ADU Pass
Saunderstown
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Saunderstown, 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 H 7062 statewide preemption as administered by the North Kingstown Building/Code Enforcement office. Saunderstown-specific complications: Quonset State Airport AICUZ overlay touches northern parcels, and several Saunderstown waterfront/coastal-feature parcels along Narragansett Bay trigger CRMC Assent in addition to the local building permit.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 150 | $2,600 | $49,950 | $52,550 |
| 600 | 600 | $2,600 | $199,800 | $202,400 |
| midpoint | 675 | $2,600 | $224,775 | $227,375 |
| maximum | 1,200 | $2,600 | $399,600 | $402,200 |
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Permitting process
- Confirm Saunderstown address is governed by Town of North Kingstown (~1d)
Saunderstown (zip 02874) is a village of the Town of North Kingstown — no Saunderstown municipal office exists. All permitting routes through North Kingstown Code Enforcement at 100 Fairway Drive. Pre-flight check: pull plat/lot via North Kingstown's AxisGIS to confirm parent jurisdiction and any Quonset AICUZ overlay. - Pre-application zoning check vs. North Kingstown Chapter 21 (~7d)
Verify single-family residential district eligibility, owner-occupancy of primary OR ADU, lot size, and ADU envelope (greater of 900 sq ft or 35% of primary dwelling). Confirm proposed parking adds one off-street space and ADU height does not exceed primary dwelling. Talk to Heath Potter (Zoning & Housing Inspector) at 401-294-3331 ext. 304 for interpretive questions. - CRMC pre-screen for waterfront/coastal-feature parcels (~14d)
Many Saunderstown parcels along the Narragansett Bay shoreline (Plum Beach, Bonnet Shores adjacency) sit within 200 ft of a coastal feature, triggering CRMC Assent in parallel with the local permit. Saunderstown is also adjacent to Casey Farm (Historic New England) on the Hamilton-Wickford line — historic-context review may apply for visible exterior alterations. - Submit application via RI statewide e-permitting portal (permits.ri.gov / ribcc.ri.gov) (~3d)
North Kingstown participates in the Rhode Island Building Code Commission statewide e-permitting system. Building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, solar, and demolition permits are all filed digitally. Matthew Souza (Building Official, ext. 302) and Donald Peck (Assistant Building Official, ext. 300) review residential ADU submittals. - Administrative-only ADU plan review (R.I.G.L. § 45-24-37(j)) (~21d)
Per H 7062 statewide preemption, no special-use-permit or zoning-board hearing is allowed for a code-compliant ADU. Review is a strict building/zoning compliance check by the North Kingstown Building Official. Quonset AICUZ-overlay parcels in the northern Saunderstown corridor may add an aviation noise-attenuation review by the RI Airport Corporation. - ISDS septic and well clearance for non-sewered Saunderstown parcels (~30d)
Most of Saunderstown west of Boston Neck Road is on private well + ISDS septic; a small bayfront strip is on Kingstown Water District service. RIDEM ISDS approval required for any ADU adding sewage flow on a non-sewered lot — often the longest-lead step. - Pay permit fees (RI statewide formula 510-RICR-00-00-21) (~1d)
North Kingstown follows the RI statewide tier: $50 minimum + $10/$1k for first $10k; $100 + $8/$1k for $10-50k; $420 + $6/$1k over $50k. For a $200k ADU the building-permit fee is approximately $1,320 plus the 0.2% state levy (capped $100) and $10 e-permit application fee. - Construction inspections and Certificate of Occupancy (~5d)
Foundation, framing, rough MEP, insulation, and final inspections by North Kingstown Code Enforcement. Inspections must be requested at least one business day in advance. Final CofO triggers tax assessor parcel update and (if applicable) Kingstown Water District meter activation.
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of an ADU is the explicitly contemplated use under both H 7062 and North Kingstown Chapter 21.
- Short-term rental: with-restrictions North Kingstown regulates STRs separately from ADU permitting. Owner-occupancy requirement under H 7062 applies to the primary dwelling, which constrains absentee-investor STR patterns in Saunderstown.
- Office rental: with-restrictions Detached commercial office rental in a residential zone requires home occupation review or rezoning.
- Home office: yes Home occupations are permitted accessory uses subject to Chapter 21 home-occupation standards.
