ADU Pass
Bradford
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Bradford, Washington 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 are by-right under RI state law; Westerly processes Bradford applications through its Building Office under § 45-24-73 pending completion of the Chapter 260 ZOA revision.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 150 | $2,600 | $39,750 | $42,350 |
| 600 | 600 | $2,600 | $159,000 | $161,600 |
| midpoint | 675 | $2,600 | $178,875 | $181,475 |
| maximum | 1,200 | $2,600 | $318,000 | $320,600 |
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Permitting process
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental (lease ≥ 1 year) of ADU explicitly permitted under the state framework; Westerly may require recorded owner-occupancy affidavit on the principal dwelling.
- Short-term rental: no RIGL § 45-24-73 explicitly prohibits ADUs from being offered as short-term rentals or through hosting platforms; Westerly enforces this prohibition at the building-permit and certificate-of-occupancy stage.
- Office rental: with-restrictions Detached office rental requires home occupation permit under Westerly Chapter 260; not a permitted ADU use.
- Home office: yes Home occupation permitted with restrictions on signage and customer traffic.
- Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist studio is a permitted accessory use under Westerly zoning.
- Agriculture: with-restrictions Limited urban agriculture permitted in residential zones; livestock varies by district.
- Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted; the legacy 'accessory family dwelling unit' for older / disabled relatives is also recognized under RI state law even before H 7062.
Contacts
Staff: David Murphy (Westerly Building Official) dmurphy@westerlyri.gov
Utilities
- Water: Westerly Water Department (serves Bradford via municipal mains where extended; private wells common in outlying Bradford parcels) · 28d connect · $4,800
- Sewer: Westerly Wastewater Treatment Facility (municipal sewer along main Bradford corridor; ISDS / private septic prevails on outer rural parcels with RIDEM OWTS approval required) · 35d connect · $6,500
- Electric: Rhode Island Energy (formerly National Grid) · 14d connect · $1,800
- Gas: Rhode Island Energy gas (natural gas service limited in Bradford village core; propane common in outlying areas) · 21d connect · $1,500
Property values & taxes
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 11mo · worst 17mo
Financing
State ADU loans:
Insurance impact
HOA prevalence & preemption
RIGL § 45-24-73 explicitly voids HOA / condo / similar private-covenant restrictions on ADUs that conflict with the statute's minimums. HOA penetration in Bradford (a historic mill village) is low; most encumbrances are National Register / Historic District Commission review rather than private covenants.
Regulatory overlays (3)
- flood-zone
Bradford parcels along the Pawcatuck River corridor sit in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (Zone AE / floodway); elevation certificates and flood-resistant construction required for SFHA parcels under Westerly Chapter 260 and the RI Building Code floodplain provisions. - historic-district
Bradford Village Historic District (NRHP-listed 1996, 224 acres, 149 contributing buildings) covers most of the village core; exterior changes require Westerly Historic District Commission Certificate of Appropriateness. - wetland-setback
Pawcatuck River corridor (Wood-Pawcatuck Wild & Scenic Rivers component) triggers RIDEM freshwater wetland setbacks (typically 100-200 ft from edge of wetland).
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Amendment
- Amendment
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: Town of Westerly Code Chapter 260 (Zoning) — Article XI Development Standards for Particular Uses (ADU integration pending 2025-2026 revision), adopted 1998-01-01, last amended 2025-11-03
- 2020-10 — Westerly repeals 'accessory apartment / accessory building / accessory use' definitions in Chapter 260 Article II (city-ordinance)
Westerly Town Council removed the legacy accessory-dwelling definitional framework from the Chapter 260 Zoning Ordinance, leaving accessory-dwelling treatment to the state statute pending a comprehensive rewrite.
Effect: Created an interpretive gap that Westerly's Building Office now closes by direct application of RIGL § 45-24-73 to Bradford ADU applications. - 2024-06-25 — RI H 7062 / S 2998 signed into law (RIGL § 45-24-73 statewide ADU mandate) (state-law)
Statewide enabling statute championed in part by Senator Victoria Gu (D-Westerly) requires all 39 RI municipalities to allow at least one ADU by-right on owner-occupied 1-3 family residential parcels meeting state minimums.
Effect: Preempts Westerly's silent / repealed local ADU framework; Bradford parcels qualify under the state minimums absent affirmative local restriction. - 2025-12-16 — Westerly Zoning Code Revisions 2025-2026 binder published (ZOA-BINDER-12-16-25) (city-ordinance)
Comprehensive Chapter 260 rewrite under public review covering ADU integration, dimensional updates, and use tables harmonized with H 7062.
Effect: Once adopted, will codify Westerly-specific ADU procedural and dimensional standards layered on top of the state statute; Bradford applications during the interim period are processed under state law direct.
Known issues (2)
- issue —
- issue —
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
- 02808
Post Office
- 416 Bradford Rd, 02808