or(2) For any malicious, willful, or wanton act.(b) A private landowner permitting access over his or her property to a historical cemetery for the purpose of voluntary maintenance or repair of the cemetery shall not be held civilly liable for any breach of duty resulting in injury to the person or damage to the property of those seeking to repair or maintain the cemetery.History of Section.P.L. 1992, ch. 416, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18-11 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18 - Cemeteries|Section 23-18-11 - Regulation of excavation around cemeteries.

§ 23-18-11. Regulation of excavation around cemeteries.(a) The city or town council of any municipality may by ordinance prescribe standards regulating any construction or excavation in the city or town, when those standards are reasonably necessary to prevent deterioration of or damage to any cemetery or burial ground, or to any structures or gravesites located in any cemetery or burial ground. The rules and regulations shall not apply to the ordinary installation of gravesites or of monuments, markers, or mausoleums.(b) No city or town shall permit construction, excavation or other ground disturbing activity within twenty-five feet (25′) of a recorded historic cemetery except in compliance with the following provisions:(1) The boundaries of the cemetery are adequately documented and there is no reason to believe additional graves exist outside the recorded cemetery and the proposed construction or excavation activity will not damage or destructively alter the historic cemetery through erosion, flooding, filling, or encroachment; or(2) The proposed construction or excavation activity has been reviewed and approved by the city or town in accordance with § 23-18-11.1.(c) Whenever an unmarked cemetery or human skeletal material is inadvertently located during any construction, excavation, or other ground disturbing activity, including archaeological excavation, the building official of the city or town where the unmarked cemetery or human skeletal material is located shall be immediately notified. The building official shall, in turn, notify the state medical examiner and the Rhode Island historical preservation and heritage commission if the grave, cemetery, or skeletal material appears to be historic. Prior to the continuation of any further construction, excavation, or other ground disturbing activity, and unless the provisions of § 23-18-7 shall apply, the property owner shall undertake an archaeological investigation to determine the boundaries of the unmarked cemetery and shall so inform the building official. In the event that the cemetery meets the criteria for a historic cemetery, the building official shall so advise the recorder of deeds of the city or town who shall record and register the cemetery in accordance with the provisions of § 23-18-10.1.History of Section.P.L. 1980, ch. 31, § 1; P.L. 1992, ch. 478, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18-11.1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18 - Cemeteries|Section 23-18-11.1 - Permit required to alter or remove historic cemetery - Powers of city or town council - Appeal.

§ 23-18-11.1. Permit required to alter or remove historic cemetery — Powers of city or town council — Appeal.(a) Before an agency or a property owner may authorize or commence alteration or removal of any historic cemetery, the agency or owner must apply to the city or town council where the historic cemetery is located for a permit to alter or remove. The city or town council shall prescribe by ordinance standards to regulate the alteration or removal of any historic cemetery within its municipal limits, but shall at a minimum provide that:(1) The applicant examine all alternatives, and demonstrate that no prudent or feasible alternative to the proposed alteration is possible;(2) The city or town provide for notification and participation in the permitting process of parties which may be interested in the proposed alteration or removal by virtue of their status as a governmental health or historic preservation authority, or as a private or nonprofit historical, genealogical or civic organization, or, in the case of American Indian cemeteries and burial grounds, the appropriate tribal organization; and(3) The city or town provide for due consideration of the rights of descendants in any application to substantially alter or remove a historic cemetery.(b) When an application for alteration or removal of a historic cemetery has been made and the boundary is unknown or in doubt, the city or town may require that the applicant, at its own expense, conduct an archaeological investigation to determine the actual size of the cemetery prior to final consideration by the city or town of the application to alter or remove.(c) After due consideration, the city or town council may grant the application to alter or remove the historic cemetery in whole or in part, under the supervision of an archaeologist and with any restrictions and stipulations that it deems necessary to effectuate the purposes of this section, or deny the application in its entirety. Any person or persons aggrieved by a decision of the city or town council shall have the right of appeal concerning the decision to the superior court and from the superior court to the supreme court by writ of certiorari.(d) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to contravene the authority of municipal bodies under § 45-5-12 to hold, manage, repair, or maintain any neglected burial ground.History of Section.P.L. 1992, ch. 478, § 2; P.L. 1993, ch. 422, § 6; P.L. 1994, ch. 14, § 6; P.L. 2008, ch. 475, § 55.
RI Gen L § 23-18-11.2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18 - Cemeteries|Section 23-18-11.2 - Regulation of excavation - Removal and transfer of graves and cemeteries - Penalties.

