ADU Pass
Slatersville
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Slatersville, Providence County, Rhode Island navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.
Map
ADU details
ADU legality: allowed
ADUs by right under RIGL Sec 45-24-73 statewide minimums plus the Town of North Smithfield 2024 conforming ordinance. Slatersville-specific overlay: Local Historic District review required for the village core (18 parcels listed on the National Register Slatersville Historic District). Town of North Smithfield uses the OpenGov portal for e-permitting.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 200 | $2,400 | $60,000 | $62,400 |
| 600 | 600 | $3,200 | $198,000 | $201,200 |
| midpoint | 900 | $4,100 | $297,000 | $301,100 |
| maximum | 1,200 | $5,200 | $396,000 | $401,200 |
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Permitting process
- Confirm Slatersville parcel zoning at NS Town Hall (~3d)
Verify R-40 / R-20 / R-10 designation on the NS zoning map (Slatersville village contains all three) and check Historic District overlay. Building Inspection Clerk Dawn Fontaine (401-767-2200 ext. 309) confirms eligibility. - Pre-application with NS Building Official (~7d)
Optional but recommended consult with Building Official Leo Cote (lcote@nsmithfieldri.gov, ext. 311) and Zoning Officer Barbara Horton (bhorton@nsmithfieldri.gov) regarding setbacks, parking, and any historic-district triggers. - Historic District Commission Certificate of Appropriateness (Slatersville HD only) (~35d)
If parcel is one of the 18 within the locally-designated Slatersville Historic District, file for HDC Certificate of Appropriateness BEFORE building permit. HDC meets monthly. - Submit building permit via OpenGov portal (~1d)
Submit at northsmithfieldri.portal.opengov.com. Required: site plan, floor plan, elevations, structural plans, RI Energy Code (IECC 2018) compliance docs, well/septic capacity letter from RIDEM if not on PWSB. - NS combined zoning + building plan review (~21d)
Zoning compliance reviewed by Barbara Horton; building/structural by Leo Cote; electrical by William Bernardino; plumbing/mechanical by Philip Paul. Concurrent review. - Permit issuance and fee payment (~3d)
After plan approval, NS issues permit through OpenGov portal. Fees paid online (state fee schedule per RIGL 510-RICR-00-00-21). - Construction inspections
Foundation, frame, MEP rough, insulation, final. Schedule via OpenGov. NS inspectors are part-time so allow 5-7 days lead. - Certificate of occupancy (~5d)
Final inspection by Building Official; CO issued through portal.
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of ADU permitted. RIGL Sec 45-24-73 voids HOA covenants conflicting with the ADU statute.
- Short-term rental: with-restrictions NS does not have a dedicated STR ordinance as of 2026; STR of an ADU permitted but the parcel is still subject to standard residential occupancy law and any HDC restrictions on sign / exterior change.
- Office rental: no ADU is dwelling-unit use only under NS zoning.
- Home office: yes Home occupation permitted in residential zones with limits on signage and customer traffic.
- Studio / workshop: yes Personal art/workshop use accessory to residence.
- Agriculture: with-restrictions NS allows limited rural agriculture in R-40 zones; ADU itself is residential-use only.
- Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted; was the dominant pre-2024 use case in NS.
Incentives
- RIHousing ADU Program (state) — RIHousing maintains ADU technical assistance and may launch a forgivable-loan pilot tied to long-term affordability covenants. Slatersville parcels eligible if NS adopts the supporting local ordinance.
