Chepachet

1. Confirm Glocester Chapter 350 zoning of Chepachet-area lot (~5d)
   Verify zoning under Glocester Code Chapter 350. Most of Chepachet is RR (Rural Residential) with the village core in mixed business/residential overlay. RR district minimum lot size is 80,000 sf with on-site water and septic. Section 350-49 governs ADUs at up to 60% of primary home size. An accessory structure may cover up to 25% of side or rear yard area but no closer than 10 feet to a lot line.
2. RIDEM ISDS (On-Site Wastewater Treatment System) review (~90d)
   Chepachet is almost entirely on private wells and septic. An additional bedroom (which an ADU adds) requires a RIDEM-certified septic designer and an OWTS permit, often the longest-pole step at 60-120 days. Engineered septic system design typically $3,000-$8,000; full system installation $25,000-$60,000 depending on soil testing results and bedroom count.
3. Private well capacity check (~30d)
   Well-yield demonstration may be required if adding bedrooms beyond original well-permit assumptions. RIDEM Office of Water Resources reviews. Typical 6 GPM minimum yield for residential service; additional bedrooms can push aggregate demand beyond original well capacity, triggering well replacement or upsize ($8,000-$25,000).
4. Pre-application meeting with Glocester Planning Board / Town Planner (~14d)
   Recommended in-person meeting at Glocester Town Hall, 1145 Putnam Pike, with the Town Planner and Building/Zoning Official Dennis Begin. Strongly recommended for any project in or adjacent to the Chepachet Village National Register Historic District.
5. Submit building permit application via permits.ri.gov (~1d)
   Glocester migrated to the RI Statewide E-Permitting Portal (permits.ri.gov) on 2024-01-02. Applications submit through the state portal; Dennis Begin (Building/Zoning Official, 401-568-6206 ext. 1) processes Glocester intake.
6. Plan review by Glocester Building Official (~21d)
   Plan review by Dennis Begin against IRC 2018 with RI amendments. RI removed the IRC R313 sprinkler mandate so detached ADUs do not need NFPA 13D.
7. Chepachet Historic District Commission review (if applicable) (~30d)
   Properties within the Chepachet Village National Register Historic District (covers the village center on Putnam Pike) require Glocester Historic District Commission review. The HDC cannot categorically prohibit ADUs but may condition exterior treatment to maintain village character.
8. Required inspections
   Footing, framing, MEP rough, insulation, and final inspections coordinated through Dennis Begin's office. ISDS and well inspections coordinated separately with RIDEM-certified designers and inspectors.
9. Certificate of Occupancy (~7d)
   Issued by Glocester Building Official upon final inspection pass and ISDS as-built filing.

• Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of ADU explicitly permitted under Glocester Section 350-49 conforming to RIGL 45-24-37(j). The 60%-of-primary-home cap binds on most parcels.
• Short-term rental: with-restrictions Glocester regulates STRs separately from ADU permitting. Limited STR demand in the rural Chepachet area outside the Pulaski State Park / fall-foliage tourism windows.
• Office rental: with-restrictions Detached commercial office rental requires home occupation permit or rezoning under Glocester Chapter 350.
• Home office: yes Home occupation permitted under Glocester Chapter 350 with restrictions on signage and customer traffic.
• Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist or workshop studio is a permitted accessory residential use.
• Agriculture: yes Agriculture is broadly permitted in Glocester's RR (Rural Residential) districts; livestock under standard RIDEM and town animal-husbandry rules. Many Chepachet-area parcels are farm-coded for tax purposes under RIGL 44-27.
• Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted; this was the original use case in pre-2024 RI ADU practice.

• Water: Private wells (most parcels) regulated by RIDEM Office of Water Resources · 60d connect · $12,000
• Sewer: RIDEM ISDS (On-Site Wastewater Treatment System) - private septic on virtually all Chepachet-area parcels · 90d connect · $35,000
• Electric: Rhode Island Energy · 21d connect · $2,200
• Gas: Limited natural gas service in Chepachet area; most homes use propane (delivered) or fuel oil · 30d connect · $3,500

Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 11mo · worst 17mo

State ADU loans:

• RIHousing ADU 203(k) financing
• Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing

RIGL 45-24-73 voids HOA / condo / similar private-covenant restrictions on ADUs that conflict with the statute's ADU minimums. HOA prevalence in the rural Chepachet area is very low; most parcels are large-lot rural residential without subdivision covenants.

• flood-zone
  Portions of Chepachet along the Chepachet River and connecting wetlands are in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas; elevation certificates and flood-resistant construction required for SFHA parcels per FIRM panels for Glocester, RI.
• historic-district
  Chepachet Village National Register Historic District covers the village center along Putnam Pike. Glocester Historic District Commission review required for exterior changes; ADU massing/materials may be conditioned but not categorically denied.
• septic-required
  Virtually all Chepachet-area parcels are on private septic; RIDEM ISDS approval for additional bedrooms is the longest-pole permitting step (60-120 days) and the dominant cost driver ($25K-$60K septic upsize).