reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-11 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-11 - Certificate of approval or rejection of plans.

§ 45-24.4-11. Certificate of approval or rejection of plans.The commission shall file with the inspector of buildings or other duly delegated authority its certificate of approval or rejection of all plans submitted to it for review. No work shall begin until the certificate has been filed, but, in the case of rejection, the certificate is binding upon the inspector of buildings or other duly delegated authority, and no permit shall be issued in that case. The failure of the commission to act within forty-five (45) days from the date of application filed with it, unless an extension is mutually agreed upon by the applicant and the commission or unless the commission makes a finding of fact that circumstances require additional time for study up to a maximum of ninety (90) days, is deemed to constitute approval.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-12 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-12 - Exceptions to application of chapter.

§ 45-24.4-12. Exceptions to application of chapter.Nothing in this chapter prevents or is to be construed to prevent ordinary maintenance or repair of any structure within the special development district; nor shall anything in this chapter prevent or be construed to prevent the continuance of the use of any building or improvement for any purpose to which the building or improvement was lawfully devoted at the time of the adoption of a plan of development, or to prevent or be construed to prevent the erection, construction, alteration, repair, or demolition of any structure under a permit issued by the inspector of buildings prior to the adoption of a plan of development pursuant to this chapter.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-13 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-13 - Variances, deviations, and special exceptions.

§ 45-24.4-13. Variances, deviations, and special exceptions.(a) Any special development district commission that adopts a plan of development pursuant to this chapter has the authority to grant variances, deviations, and special exceptions from the literal application of any regulations adopted pursuant to that plan, upon the application of an aggrieved property owner.(b) Special exceptions to the terms of the regulations may be granted in those cases specified in the regulations, and subject to those conditions and safeguards specified therein, where the use granted by special exception is reasonably necessary for the convenience or welfare of the public and does not substantially or permanently injure the value of neighboring property.(c) Variances may be granted where, owing to special conditions, a literal enforcement of the regulations would result in unnecessary hardship, where the variance will not be contrary to the public interest, and the spirit of the plan will be observed and substantial justice done.(d) Deviations may be granted where the literal enforcement of the regulations relating to setbacks, build-to lines, and other area and dimensional restrictions would preclude the full enjoyment by the owner of a permitted use and amount to more than a mere inconvenience.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-14 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-14 - Hearing of applications for variances, deviations, or special exceptions.

§ 45-24.4-14. Hearing of applications for variances, deviations, or special exceptions.The commission shall hold a hearing on the application within a reasonable time, and give public notice and due notice of the hearing to the parties in interest and property owners within two hundred feet (200′) of the affected property. At any hearing any party may appear in person or by agent or attorney.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-15 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-15 - Concurrent jurisdiction of zoning board of review.

§ 45-24.4-15. Concurrent jurisdiction of zoning board of review.Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to restrict, amend, repeal, or otherwise supersede the jurisdiction of the city zoning board of review over any area designated a special development district pursuant to this chapter.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-17 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-17 - Judicial aid in enforcement of plan.

§ 45-24.4-17. Judicial aid in enforcement of plan.(a) The supreme court and the superior court, within their jurisdictions, upon due proceedings in the name of the city instituted by its city solicitor, have power to issue any extraordinary writs or to proceed according to the course of equity or both:(1) To restrain the erection, alteration, or use of any building, structure, or other thing erected, altered, or used in violation of the provisions of any plan adopted under the authority of this chapter, and to order its removal or abatement as a nuisance;(2) To compel compliance with the provisions of any plan adopted under the authority of this chapter;(3) To order the removal by the owner of any building, structure, or other thing existing in violation of any plan adopted under the provisions of this chapter, and to authorize some official of the city in default of the removal by the owner to remove it at the expense of the owner.(b) When, under the provisions of any judgment, order, or decree, in any proceeding, any work is done or materials furnished by an official of the town or city or by the order of the official, at the expense of the owner, in removing a building, structure, or other thing unlawfully existing, the value of the work and material may be recovered in a civil action brought in the superior court against the owner, and if any work or materials have been done or furnished by or at the cost of the town or city, the official shall cause the action to be brought in the name of the city or town.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-18 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-18 - Construction of chapter.