Contacts
Staff: Leo Cote (Building Official) lcote@nsmithfieldri.gov, Barbara Horton (Zoning Officer) bhorton@nsmithfieldri.gov, Dawn Fontaine (Building Inspection Clerk) dfontaine@nsmithfieldri.gov, William Bernardino (Electrical Inspector), Philip Paul (Plumbing & Mechanical Inspector)
Utilities
- Water: Pawtucket Water Supply Board (PWSB) where municipal service available; private wells throughout most of Slatersville village · 30d connect · $6,500
- Sewer: Most of Slatersville on private septic; small portions of NS on Woonsocket WPCF connection · $22,000
- Electric: Rhode Island Energy (the former National Grid RI service area) · 21d connect · $1,800
- Gas: Rhode Island Energy (gas) - mains exist along Greene St and Slatersville center; rural lots typically use propane · 30d connect · $2,200
Property values & taxes
Market rent by ADU size
| Sq ft | Rent |
|---|---|
| 400 | $1,200/mo |
| 700 | $1,650/mo |
| 1,200 | $2,200/mo |
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 12mo · worst 18mo
Northern Providence County rural-village GC market is shallow; HDC-compliant work in Slatersville core requires specialist millwork shops and adds 4-8 weeks.
Modular pathway RI State Building Code Commission - Modular/Manufactured Home Program · inspectors are occasional with modular
Slatersville center streets are narrow with HDC-protected streetscape; modules over 14 ft wide require route planning. Branch River bridges have weight limits.
Financing
State ADU loans:
- RIHousing - state mortgage / refi products eligible for ADU (Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation)
Insurance impact
Northern RI rural-residential market has stable carrier participation; HDC compliance can affect rebuild-cost endorsements on historic-district parcels.
HOA prevalence & preemption
Slatersville has very low HOA prevalence - village is dominated by historic mill housing on individual deeds. RI statute voids any HOA/condo covenant conflicting with the ADU statute.
Regulatory overlays (2)
- historic-district — Locally-designated Slatersville Historic District (18 parcels) and Slatersville National Register Historic District (broader village core) · +35d · +12% cost
HDC Certificate of Appropriateness required for any exterior alteration including ADU additions. Compatible material standards apply (clapboard, true-divided-light windows, etc.). (map) - flood-zone — FEMA SFHA Zone AE along Branch River and Slatersville Reservoir; Zone X-shaded along tributaries · +14d · +8% cost
Branch River is the dominant flood-control feature; mill village proximity puts several historic parcels in or near AE zones. (map)
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Rhode Island State Building Code (SBC-1) - amendments to IRC 2018 — RI removes IRC R313 residential sprinkler mandate; modifies frost depth requirements; adopts state-specific energy code overlay.
Contractor market (aggregate)
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: Town of North Smithfield Zoning Ordinance, Appendix A Code of Ordinances - ADU provisions in Section 5 Use Regulations, adopted 2025-02-04, last amended 2025-02-04
- 1971-09-22 — Slatersville Historic District placed on National Register of Historic Places (other)
Slatersville mill village (founded 1806 by John and Samuel Slater) listed on NR as one of the earliest planned American mill villages.
Effect: Properties in the historic district subject to RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission review for federally-funded or licensed work; locally-designated district subjects them to NS Historic District Commission Certificate of Appropriateness for any exterior alteration. - 2024-06-25 — RI H 7062 / S 2998 (2024) signed - statewide ADU mandate (state-law)
Amended RIGL Sec 45-24-37 and Sec 45-24-73 to require every Rhode Island city and town to permit one ADU by right on owner-occupied 1-3 family residential lots, effective 2024-09-01.
Effect: Compelled North Smithfield to revise its zoning ordinance (which previously banned new ADUs in most districts) to permit ADUs by right under the statutory minimums - applies in Slatersville the same as elsewhere in NS. - 2025-02-04 — Town of North Smithfield ADU conforming amendment to Zoning Ordinance Section 5 (city-ordinance)
NS Town Council adopted ADU conforming amendments after extended workshop discussion. Town set the local options the statute permits: no more than 2 bedrooms, size cap 900 sqft (1BR) / 1200 sqft (2BR), permit fees not waived, parking authority retained.
Effect: Established the operational ADU framework now applied to Slatersville parcels. Historic District parcels still require additional HDC review.
Rhode Island state — ADU law and programs
State ADU law
Rhode Island enacted statewide ADU preemption in 2024 through H 7062 (chief sponsor Rep. June Speakman and colleagues; co-sponsored in the Senate as S 2710), which amended the Zoning Enabling Act (Title 45, Chapter 24). Municipalities must permit ADUs by-right on any lot containing a single-family dwelling, subject only to uniform minimum standards set by the statute. One of the most ADU-friendly state statutes in the country as of 2025.
