Requires all municipal zoning ordinances be amended to provide that any lot with access to public water/sewer services, not establish or enforce a minimum lot area that exceeds 5,000 sq.ft. for a residential building with between one and 4 dwelling units.

Rhode Island Bill Summary: Minimum Lot Size Reform for Residential Housing

This bill would require every city and town in Rhode Island to update their local zoning rules to allow smaller residential lots in areas with public water and sewer service. Specifically, if a property is connected to public water and sewer systems, local governments would no longer be allowed to require that a lot be larger than 5,000 square feet (roughly the size of a typical two-car garage plus surrounding space, or about 1/9th of an acre) in order to build a home or small apartment building with up to four units. Any existing zoning rules that currently require larger minimum lot sizes in these areas would need to be changed or could no longer be enforced.

This bill primarily affects homeowners, developers, and municipalities across Rhode Island. For property owners and builders, it could make it easier and potentially less expensive to construct homes or small multi-unit buildings on smaller plots of land in areas already served by public utilities. For cities and towns, it removes their ability to set higher minimum lot size requirements in these specific situations, overriding local zoning authority with a statewide standard.

The broader intent of the bill appears to be addressing housing availability by allowing more homes to be built on smaller lots in areas where infrastructure already exists. Currently, many Rhode Island communities have minimum lot size requirements that exceed 5,000 square feet, which can limit how many homes can be built in a given area. This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process, having been referred to the House Municipal Government & Housing Committee.