- Studio / workshop: yes Owner-use artist studio is a permitted accessory use; Saunderstown has a long maritime/artist-residency tradition (Gilbert Stuart Birthplace).
- Agriculture: with-restrictions Limited agriculture permitted in Saunderstown's larger-lot rural-residential districts; Casey Farm operates working agriculture on the village edge under Historic New England stewardship.
- Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly contemplated; H 7062 specifically calls out disabled-family-member ADU as one of three preempted statewide pathways.
Incentives
Contacts
Utilities
- Water: Kingstown Water District (bayfront strip) OR private well (most Saunderstown parcels) · 21d connect · $4,500
Saunderstown is split: a thin Boston Neck Road / bayfront corridor has Kingstown Water District service; the bulk of the village is private well. New well drilling requires RIDEM permit (~$250). - Sewer: Private ISDS septic (no municipal sewer in Saunderstown) · 60d connect · $18,000
Saunderstown has no municipal sewer; every ADU adds load to the parcel's onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS/ISDS). RIDEM ISDS approval (~$350 fee) required for any system upgrade or capacity expansion. - Electric: Rhode Island Energy (PPL Corporation, formerly National Grid Rhode Island) · 14d connect · $1,800
- Gas: Rhode Island Energy (gas division) — service available along Boston Neck Road; many interior Saunderstown lots are propane · 21d connect · $1,500
Property values & taxes
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 8mo · typical 12mo · worst 18mo
Saunderstown trades are dominated by South County coastal builders working seasonal cycles; ISDS-system specialists are particularly back-logged in spring/summer.
Modular pathway inspectors are occasional with modular
Financing
State ADU loans:
Insurance impact
HOA prevalence & preemption
HOA penetration in Saunderstown is concentrated in newer Boston Neck Road subdivisions (Plum Beach Cliffs, Hamilton Park). R.I.G.L. § 45-24-73 voids private-covenant ADU restrictions that conflict with statewide design standards.
Regulatory overlays (4)
- flood-zone
Saunderstown bayfront and Pettaquamscutt River frontage have substantial FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas. SFHA parcels require elevation certificates and flood-resistant construction. - coastal-commission
CRMC jurisdiction applies to parcels within 200 ft of the coastal feature (Narragansett Bay west shore, Pettaquamscutt). ADUs on coastal-feature parcels require CRMC Assent in addition to local building permit. - airport-aicuz
Quonset State Airport AICUZ noise/safety overlay touches the northern Saunderstown village line. Parcels within the overlay may require aviation noise-attenuation construction details. - historic-district
Saunderstown National Register Historic District (designated 1978) and Casey Farm (Historic New England) trigger historic-context consultation for visible exterior alterations on adjacent parcels.
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Amendment
- Amendment
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: Town of North Kingstown Code of Ordinances Chapter 21 — Zoning (covers Saunderstown village), adopted 1999-01-01, last amended 2024-09-01
- 2024-06-25 — Rhode Island H 7062 / S 2998 signed by Governor McKee (state-law)
Statewide ADU enabling act amending R.I.G.L. § 45-24-37(j); mandates by-right ADU permitting on owner-occupied 1-3 family residential parcels and limits municipal authority to set more restrictive standards than the state baseline. North Kingstown (and therefore Saunderstown) brought into conformance.
Effect: Eliminated the previous North Kingstown special-use-permit pathway for ADUs in single-family residential districts; now administrative-only review by the Building Official. - 2024-07-28 — Dwelly summary of North Kingstown ADU rules post-H7062 (secondary-source-summary)
Practitioner summary: one ADU per lot, attached or detached; size capped at 900 sq ft OR 35% of primary dwelling area (whichever greater); owner must occupy primary OR ADU; one off-street parking space added; primary-dwelling height limit applies to ADU.
Effect: Codifies Saunderstown applicants' working understanding of North Kingstown's ADU envelope; the Code Enforcement office uses these standards in plan review.
Known issues (1)
- operational — Saunderstown applicants frequently misroute their permit applications to a non-existent 'Saunderstown' municipal office. There is no Saunderstown government — every permit goes to North Kingstown Code Enforcement at 100 Fairway Drive. ISDS septic timelines (RIDEM-managed) commonly add 30+ days to the headline duration.
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
- 02874
Post Office
- 20 Ferry Rd, 02874