2026 -- H 7563

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LC003617

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW EFFICIENCY

ACT

     Introduced By: Representatives Quattrocchi, Fascia, Nardone, Santucci, Perez, Place,
Chippendale, Cotter, and Hopkins

     Date Introduced: February 06, 2026

     Referred To: House Municipal Government & Housing

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Title 45 of the General Laws entitled "TOWNS AND CITIES" is hereby

amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

CHAPTER 22.5

THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW EFFICIENCY ACT

     45-22.5-1. Short title.

     This act shall be known and may be cited as “The Development Review Efficiency Act.”

     45-22.5-2. Purpose.

     The purpose of this chapter is to facilitate speedier and more efficient development while

ensuring public safety, by authorizing licensed or certified third parties to certify documents and

inspect buildings in compliance with applicable building and other codes.

     45-22.5-3. Definitions.

     For the purposes of this section:

     (1) “Development document” means a document, to include a building plan, site plan, or

an application for a building permit, relating to improvements to land required by state or local law

or regulation or by a regulatory authority to initiate, engage in, or complete an improvement, but

does not include applications or documents for zoning or planning approvals.

     (2) “Building inspection” means the inspection of an improvement to land required by a

regulatory authority as part of a project to develop or improve real estate pursuant to the provisions

of § 23-27.3-111.2.

     (3) “Building permit” means a permit required by a regulatory authority to construct or

improve or complete an improvement to real estate as required pursuant to § 23-27.3-113.1.

     (4) “Independent provider” means a person licensed or certified as a building code

administrator, engineer, or architect.

     (5) “Regulatory authority” means a department, board, commission, or other entity of the

State of Rhode Island or of the political subdivision responsible for processing or approving

development documents and building permits or conducting building inspections.

     45-22.5-4. Allowance for use of independent providers.

     (a) Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation, the fee owner of land or a building or

structure, or the fee owner’s contractor upon written authorization from the fee owner, may contract

with an independent provider to review development documents or provide building inspections

with regard to the land, building, or structure, and may make payment directly to the independent

provider for the provision of the services.

     (b) The fee owner or fee owner’s contractor shall not have an ownership stake in the

independent provider, and the independent provider shall not provide legal counsel to the fee owner

or fee owner’s contractor.

     (c) If a fee owner or contractor retains an independent provider for the purposes of

reviewing development documents or providing building inspections, the regulatory authority shall

reduce the fee charged for the services by the amount of cost savings realized by the regulatory

authority.

     (d)(1) An independent provider shall only review development documents or provide

building inspections if the independent provider maintains insurance for professional liability

covering all services performed as an independent provider, unless the regulatory authority waives

or modifies the insurance requirement of subsection (d)(2) of this section.

     (2) Unless waived or modified by the regulatory authority, the independent provider shall

maintain minimum policy limits of one million dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence and two million

dollars ($2,000,000) in the aggregate for any project with a construction cost of five million dollars

($5,000,000) or less and two million dollars ($2,000,000) per occurrence and four million dollars

($4,000,000) in the aggregate for any project with a construction cost of over five million dollars

($5,000,000).

     (e) Before any development document reviews or building inspections are performed, the

fee owner or the fee owner’s contractor shall provide to the regulatory authority:

     (1) The name, firm, address, telephone number, and e-mail address of each independent

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provider who is performing, or will perform, such services, his or her professional license or

certification number, qualification statements or résumés, and, unless the regulatory authority

waives insurance coverage, a certificate of insurance demonstrating that professional liability-

insurance coverage is in place for the independent provider’s firm in the amounts required by

subsection (b)(2) of this section and the list of any lots or structures that the independent provider

assist on, along with the scheduled dates.

     (2) The following acknowledgment:

     "By executing this form, I acknowledge that I have made inquiry regarding the competence

of the licensed or certified independent provider and the level of his/her insurance and am satisfied

that my interests are adequately protected. I agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless any

regulatory authority from any and all claims arising from my use of these licensed or certified

personnel to provide development documents reviews and building inspections with respect to the

building or structure that is the subject of the enclosed application."

     (f) If an owner or an owner’s contractor contracts with an independent provider to review

development documents or provide building inspections, the regulatory authority shall provide

equal access to all permitting and inspection documents and reports to the independent provider,

owner, or contractor that would be provided to regulatory authority personnel in completing

development documents or building inspections.

     (g) If such access is normally provided by software that protects exempt records from

disclosure, the regulatory authority shall provide requested permitting or inspection documents and

reports to the independent provider, owner, or contractor within two (2) business days of a request

in electronic format.

     45-22.5-5. Qualifications and requirements for independent providers for building

inspections.

     (a) An independent provider may only provide building inspections that are within the

disciplines covered by that person’s licensure or;

     (b) Each regulatory authority may audit the performance of independent providers

operating within their jurisdiction and demand the owner or owner’s contractor to be present during

the times of requested building inspections by the independent provider, although the fact or

findings of the audit shall not be given to the independent provider.

