Adds the town of Tiverton to those towns specifically named to tax any person for either a mobile or manufactured home and automatically lien the a mobile or manufactured home.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would add the town of Tiverton to a list of Rhode Island towns that have specific legal authority to impose property taxes on mobile homes and manufactured homes. Currently, certain towns are explicitly named in state law as having the power to tax these types of homes and to place an automatic lien on them if taxes go unpaid. This bill would extend that same authority to Tiverton.

The practical effect is that if someone in Tiverton owns a mobile home or manufactured home and does not pay their property taxes, the town would have clear legal standing to place a lien directly on the home itself. A lien is essentially a legal claim against the property, which can prevent the owner from selling or refinancing it until the debt is paid. This gives the town a straightforward way to collect unpaid taxes on these types of homes, similar to how property taxes work for traditional houses.

This bill primarily affects residents of Tiverton who live in mobile homes or manufactured homes, as well as the town government itself. For residents, it means their home could be subject to a tax lien if taxes are not paid. For the town, it provides a clearer legal tool to recover unpaid taxes on this type of housing. The bill is currently being held for further study by the House Municipal Government & Housing Committee, meaning it has not yet advanced to a vote.