§ 45-24.4-18. Construction of chapter.Whenever the context permits in this chapter, the use of the plural includes the singular, the singular, the plural, and the use of any gender is deemed to include all genders.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-19 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-19 - Severability.

§ 45-24.4-19. Severability.If any one or more sections, clauses, sentences, or parts of this chapter are for any reason adjudged unconstitutional or invalid in any court, the judgment does not affect, impair, or invalidate the remaining provisions of this chapter, but are confined in its operation to the specific provisions so held unconstitutional or invalid, and the inapplicability or invalidity of any section, clause, or provision of this chapter in any one or more instances or circumstances shall not be taken to affect or prejudice in any way its applicability or validity in any other instance.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-20 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-20 - Applicability of other laws.

§ 45-24.4-20. Applicability of other laws.Any special development district commission created pursuant to this chapter will not be subject to the provisions of §§ 42-35-1 — 42-35-18. Any commission and its members will be subject to the provisions of §§ 36-14-1 — 36-14-19 and §§ 42-46-1 — 42-46-10.History of Section.P.L. 1981, ch. 332, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.4-21 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.4 - Special Development Districts|Section 45-24.4-21 - Real property transactions.

§ 45-24.4-21. Real property transactions.Notwithstanding any provision or provisions of the charter of any city or town to the contrary, any city or town may sell or otherwise dispose of, or lease, to any person, including, but not limited, to the state or any instrumentality of the state, for consideration (including, but not limited to, interests in other real property) and upon any other terms and conditions that may be approved by the city or town council, any interest in real property owned by the city or town land located within or adjacent to any special development district created pursuant to this chapter without complying with any provision or provisions otherwise requiring that the proposed sale, lease, or other disposition of the interest be advertised or otherwise publicized, or that the disposition be made only to the highest bidder or only for a specified minimum consideration; provided, that the city or town council has determined that the sale, lease, or other disposition is consistent with and is desirable as being in furtherance of any plan of development adopted for the special development district pursuant to this chapter. Any sale, lease, or other disposition of any interest in real property located within or adjacent to any special development district created pursuant to this chapter shall not, if made pursuant to an agreement to which the state or any instrumentality of the state is a party, is subject to the tax as may otherwise be imposed by chapter 25 of title 44.History of Section.P.L. 1986, ch. 42, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.5-1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.5 - Waste Water Management Districts|Section 45-24.5-1 - Short title.

§ 45-24.5-1. Short title.This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Rhode Island Septic System Maintenance Act of 1987".History of Section.P.L. 1987, ch. 335, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.5-2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.5 - Waste Water Management Districts|Section 45-24.5-2 - Legislative findings.

§ 45-24.5-2. Legislative findings.The general assembly recognizes and declares that:Septic systems or individual subsurface disposal systems (ISDS) are prone to failure without proper maintenance. ISDS failure poses a risk to public health through the contamination of the state's surface and underground waters. Improperly treated waste water from malfunctioning ISDS can impair or prevent the use of the state's waters for drinking and domestic purposes, as well as swimming, wildlife habitat, boating, fishing, and other water-based recreation. In many suburban and rural areas of the state, the use of ISDS is the only practical or available means to treat waste water. Most community and individual drinking water supplies and some of the state's prime recreational waters are located in areas that rely on ISDS. Recreational and drinking supply waters are the least tolerant of waste water contamination and, therefore, require rigorous protection. ISDS will continue, for the near term, to be the primary means of waste water treatment in many areas of the state where public and private water supplies and recreational waters exist. Therefore, to help avoid both contamination of state waters and the associated risks to the public health, and to help preserve the natural ecosystems, waste water disposal systems must be properly maintained to prevent their malfunction and/or failure.History of Section.P.L. 1987, ch. 335, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.5-3 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.5 - Waste Water Management Districts|Section 45-24.5-3 - Declaration of purpose.