     (1) Audits may be conducted only after the regulatory authority has created a formal audit

evaluation. The regulatory authority may, upon clear and convincing evidence, decide that an

independent provider has been negligent in providing building inspections and suspend the

independent provider for not more than one year.

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     (2) An independent provider may be audited no more than four (4) times in a month, unless

the regulatory authority determines that the condition of a building constitutes an immediate threat

to public safety and welfare.

     (3) Work may not be delayed for the completion of an audit by the regulatory authority.

     (c) If an independent provider is providing building inspections, upon completion of all

required inspections, the independent provider shall submit to the regulatory authority a certificate

of compliance summarizing the inspections performed in accordance with the approved plans and

applicable codes.

     (d) No more than seven (7) business days, or, if the independent provider is inspecting

single-family or two (2) family dwellings, no more than three (3) business days, after the receipt of

the certificate of compliance with all necessary inspections, and after the payment of all outstanding

required fees, a certificate of occupancy or completion shall be issued by the regulatory authority,

or the regulatory authority shall provide a notice to the independent provider of any specific

deficiencies in the certificate of compliance, with reference to specific code chapters and if the

regulatory authority does not issue the certificate of occupancy or completion or provide notice

within the required number of days, the certificate of occupancy or completion is considered

granted as a matter of law and shall be issued the next business day.

     (e) Notwithstanding any provision of this section, any decisions regarding a building

inspection, certificate of occupancy, completion, or the suspension of an independent provider by

a regulatory authority after an audit, may be appealed to the Rhode Island building code standards

commission, which shall adjudicate the dispute.

     45-22.5-6. Requirements for reviews of development documents and permits.

     (a) An independent provider performing reviews of development documents under this

chapter shall review them to determine compliance with the provisions of this chapter. Upon

determining compliance, the independent provider shall prepare an affidavit or affidavits certifying

that the documents were reviewed pursuant to this chapter, that the documents meet all applicable

codes, and that he or she holds the appropriate license or certificate. The affidavit should be

submitted to the regulatory authority.

     (b) No more than ten (10) business days after receipt of a development document or

application for a building permit, the regulatory authority shall approve such document or provide

a written notice to the applicant identifying the specific features that do not comply with the

applicable codes, as well as the specific code chapters. If no written notice of the document or

permit deficiencies is provided within the ten (10) business days, the document or permit shall be

deemed approved as a matter of law, and any necessary permit or permits shall be issued by the

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regulatory authority on the next business day.

     (c) If the applicant submits revisions, the regulatory authority has the remainder of the

tolled ten (10) business days plus one business day from the date of resubmittal to approve the

development documents, issue the requested building permit, or provide a second written notice to

the permit applicant stating which of the previously identified documents or permit features remain

in noncompliance with the applicable codes, with specific reference to the relevant code chapters

and sections. If the regulatory authority does not provide the second written notice within the tolling

ten (10) business days, plus one additional business day, the development document or building

permit shall be deemed approved as a matter of law, and any necessary permits shall be issued by

the regulatory authority on the next business day.

     (d) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, any decisions regarding the issuance of

a development document or building permit by a regulatory authority may be appealed to the Rhode

Island building code standards commission, which shall adjudicate the dispute.

     45-22.5-7. Limits on regulatory authorities.

     (a) A regulatory authority may not adopt or enforce any laws, rules, procedures, policies,

qualifications, or standards regarding independent providers more restrictive than those prescribed

by this chapter.

     (b) This section shall not be construed to limit or deny the authority of the regulatory

authority to issue a stop-work order for a building project or any portion of the project, as provided

by law, if the regulatory authority determines that a condition on the building site constitutes an

immediate threat to public safety and welfare.

     (c) If an applicant believes that the regulatory authority or the Rhode Island building code

standards commission has interpreted existing ordinances, codes, and laws in error, or any of the

following:

     (1) Rejected a certificate of compliance;

     (2) Rejected a development document in error;

     (3) Has not provided a sufficient reduction in fees due to cost-savings resulting from the

use of an independent provider;

     (4) Refused to issue any valid building permit; or

     (5) Suspended an independent provider from performing building inspections in their

jurisdiction in error, an independent provider, owner, or owner’s contractor may file an action in a

court of competent jurisdiction seeking a determination that the inspection or document or permit

complies with all relevant requirements, and may petition the court for an order requiring the

regulatory authority to accept the document or inspection and issue any necessary building permits

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or certificate of occupancy or completion.

     45-22.5-8. Severability.

     The provisions of this chapter are severable. If any provision of this chapter or the

application of such provision to any person or circumstance is declared or held to be invalid for any

reason, such declaration or holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this

chapter and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect sixty (60) days after passage.

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LC003617

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW EFFICIENCY

ACT

***

     This act would allow property owners or their contractors to hire licensed third-party

professionals to review development documents and perform building inspections. It would

establish standards, timelines, fee reductions, and appeal rights to streamline permitting and

inspections and improve efficiency in the development review process.

     This act would take effect sixty (60) days after passage.

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LC003617

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