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H 7564Housing

Towns and Cities - Home-Fit Dwelling Units

New state-funded housing developments with four or more units must include specific percentages of accessible apartments for people with disabilities.

Held for study
Population
Affected
28
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Introduced Feb 6, 2026Committee House Municipal Government & Housing

Plain-English Summary

This legislation, titled "Home-Fit Dwelling Units," mandates that specific new housing developments in Rhode Island include accessible units for people with disabilities. It applies to projects with four or more units that receive state financial assistance or are built on state-owned land. Developers must ensure at least 10% of units meet high accessibility standards (Type A) and an additional 25% meet moderate standards (Type B). The bill establishes a waiver process for technical infeasibility, requires sellers to disclose compliance to buyers, and mandates annual reporting by municipalities to the state regarding these permits.

For younger readers

This new law helps people who use wheelchairs or have trouble moving around find safe places to live. When builders make new apartment buildings using money or land from the state, they must make sure many of the apartments are easy to enter and move around in. This includes things like wider doors and special bathrooms. The goal is to make sure there are enough homes that everyone can use, no matter how they move. Builders have to tell the government how many of these special homes they are building every year.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Real Estate DevelopersPeople with DisabilitiesMunicipal Building OfficialsState Housing AgenciesHome Buyers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Promotes social equity and inclusion by legally mandating that state-subsidized housing developments provide accessible living spaces for people with physical disabilities.
  • Ensures that public resources, including state financial assistance and land, are utilized to create housing that serves the diverse needs of the community rather than just maximizing developer profit.
  • Establishes a system of accountability and transparency through mandatory reporting, ensuring that municipalities and developers are held to accessibility standards over time.
  • The scope is limited only to developments receiving state assistance or on state land, failing to address the lack of accessible housing in the broader private market.
  • The implementation timeline is slow, with the mandate for permits not starting until July 2027 and full criteria implementation delayed until 2029, leaving a gap in immediate support.
  • The inclusion of a waiver process for "technical infeasibility" could potentially be exploited by developers to avoid compliance, depending on how strictly the criteria are written and enforced.
For Conservatives
  • The mandate is targeted only at developers who voluntarily choose to accept state taxpayer funding or land, rather than imposing regulations on all private property owners.
  • Includes a "technical infeasibility" waiver, acknowledging that physical constraints of a site should legitimately supersede government mandates in construction.
  • Requires seller disclosure at the time of conveyance, which supports free-market principles by ensuring buyers are fully informed about the property's features.
  • Increases the regulatory burden and construction costs for housing developments, which could discourage developers from utilizing state programs or driving up the cost of subsidized housing.
  • Expands the size of government by requiring the Executive Office of Housing and municipalities to create new criteria, process waivers, and manage annual data reporting.
  • Imposes rigid quotas (10% Type A, 25% Type B) on design, removing flexibility for developers to determine the best mix of units based on actual market demand in their specific area.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 71 additions

SECTION 1. Title 45 of the General Laws entitled "TOWNS AND CITIES" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 45-24.8-1. Short title. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as “Home-Fit Dwelling Units”. 45-24.8-2. Definitions. As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) "Accessibility" means architectural designs that promote ease of entry and increased ease of movement within a residential dwelling for residents and visitors with physical disabilities, primarily those who use mobility equipment.

(2) "Authorized agency" means and includes the Rhode Island executive office of housing and any city or town agency or official authorized to issue building permits or building certificates of occupancy.

(3) “Covered dwelling unit” means any new housing development permitted on or after July 1, 2027 with four (4) or more dwelling units that:

(i) Receives any state financial assistance including, but not limited to, grants, loans, tax credits, bond proceeds, or below-market financing; or

(ii) Is developed on land owned by or conveyed from the state or a quasi-state entity.

(4) “Design provisions” means Type A and Type B dwelling units as defined in ICC A117.1-2017 (ANSI A117.1-2017), as incorporated into the Rhode Island state building code, unless a later edition is expressly adopted by regulation.

(5) “Dwelling unit” means a single unit providing complete independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.

(6) "Home-fit" means a residential dwelling that is designed and constructed in compliance with this chapter to incorporate design features that provide safe and convenient use regardless of age or physical ability.

(7) "Secretary" means the secretary of the executive office of housing which is authorized to implement the provisions of this chapter. 45-24.8-3. Requirements.

(a) This chapter shall apply to all new construction, of covered dwelling units, with at least ten percent (10%) following Type A standards and an additional twenty-five percent (25%) of covered dwelling units following Type B standards.

(b) Complying units may be identified as “Home-Fit dwelling units”.

(c) No changes required for units permitted before the effective date.

(d) Standards supplement existing codes; where conflicts occur, this chapter controls.

(e) Alternative designs allowed with approval if providing equal or greater accessibility. 45-24.8-4. Seller disclosure. Sellers of covered dwelling units shall provide written disclosure at the time of first conveyance indicating whether the unit complies with Type A or Type B design provisions under this chapter. 45-24.8-5. Exceptions. A waiver may be granted by a municipal building official only upon a written finding that compliance is technically infeasible due to site conditions, structural constraints, or topographical limitations, and not solely due to increased cost or reduced profitability. 45-24.8-6. Implementation.

(a) The executive office of housing, in partnership with the state building code commission and municipalities, shall develop:

(1) The criteria under which a waiver would be granted to a developer, in whole or in part, from the Type A and B requirements outlined above.

(2) The criteria for considering an appeal for the denial of a waiver request, in whole or in part, from the Type A and B requirements outlined above.

(b) A draft of these criteria must be posted for a thirty (30) day public comment period, beginning no later than November 1, 2027. These criteria shall be completed no later than December 31, 2028, and shall be implemented effective July 1, 2029.

(c) Local permitting authorities shall not issue a building permit for any covered units that do not comply with the applicable standards after the effective date unless the development has received a waiver and the proposed design is consistent with that waiver.

(d) If the required criteria are not adopted by December 31, 2028, the Type A and Type B requirements set forth in § 45-24.8-3 shall apply without waiver until such criteria are adopted. 45-24.8-7. Reporting.

(a) Municipalities shall submit all applicable data to the executive of housing no later than July 1, 2028 and each year thereafter including, but not limited to, the number of building permits and certificates of occupancy issued in the preceding calendar year that included the Type A standard and the number of building permits and certificates of occupancy issued in the preceding calendar year that included the Type B standard , as well as the number of waivers granted and an aggregate of the reasons under which the waivers were granted. The executive office of housing shall submit an annual report to the general assembly based on this municipal data commencing on October 1, 2028.

(b) The building code commission shall report to the department of housing no later than July 1, 2028, and each year thereafter, the number of appeals heard related to Type A units and the outcomes of those appeals and the number of the appeals heard related to Type B units and the outcomes of those appeals, as well as the aggregate of the reasons under which the appeals were granted or denied.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage for purposes of rulemaking and implementation and shall apply to covered dwelling units permitted on or after July 1, 2027.