R.I. Gen. Laws
Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-22.2-8 (2026)

Preparation, adoption, and amendments of comprehensive plans

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section RI-LEGwebserver.rilegislature.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

(a) The preparation of a comprehensive plan shall be conducted according to the following provisions in addition to any other provision that may be required by law:

(1) In addition to the duties established by chapter 22 of this title, local planning board or commission, to the extent that those provisions do not conflict with the requirements of this chapter, a planning board or commission has the sole responsibility for performing all those acts necessary to prepare a comprehensive plan for a municipality.

(2) Municipalities that choose to conduct joint planning and regulatory programs pursuant to this section shall designate and establish a local planning committee that has responsibility for the comprehensive planning program.

(3) The conduct of the planning board, commission, or the local planning committee shall include:

(i) Preparation of the comprehensive plan, including the implementation program component.

(ii) Citizen participation through the dissemination of information to the public and solicitation of both written and oral comments during the preparation of the plan.

(iii) Conducting a minimum of one public hearing.

(iv) Submission of recommendations to the municipal legislative body regarding the adoption of the plan or amendment.

(4) The municipality may enter into a formal written agreement with the chief to conduct a review of a draft plan or amendment in order to provide comments prior to the public hearing by the planning board, commission, or committee.

(b) The adoption or amendment of a comprehensive plan shall be conducted according to the following provisions in addition to any other provision that may be required by law:

(1) Prior to the adoption or amendment of a comprehensive plan, the city or town council shall first conduct a minimum of one public hearing.

(2) A comprehensive plan is adopted, for the purpose of conforming municipal land use decisions and for the purpose of being transmitted to the chief for state review, when it has been incorporated by reference into the municipal code of ordinances by the legislative body of the municipality. All ordinances dealing with the adoption of or amendment to a municipal comprehensive plan shall contain language stating that the comprehensive plan ordinance or amendment shall not become effective for the purposes of guiding state agency actions until it is approved by the State of Rhode Island pursuant to the methods stated in this chapter, or pursuant to any rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter. The comprehensive plan of a municipality shall not take effect for purposes of guiding state agency actions until approved by the chief or the Rhode Island superior court.

(3) A municipality may not amend its comprehensive plan more than four (4) times in any one calendar year. Amendments that are required to address the findings of the chief, changes to the state guide plan, changes to this act, or changes which allow for an increase in new housing units shall not be included under this provision.

(c) The intent of this section is to provide for the dissemination and discussion of proposals and alternatives to the proposed comprehensive plan by means of either individual or joint legislative and planning commission hearings which disseminate information to the public and which seek both written and oral comments from the public. Public hearing requirements for either joint hearings or for individual hearings of the planning board or commission and for the municipal legislative body shall include the following:

(1) Prior to the adoption of, or amendment to, a comprehensive plan, notice shall be given of the public hearing by publication of notice in a newspaper of local circulation within the city or town at least once each week for three (3) successive weeks prior to the date of the hearing, which may include the week in which the hearing is to be held, at which hearing opportunity shall be given to all persons interested to be heard. The same notice shall be posted in the town or city clerk’s office and one other municipal building in the municipality and the municipality must make the notice accessible on the municipal home page of its website at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing. The notice shall be mailed to the statewide planning program of the department of administration at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing. The notice shall:

(i) Specify the place of the hearing and the date and time of its commencement;

(ii) Indicate that adoption of, or amendment to, the comprehensive plan is under consideration;

(iii) Contain a statement of the proposed amendments to the comprehensive plan that may be printed once in its entirety, or summarize and describe the matter under consideration; the plan need not be published in its entirety;

(iv) Advise those interested where and when a copy of the matter under consideration may be obtained or examined and copied; and

(v) State that the plan or amendment may be altered or amended prior to the close of the public hearing without further advertising, as a result of further study or because of the views expressed at the public hearing. Any alteration or amendment must be presented for comment in the course of the hearing.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases, 2005–2020 · leading case: East Bay Cmty. Dev. Corp. v. Zoning Bd. of Review of the Town of Barrington, 901 A.2d 1136 (R.I. 2006).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
East Bay Cmty. Dev. Corp. v. Zoning Bd. of Review of the Town of Barrington, 901 A.2d 1136 (R.I. 2006). · cites it 2× “See G.L.1956 § 45-22.2-8. Moreover, SHAB continued, this Court previously has rejected the argument that plans are not local requirements in Town of East Greenwich v.”
West v. McDonald, 18 A.3d 526 (R.I. 2011). · cites it 3× “” Section 45-22.2-8(c) (emphasis added). In East Providence, pursuant to the city’s charter, the city council adopts all ordinances in accordance with its rules.”
JCM, LLC v. Town of Cumberland Zoning Bd. of Review, 889 A.2d 169 (R.I. 2005). “General Laws 1956 § 45-22.2-8(c) provides: "A comprehensive plan is adopted, for the purpose of conforming municipal land use decisions and for the purpose [of] being transmitted to the director for state review, when it has been enacted by the legislative body of the…”
North End Realty, LLC v. Mattos, 25 A.3d 527 (R.I. 2011). “See § 45-22.2-8(c). A study conducted by the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation (RIHMFC) in 2004 determined that only 4.”
Town of Exeter, by & through its Solicitor, James P. Marusak v. State of Rhode Island Town of Richmond, Rhode Island v. State of Rhode Island (R.I. 2020). · cites it 3× “6 General Laws 1956 § 45-22.2-8(b)(2), part of the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act, provides that “[t]he comprehensive plan of a municipality shall not take effect for purposes of guiding state agency actions until approved by the chief [of the state planning…”
Town of Exeter, by & through its Solicitor, James P. Marusak v. State of Rhode Island Town of Richmond, Rhode Island v. State of Rhode Island (R.I. 2020). · cites it 3× “6 General Laws 1956 § 45-22.2-8(b)(2), part of the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act, provides that “[t]he comprehensive plan of a municipality shall not take effect for purposes of guiding state agency actions until approved by the chief [of the state planning…”
— R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-22.2-8(b)(2) — 2 cases
Town of Exeter, by & through its Solicitor, James P. Marusak v. State of Rhode Island Town of Richmond, Rhode Island v. State of Rhode Island (R.I. 2020). “6 General Laws 1956 § 45-22.2-8(b)(2), part of the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act, provides that “[t]he comprehensive plan of a municipality shall not take effect for purposes of guiding state agency actions until approved by the chief [of the state planning…”
Town of Exeter, by & through its Solicitor, James P. Marusak v. State of Rhode Island Town of Richmond, Rhode Island v. State of Rhode Island (R.I. 2020). “6 General Laws 1956 § 45-22.2-8(b)(2), part of the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act, provides that “[t]he comprehensive plan of a municipality shall not take effect for purposes of guiding state agency actions until approved by the chief [of the state planning…”
— R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-22.2-8(c) — 3 cases
West v. McDonald, 18 A.3d 526 (R.I. 2011). “” Section 45-22.2-8(c) (emphasis added). In East Providence, pursuant to the city’s charter, the city council adopts all ordinances in accordance with its rules.”
JCM, LLC v. Town of Cumberland Zoning Bd. of Review, 889 A.2d 169 (R.I. 2005). “General Laws 1956 § 45-22.2-8(c) provides: "A comprehensive plan is adopted, for the purpose of conforming municipal land use decisions and for the purpose [of] being transmitted to the director for state review, when it has been enacted by the legislative body of the…”
North End Realty, LLC v. Mattos, 25 A.3d 527 (R.I. 2011). “See § 45-22.2-8(c). A study conducted by the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation (RIHMFC) in 2004 determined that only 4.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.