§ 23-18-11.2. Regulation of excavation — Removal and transfer of graves and cemeteries — Penalties.(a) The city or town council of any municipality may by ordinance prescribe standards, in addition to those required by § 23-18-10, regulating the excavation, removal, and transfer of any graves, grave sites, and cemeteries in the municipality so as to provide an accurate record of any activity and to insure that any remains removed are properly re-interred and the location of the new interment is recorded. In the absence of a local ordinance establishing standards, regulations adopted by the historical preservation and heritage commission shall govern. A report of any grave removal and relocation from one cemetery or burial ground to another shall be filed in the clerk's office for each municipality and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be available for public inspection. In instances where there is a headstone or other burial marker identifying the original grave, the headstone or burial marker shall be erected on the site to which any remains are transferred.(b) To the extent not promulgated pursuant to § 23-3-5.1, the state registrar of vital records shall promulgate regulations to establish a system of record-keeping to allow descendants to locate their ancestors' graves in Rhode Island.(c) Any person convicted of violating this section shall be subject to a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) and such fine shall be deemed civil in nature and not a criminal penalty.(d) The provisions of this section shall be considered to be in addition to any other penalties provided for desecration or vandalism to cemeteries.History of Section.P.L. 1996, ch. 148, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 117, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 126, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18-12 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18 - Cemeteries|Section 23-18-12 - Vandalism in cemetery - Civil penalties.

§ 23-18-12. Vandalism in cemetery — Civil penalties.Any person who shall be convicted of vandalism of cemetery property shall, in addition to any fine or penalty imposed by the court, pay treble damages to the agency whose cemetery sustained the damage. In the event the convicted offender is a minor, the family court may, if it determines that the juvenile is unable to pay treble damages, require the offender to perform specified work at the cemetery site where the damage was sustained for a period of time that in the court's opinion will equal treble the damages inflicted at the cemetery.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 247, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18-13 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18 - Cemeteries|Section 23-18-13 - Notification of historical preservation and heritage commission.

§ 23-18-13. Notification of historical preservation and heritage commission.The historical preservation and heritage commission shall be notified whenever an ancient burial place contains or is suspected to contain the remains of one or more persons.History of Section.P.L. 1992, ch. 478, § 2; P.L. 2011, ch. 117, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 126, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18-14 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18 - Cemeteries|Section 23-18-14 - Records of disposition.

§ 23-18-14. Records of disposition.(a) "Agencies", as defined in § 23-18-1, are responsible for the proper maintenance of all records of disposition of human remains, and all burials shall be accompanied with appropriate records or combination of records giving location and name of deceased, date of burial, record of property owner, and a geographic schematic indicating the specific location of final disposition. The agencies have the ability to cross reference this material as the agencies deem necessary as long as the records insure the accuracy and quality control of the location and name of the deceased.(b) The agencies shall supply this information to the general public upon reasonable request.History of Section.P.L. 1999, ch. 435, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18-15 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18 - Cemeteries|Section 23-18-15 - Installation of veteran's plaque.

§ 23-18-15. Installation of veteran's plaque.Any cemetery which accepts the remains of a military veteran for burial shall install, for a maximum charge of seventy-five dollars ($75.00), the plaque issued by the Veterans' Administration to the deceased veteran, on the veteran's gravesite.History of Section.P.L. 2009, ch. 231, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18.1-1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.1 - Disposition of Bodies to be Buried with Public Funds|Section 23-18.1-1 - Public expense burials.

§ 23-18.1-1. Public expense burials.Unless the office of the state medical examiners has established its jurisdiction over the body of a deceased person in accordance with chapter 4 of this title, whoever has custody of the body of a deceased person required to be buried at public expense shall use reasonable efforts to ascertain if the deceased person has any relative or friend who will assume responsibility for burial at his or her expense. If no such person is found within twenty-four (24) hours after death, the person having custody of the dead body shall notify the director of the department of human services or his or her designee who shall arrange for the removal of the unclaimed body. If the body is not claimed at or before the expiration of thirty (30) hours thereafter, the director of the department of human services or his or her designee shall give public notice of its finding and a description of the unclaimed body, and within a reasonable time thereafter cause the body to be decently buried; and if the director certifies that he or she has made careful inquiry and that to the best of his or her knowledge and belief the person found dead is a stranger having no settlement in any city or town of the state, the actual expense of burial shall be paid from the general treasury upon proper vouchers for the burial approved by the director of human services in accordance with provisions of this section. To the extent that the department of human services makes payment of the burial expenses, it shall have the right to recover the burial expenses from the estate of the deceased person.History of Section.P.L. 1976, ch. 263, § 2; G.L. 1956, § 23-42-1; P.L. 1979, ch. 39, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 23-18.1-1; P.L. 2004, ch. 201, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 350, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18.2-1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.2 - Preservation and Care of Burial Places and Memorials For the Dead|Section 23-18.2-1 - Definitions.

