2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 37 - Public Property and Works › Chapter 37-8 - Public Buildings › Section 37-8-15.1. - Accessibility of leased or rented facilities for people with disabilities.

§ 37-8-15.1. Accessibility of leased or rented facilities for people with disabilities.
(a)
No governmental body or public agency, as defined in § 37-2-7, acting as lessee, shall lease or rent facilities that are not accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. The lessee governmental body or public agency shall provide the state building commissioner with a list of prospective facilities to be leased and shall ensure that accessibility certifications in subdivision (a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(3) and (a)(4) of this section are completed prior to submission of the lease or renewal of the lease for final approval by the state properties commission or other authorized body. Prior to a governmental body or public agency leasing or renting any facility, or renewing a lease:
(1)
The state building commissioner shall certify that the new facility to be leased or rented conforms to the accessibility for people with disabilities provisions of the state building code; or that the existing facility to be leased or rented meets the accessibility requirements of the state building code in effect at the time of first occupancy after January 1, 1978; or if constructed prior to January 1, 1978, meets the requirements of the current state building code; or
(2)
The state building commissioner shall certify that construction documents for the proposed facility to be leased or rented conform to the accessibility requirements of the state building code, and the accessibility renovations shall be completed within six (6) months of the signing of the lease; or
(3)
The state building code board of appeals grants a waiver from some provisions of the state building code’s accessibility requirements for people with disabilities provisions with respect to state agency leasing the facility; and
(4)
The governor’s commission on disabilities shall certify that the lessee agency’s program accessibility plan ensures access to, and use of the facility to be leased or rented for people with disabilities.
(b)
The governor’s commission on disabilities shall only certify an accessibility plan that:
(1)
Would not operationally serve to deny any individual with a disability access to a service or program operated by the governmental body or public agency;
(2)
Would not operationally serve to deny an employee with a disability or job applicant with a disability employment or advancement in that governmental body or public agency;
(c)
The state building code board of appeals shall only grant waivers when total compliance with the disability accessibility provisions of the state building code was structurally infeasible.
(d)
The state building commissioner shall reinspect all facilities leased or rented under subdivision (a)(2) or (a)(3) prior to the date(s) established in the certification or waiver for completion of any renovations required. If the state building commissioner is unable to issue a certification of compliance with the accessibility for people with disabilities provisions of the building code or the variance, then the commissioner shall inform the director of the department of administration that the facility is in noncompliance. The governor’s commission on disabilities shall have the right to periodically review the implementation of the accessibility plan, and inform the director of the department of administration of any noncompliance. Upon submission of said notification of noncompliance, the director of the department of administration shall take steps to ensure compliance or forward a report to the attorney general for legal action to terminate the lease.
History of Section.
P.L. 1992, ch. 213, § 1; P.L. 1993, ch. 326, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 135, § 4; P.L. 1997, ch. 150, § 13; P.L. 1999, ch. 83, § 84; P.L. 1999, ch. 130, § 84; P.L. 2000, ch. 476, § 1.