R.I. Gen. Laws
Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-24-54 (2026)

Administration — Administration and enforcement of zoning ordinance

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

(a) A zoning ordinance adopted pursuant to this chapter must provide for the administration and enforcement of its provisions pursuant to this chapter. The zoning ordinance must designate the local official or agency and specify minimum qualifications for the person or persons charged with its administration and enforcement, including: (1) The issuing of any required permits or certificates; (2) Collection of required fees; (3) Keeping of records showing the compliance of uses of land; (4) Authorizing commencement of uses or development under the provisions of the zoning ordinance; (5) Inspection of suspected violations; (6) Issuance of violation notices with required correction action; (7) Collection of fines for violations; (8) Upon written request, issue a zoning certificate or provide information to the requesting party as to the determination by the official or agency; and (9) Performing any other duties and taking any actions that may be assigned in the ordinance. A zoning certificate shall be issued within twenty (20) days of the written request. In the event that no written response is provided within that time, the requesting party has the right to appeal to the zoning board of review for the determination pursuant to § 45-24-63.

(b) The requesting party has the right to appeal the determination made in the zoning certificate pursuant to § 45-24-63.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3 cases, 2000–2010 · leading case: Parker v. Byrne, 996 A.2d 627 (R.I. 2010).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Parker v. Byrne, 996 A.2d 627 (R.I. 2010). · cites it 3× “” It further stated that the certificate was being supplied in accordance with G.L.1956 § 45-24-54, but that “zoning is a matter of interpretation,” and it expressly disclaimed any “guarantee or warrant [of] the accuracy of the information contained” in it.”
Karousos v. Pardee, 992 A.2d 263 (R.I. 2010). · cites it 4× “The motion justice ruled that zoning enforcement officers derive their authority to provide advisory information from G.L. 1956 § 45-24-54, but that such information is only for "guidance or clarification.”
Franco v. Wheelock, 750 A.2d 957 (R.I. 2000). “” Moreover, under § 45-24-54, it is the zoning enforcement officer or agency, not the zoning board of review, that is authorized in the first instance to “provide guidance or clarification” by providing “information to the requesting party as to the determination” of a…”
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.