§ 23-18.2-1. Definitions.As used in this chapter:(1) "Burial ground authority" means the municipality, ecclesiastical society, or cemetery association, as the case may be.(2) "Burial place" means any tract of land within any municipality that is used or has been used or has been in existence as a burial ground.History of Section.P.L. 1990, ch. 204, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18.2-2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.2 - Preservation and Care of Burial Places and Memorials For the Dead|Section 23-18.2-2 - Burial places to be preserved.

§ 23-18.2-2. Burial places to be preserved.No municipality shall alienate or appropriate any burial place to any use other than that of a burial ground. No portion of any burial place shall be taken for public use without the approval of the general assembly. If any burial place is appropriated for any other use and the bodies buried in it or the monuments, gravestones, or other memorials marking the burial place are removed, the burial ground authority shall preserve a record of the removal indicating the date of the removal and the site or place to which the removal was made.History of Section.P.L. 1990, ch. 204, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18.2-3 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.2 - Preservation and Care of Burial Places and Memorials For the Dead|Section 23-18.2-3 - Removal of gravestones and memorials.

§ 23-18.2-3. Removal of gravestones and memorials.No fence, tomb, monument, or gravestone or fragment of a gravestone within any cemetery or burial place shall be destroyed or injured or shall be removed except in accordance with the provisions of this section. Any gravestone or other memorial for the dead may be removed for the purpose of repair or replacement, reproduction, or preservation and display in an accredited museum upon:(1) The consent of the owner of the burial lot in which the gravestone or memorial is placed or the consent of a lineal descendant of the deceased or, if the owner or lineal descendant is unknown, with the consent of the burial ground authority, and(2) The order of the superior court for the county in which the burial lot is located. Upon written application of a consenting owner, lineal descendant, or burial ground authority, the court may, after a hearing, with notice of the hearing having been given to interested parties and otherwise as the court deems appropriate, order the removal of the gravestone or memorial, if it finds that removal is necessary or desirable for the protection and preservation of the gravestone or memorial.History of Section.P.L. 1990, ch. 204, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18.2-4 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.2 - Preservation and Care of Burial Places and Memorials For the Dead|Section 23-18.2-4 - Unlawful possession or sale of gravestones.

§ 23-18.2-4. Unlawful possession or sale of gravestones.A person is guilty of the unlawful possession or sale of gravestones when he or she possesses or sells, offers for sale or attempts to sell or transfers or disposes of any monument, gravestone, or other structure placed or designed for a memorial of the dead, or any portion or fragment of a memorial of the dead, knowing that it has been unlawfully removed from a cemetery or burial ground.History of Section.P.L. 1990, ch. 204, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18.2-5 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.2 - Preservation and Care of Burial Places and Memorials For the Dead|Section 23-18.2-5 - Penalty for violations.

§ 23-18.2-5. Penalty for violations.(a) Whoever violates the provisions of § 23-18.2-4 shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000).(b) In addition to any other penalties imposed for a violation of the provisions of this chapter or chapter 20 of title 11, any person who topples or damages any marker, gravestone, crypt, or columbarium or who violates the provisions of § 23-18.2-4, shall be required to perform four (4) hours of public community restitution for each marker, gravestone, crypt, or columbarium toppled or damaged or obtained or sold in violation of § 23-18.2-4, at the location of the cemetery, mortuary or other facility where the desecration or other violation occurred and the public community restitution shall not be suspended.History of Section.P.L. 1990, ch. 204, § 1; P.L. 1991, ch. 34, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18.2-6 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.2 - Preservation and Care of Burial Places and Memorials For the Dead|Section 23-18.2-6 - Civil penalties.

