New Short-Term Rental Ordinance to go into Effect on November 30

New Short-Term Rental Ordinance to go into Effect on November 30

PROVIDENCE, RI – On November 30, 2019, an ordinance regulating the short-term rental of housing or dwelling units located in residentially zones area will go into effect. As defined by the ordinance, a short-term residential rental is a unit/room in a single-family home, apartment or condominium that is available for a fee for less than 28 consecutive days. The City Council passed the short-term rental legislation in May 2019 with a six-month delay to allow hosts to fulfill booking obligations. Ahead of the November 30 effect date, the City of Providence is urging residents, hosts and visitors, to review the policy.

Key provisions include:

1. Owner-occupied dwellings can be used as short-term rentals throughout all zones in Providence where residences are allowed;
2. Non owner-occupied dwellings, however, cannot have short-term rental properties in the R1, R1A, R2, or R3 zones;
3. If an entire dwelling unit is being used as a short-term rental, it is required to have a temporary use permit, issued by the Department of Inspection and Standards. These permits must be renewed annually;
4. Finally, the proposed ordinance includes basic safety requirements, including visible printed materials with diagrams of all exits and clearly marked fire extinguishers.

Codified language is available in the Zoning Ordinance, section 1202.K.6 and 1202.L.6

More information about the Short-Term Rental policy, including a list of FAQs, is available at: http://www.providenceri.gov/planning/short-term-rentals/. Interested parties can look up the zoning information of any property in Providence using the “Where’s my Parcel and What’s my Zone” GIS app found here: http://pvdgis.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html.