- R.I.G.L. § 45-24-73 — Design standards required for accessory dwelling units; Consistent statewide treatment of accessory dwelling units required — Core ADU standards added by H 7062 (2024). Requires municipalities to permit ADUs by-right. Caps 1-bedroom and studio ADUs at 900 sqft or 60% of the principal dwelling's floor area, whichever is less. Caps 2-bedroom ADUs at 1,200 sqft or 60%, whichever is less. Prohibits owner-occupancy requirements. Caps additional parking at 1 off-street space per bedroom. Prohibits ADU-specific impact fees. Voids HOA, condominium, and similar private-covenant restrictions that conflict with the statute as against public policy.
- H 7062 (2024 RI General Assembly) — An Act Relating to Housing — Accessory Dwelling Units — The enacting bill. Also cited by municipalities adopting conforming ordinances (Providence 2024 Chapter 3584, East Providence 2024 ADU Ordinance, South Kingstown 2024-07-12 regulations).
State HOA preemption
R.I.G.L. § 45-24-73 explicitly voids homeowners' association, condominium association, or similar private-covenant restrictions on ADUs when those restrictions conflict with the statute's ADU minimums. The preemption is framed as a public-policy void, meaning the offending covenant is unenforceable rather than simply regulated. Pre-existing ADU-friendly covenants remain valid (the statute only void conflicting restrictions). Applies to all common-interest communities governed by the Rhode Island Condominium Act (R.I.G.L. Title 34, Chapter 36) and Rhode Island Condominium Ownership Act (Title 34, Chapter 36.1), as well as HOAs in planned-community subdivisions.
- R.I.G.L. § 45-24-73 (HOA preemption clause added by H 7062 (2024)) — Provides that private covenant restrictions imposed by condominium associations, homeowners' associations, or similar residential property governing bodies that conflict with the ADU provisions are void as against public policy. Drafted broadly — covers declarations, bylaws, rules and regulations, and recorded covenants.
State financing programs
RIHousing, the state's housing finance agency, operates an ADU financing program built around the FHA 203(k) loan product. Covers attached and interior ADUs for both purchase and refinance. Detached ADUs are NOT eligible. Requires mandatory homebuyer education, use of an FHA-approved 203(k) consultant, and a RI licensed and insured contractor. No state-specific grant program for ADUs is in effect as of 2026-04-21; the federal 203(k) rails are the production vehicle.
State housing programs
Rhode Island does not currently operate a single statewide pre-approved-ADU-plan catalog (as California's CalHFA and Washington's Commerce plan libraries). Implementation of the 2024 ADU law is happening municipality-by-municipality, with the Executive Office of Housing (EOH) coordinating technical assistance. Providence published a citywide ADU Guide (February 2025) as the leading model; East Providence adopted a conforming ordinance in 2024; South Kingstown published regulations in 2024. RIHousing runs the ADU financing side (see stateFinancing).
Federal (United States) — ADU-relevant rules and programs
Federal ADU law
The United States has no federal statute that directly regulates accessory dwelling unit entitlement or design. Land-use authority over ADUs resides with states and local governments under the traditional police power. Federal engagement is limited to financing (Fannie/Freddie/FHA/VA/USDA), flood insurance (FEMA/NFIP), and discretionary housing programs (HUD), which are recorded in sibling sections of this file.
Federal financing programs
Federal housing-finance agencies and GSEs set nationwide underwriting rules that govern whether an ADU can be financed, appraised, and counted toward mortgage qualifying income. The relevant actors are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA (HUD), VA, and USDA Rural Development.
Federal tax credits
There is no ADU-specific federal tax credit. ADUs may incidentally qualify for existing federal energy-efficiency and clean-energy tax credits when the ADU construction includes qualifying measures.
Federal housing programs
HUD administers several discretionary programs that can fund ADU-related activity at the grantee's election, but none is an ADU-specific program.
ZIP Code
- 02876
Post Office
- 42 Main St, 02876