Permits property owners or contractors to utilize an independent building inspector if the municipality’s building inspector does not inspect the property within twenty days of notification.

Plain-English Summary

This bill addresses situations where a local government's building inspector fails to show up in a timely manner to inspect a property. Under current rules, property owners and contractors typically must wait for the municipality's official building inspector before they can move forward with construction or renovation projects. This bill would set a clear deadline: if the local building inspector does not conduct an inspection within 20 days of being notified, the property owner or contractor would be allowed to hire their own independent, private building inspector instead.

The bill mainly affects homeowners, real estate developers, and contractors who are working on construction or renovation projects that require official inspections before work can continue. Inspection delays can be costly, since workers and equipment may sit idle while waiting for the green light to proceed. By allowing a private inspector as a backup option, the bill aims to keep projects moving forward without being held up by slow municipal response times.

It's worth noting that this bill is still in its early stages — it has been referred to the Senate Housing and Municipal Government Committee and is currently being held for further study. No final decision has been made yet. If passed, it would apply across Rhode Island municipalities and could shift some inspection responsibilities from local government inspectors to private professionals in cases where deadlines are missed.