§ 23-18.2-6. Civil penalties.(a) Any person convicted under the provisions of § 23-18.2-5 or chapter 20 of title 11, shall, in addition to any fine or penalty imposed, pay treble damages to the burial ground authority, religious organization, cemetery corporation, or persons having charge of the burial ground where the damage has been sustained.(b) If the convicted offender is a minor, the court may, if it determines that the offender is unable to pay treble damages, require the offender to perform a specified work program at the site where the damage occurred for a period of time that will in the opinion of the court equal treble the amount of the damages sustained.History of Section.P.L. 1990, ch. 204, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-18.2-7 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.2 - Preservation and Care of Burial Places and Memorials For the Dead|Section 23-18.2-7 - Community restitution.

§ 23-18.2-7. Community restitution.The general assembly declares that the words "public community service" which appear throughout this chapter shall now be substituted with and referred to as "public community restitution".History of Section.P.L. 1998, ch. 454, § 4.
RI Gen L § 23-18.3-1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.3 - Advisory Commission on Historical Cemeteries|Section 23-18.3-1 - Establishment - Purpose - Membership - Compensation.

§ 23-18.3-1. Establishment — Purpose — Membership — Compensation.(a) There is created a permanent advisory commission to study the location, condition, and inventory of historical cemeteries in Rhode Island and to make recommendations relative to historical cemeteries in Rhode Island.(b) The commission shall consist of eighteen (18) members, all of whom shall be citizens and residents of this state. One shall be the director of veterans' cemeteries or his or her designee. One shall be the executive director of the historical preservation and heritage commission or his or her designee. One shall be the director of the Rhode Island Historical Society or his or her designee. One shall be a representative of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns to be appointed by the governor, who shall serve for one year.One shall be the state registrar of vital records, or his or her designee. The governor, in consultation with and upon the recommendation of local historical or preservation societies within each county, shall appoint thirteen (13) members of the general public consisting of two (2) representatives from Kent County, two (2) representatives from Bristol County, two (2) representatives from Newport County, three (3) representatives from Washington County, and four (4) representatives from Providence County.(c) Beginning on September 1, 2011, one representative from Bristol County, one representative from Newport County, one representative from Washington County, and one representative from Providence County shall be appointed to serve one year terms to expire August 31, 2012, one representative from Kent County, one representative from Washington County, and two (2) representatives from Providence County shall be appointed to serve two (2) year terms to expire August 31, 2013, and one representative from Bristol County, one representative from Kent County, one representative from Newport County, one representative from Washington County, and one representative from Providence County shall be appointed to serve three (3) year terms to expire August 31, 2014. Thereafter, each county representative shall be appointed for a three (3) year term. County representatives shall serve until their successors are appointed. Vacancies shall be filled by the authority making the original appointment.(d) The members shall annually elect a chairperson, a vice chairperson, and a secretary of the commission. The secretary need not be a member of the commission.(e) Members of the commission shall serve without compensation.History of Section.P.L. 1991, ch. 386, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 180, § 47; P.L. 2006, ch. 29, § 2; P.L. 2011, ch. 117, § 2; P.L. 2011, ch. 126, § 2.
RI Gen L § 23-18.3-2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.3 - Advisory Commission on Historical Cemeteries|Section 23-18.3-2 - Quorum.

§ 23-18.3-2. Quorum.A simple majority of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business. Meetings may be called upon reasonable notice by the chairperson.History of Section.P.L. 1991, ch. 386, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 117, § 2; P.L. 2011, ch. 126, § 2.
RI Gen L § 23-18.3-3 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.3 - Advisory Commission on Historical Cemeteries|Section 23-18.3-3 - Rules and regulations.

§ 23-18.3-3. Rules and regulations.The commission shall adopt reasonable rules and regulations in compliance with the open meetings law to govern the conduct of its meetings and the accomplishment of its purposes under this chapter.History of Section.P.L. 1991, ch. 386, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 117, § 2; P.L. 2011, ch. 126, § 2.
RI Gen L § 23-18.3-4 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-18.3 - Advisory Commission on Historical Cemeteries|Section 23-18.3-4 - Commission report.

§ 23-18.3-4. Commission report.Annually, the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the general assembly, to the governor, and to the historical preservation and heritage commission.History of Section.P.L. 1991, ch. 386, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 117, § 2; P.L. 2011, ch. 126, § 2.