§ 45-24.5-3. Declaration of purpose.The purpose of this chapter is to authorize the cities and towns of the state to adopt ordinances creating waste water management districts (WWMD), the boundaries of which may include all or a part of a city or town, as specified by the ordinance. These ordinances must be designated to eliminate and prevent the contamination of state waters, caused by malfunctioning individual subsurface disposal systems (ISDS), through the implementation of ISDS inspection and maintenance programs. The waste water management district ordinance programs shall be designed to operate as both an alternative to municipal sewer systems and as a method to protect surface and ground waters from contamination.History of Section.P.L. 1987, ch. 335, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.5-4 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.5 - Waste Water Management Districts|Section 45-24.5-4 - Powers of councils.

§ 45-24.5-4. Powers of councils.Any city or town council in the state, by itself or pursuant to chapter 43 of this title, and in accordance with the purposes of this chapter, is authorized to adopt ordinances creating waste water management districts (WWMD), which may be empowered, pursuant to the ordinance, to:(1) Provide for the passage of district officials onto private property when necessary for the periodic inspection of septic systems.(2) Order the maintenance and/or pumping of ISDS systems in accordance with an appropriate schedule.(3) Raise funds for the administration, operations, contractual obligations, and services of the waste water management district by:(i) Assessing property owners for taxes or annual fees;(ii) Borrowing, and for that purpose, by issuing bonds or notes of the city or town; and(iii) Setting rates for pumping.(4) Hire the personnel necessary to carry out the functions of the district.(5) Establish a public education program, which would precede the implementation of a WWMD, to make property owners aware of the proper maintenance and care of ISDS systems and the need for periodic pumping. After a WWMD has been created, an education program could remain in place to educate new residents and update members of the district on new information or procedures.(6) Receive grants and establish a revolving fund to make available grants and low interest loans to individual property owners for the improvement, correction, or replacement of failed septic systems.(7) Authorize and contract with independent septage haulers.(8) Contract with other cities or towns for septage disposal through sewage treatment plants.(9) Levy fines for noncompliance. These fines must be no greater than five hundred dollars ($500) per violation. The fines go into a dedicated fund for the purpose of operating the waste water management district. Each day of a continuing violation constitutes a separate and distinct violation.(10) Provide for an appeal process from the decision of the WWMD under the provisions of the Rhode Island Administrative Procedures Act, chapter 35 of title 42. An aggrieved party has the right to appeal to the district court.History of Section.P.L. 1987, ch. 335, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.5-5 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.5 - Waste Water Management Districts|Section 45-24.5-5 - Powers of state agencies retained.

§ 45-24.5-5. Powers of state agencies retained.The department of environmental management and the department of health retain all of their existing authority regarding individual sewage disposal systems.History of Section.P.L. 1987, ch. 335, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.5-6 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.5 - Waste Water Management Districts|Section 45-24.5-6 - Connections to existing sanitary sewer lines from facilities across city and town lines.

§ 45-24.5-6. Connections to existing sanitary sewer lines from facilities across city and town lines.Notwithstanding any other state or local law or regulation to the contrary, those facilities in the state of Rhode Island, except for communities on Aquidneck Island, that currently discharge wastewater from an on-site wastewater treatment and disposal system that do not have reasonable access to an available sewer within the city or town where the property is located, are hereby authorized to construct, use, operate, maintain, and repair a sanitary sewer line (and any necessary pump or lift station equipment) connecting to a neighboring city or town sanitary sewer line in lieu of continuing to utilize their existing on-site wastewater treatment and disposal, upon the following conditions:(1) The construction, use, operation, maintenance, and repair of such sanitary sewer line shall be subject to the issuance of all required state approvals, permits, and licenses; and local approvals, permits, and licenses to the extent such local approvals, permits and licenses are not inconsistent with the foregoing authorization;(2) The neighboring city or town sanitary line is in closer proximity to the property than the city or town sanitary line wherein the property is located;(3) The cost to connect to the in-city or in-town sanitary sewer line is significantly greater than connection to the neighboring city or town sanitary sewer line closest to the subject property;(4) The neighboring city or town sanitary sewer line has capacity, as determined by the host sewer authority to accept the additional flow; and(5) Not allowing the connection would result in a potential or continuing environmental detriment.History of Section.P.L. 2015, ch. 212, § 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 229, § 1.
RI Gen L § 45-24.6-1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.6 - Special Economic Development Districts|Section 45-24.6-1 - Declaration of purpose.

