Prohibits the imposition of fees associated with home modifications that are specifically required to accommodate a veteran’s disability.

Plain-English Summary

This bill, called the Disabled Veteran Home Modification Act, would prevent local governments and municipalities in Rhode Island from charging permit fees or other related fees when a disabled veteran needs to make changes to their home specifically because of their disability. For example, if a veteran needs to widen doorways for a wheelchair, install a wheelchair ramp, add grab bars in a bathroom, or make other accessibility modifications required by their service-related disability, the city or town could not charge them the usual building permit fees for that work.

The bill affects disabled veterans living in Rhode Island who need to modify their homes to accommodate a disability connected to their military service. Currently, homeowners typically must pay fees to their local government when obtaining permits for home renovation or construction work. This bill would create an exception to that requirement specifically for veterans making disability-related modifications.

For local governments and municipalities, this bill means they would waive or absorb the cost of those permit fees rather than collecting them from qualifying veterans. The bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process, having been introduced and referred to the Senate Housing and Municipal Government Committee, with a hearing scheduled for April 2026.