§ 509. Rental Rooms

A. Standards. Rental Rooms shall conform to the following:

1. Rental Rooms shall be within legally existing owner-occupied dwelling units.

2. No more than two (2) rooms may be rented.

3. An adequate sewage disposal system must be in place with proper documentation by RIDEM or by a certified ISDS designer or installer. Alternatively, the Sewer Commission shall certify that adequate sewer capacity has been allotted for the proposed use and that all fees and bills have been paid.

4. Dwelling units containing Rental Rooms shall contain an adequate escape route and a functioning smoke detector of a type and location which complies with the R.I. Fire Safety Code.

5. No rooms may accommodate more than two (2) persons.

6. No rooms may be rented without a license from the Town. The term and fees for Rental Room licenses shall be set by the Town Council.

B. Procedures.

1. Before any license can be issued by the Town for any Rental Rooms, an application, including all necessary documentation, shall be made to the Building Official.

2. Within thirty (30) days of receipt of a completed application, following inspection by the Minimum Housing Inspector, if all the provisions of this section have been met, the Building Official shall issue a Certificate of Use and Occupancy for the Rental Rooms. If the provisions have not been fully satisfied or if the Minimum Housing Inspector has been unable to access the property, the application shall be rejected and the Building Official will send a written statement to the applicant detailing the reasons for rejection. When the reasons for denial have been corrected, the applicant may submit a new application at any time.

3. Fees for the Certificate of Use and Occupancy are payable at the time an application is made.

4. Any property owner, holding a Certificate of Use and Occupancy for rental rooms, may apply for a license to rent those rooms.

5. The Rental Room License shall be good for one year and may be renewed by application and payment of the appropriate fee. Dwelling units with Rental Rooms shall be subject to re-inspection by the Minimum Housing Inspector every year.

6. Rental of rooms without a valid Certificate of Use and Occupancy and License, as provided in this Ordinance, shall constitute a violation of this Ordinance.

(Section Amended August 16, 2000)