§ 45-24.6-1. Declaration of purpose.(a) According to the United States Census Bureau estimates as of 2015, Rhode Island ranks second among the fifty (50) states in terms of population density. Notwithstanding this, there exists within the various municipalities of the state, certain large tracts of developable or blighted state-owned land, which areas represent in and of themselves and are often contiguous with areas of vital economic importance to the state. In light of this, the state declares that these tracts of state-owned land, and more specifically those tracts that are twenty (20) or more contiguous acres in size, are important state assets which require the coordination of federal, state, local, or private action to efficiently make use of these lands.(b) It is further declared that coordination is paramount to development as time delays, redundant approvals, and local eccentricities often impede development projects.(c) 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 education, enjoyment, and welfare of the general public, the promotion of commercial and economic development, the attraction to our state of appropriate business, industrial, and tourist trade, resources, and investment, the development of an attractive environment that fosters the social welfare and health of the public.(d) It is further declared that the developmental tools presently available to municipalities in the state do not contain sufficient flexibility to address the unique problems arising from the projects 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 the adoption, implementation, and administration of a plan that establishes a framework for development including detailed design and development criteria, regulations, and enforcement procedures.(e) 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 these properties is to permit the creation of special economic development districts in the municipalities of the state and the creation of special economic 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. 2019, ch. 88, art. 12, § 8.
RI Gen L § 45-24.6-2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.6 - Special Economic Development Districts|Section 45-24.6-2 - Short title.

§ 45-24.6-2. Short title.This chapter may be known and may be cited as the "Rhode Island Special Economic Development District Enabling Act."History of Section.P.L. 2019, ch. 88, art. 12, § 8.
RI Gen L § 45-24.6-3 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 45 - Towns and Cities|Chapter 45-24.6 - Special Economic Development Districts|Section 45-24.6-3 - Definitions.

§ 45-24.6-3. 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 economic development district commission approving an application for construction, erection, alteration, demolition, or use of a structure or land within the special economic development district, and pursuant to which a building permit may be issued.(2) "Certificate of rejection" means the document issued by a special economic development district commission rejecting an application for construction, erection, alteration, demolition, or use of a structure or land within a special economic development district.(3) "Commission" means a special economic development district commission or independent public instrumentality authorized by the general assembly and empowered by this chapter.(4) "Contiguous acres" means tracts or parcels of land that abut or connect without excepting therefrom streams, ponds, rivers, roads, bridges, or other types of paths or rights of way.(5) "Development map" means a map of a special economic development district that shows the parcels into which the district may have been divided according to the plan of development.(6) "District" means any developable or blighted state-owned tracts or parcels of land, which at its creation, aggregation and/or acquisition by a state agency or instrumentality consists of or consisted of twenty (20) or more contiguous acres in size.(7) "Permit" means a building permit issued by a duly licensed building inspector.(8) "Person" means a natural person or any other legal entity, including, but not limited to, a corporation, firm, partnership, or trust.(9) "Plan of development" or "plan" means a plan, including design and development criteria and regulations, for the development of a special economic development district adopted by a special economic development district commission pursuant to this chapter.(10) "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 economic development commission pursuant to a plan of development.(11) "Special economic development district" means an area of a municipality or municipalities that has been or will be established, designated, laid out, or defined by the general assembly, including, but not limited to, independent public instrumentalities created by the general assembly.(12) "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. 2019, ch. 88, art. 12, § 8.