Shannock

1. Confirm Shannock address is on the Charlestown side of the Pawcatuck River (~1d)
   Shannock village (zip 02875) straddles the Charlestown / Richmond town line along the Pawcatuck River. The village core including the Shannock Falls and the historic-district contributing buildings sits within Charlestown. Pre-flight: confirm parcel jurisdiction with Charlestown Building/Zoning at 401-364-1215 (a few blocks across the river are in Richmond and route to Richmond Town Hall instead).
2. Pre-application consultation with Charlestown Building Official Joe Warner (~7d)
   Charlestown actively encourages pre-app consultation for ADUs given the small staff and the historic-district overlay. Email cnelle@charlestownri.org or call 401-364-1215 to discuss lot eligibility, dimensional standards under Chapter 218, and ADU envelope (900/1200 sq ft state ceiling). The Charlestown ADU Inquiry Form is the recommended first artifact.
3. Shannock National Register Historic District context review (~14d)
   The entire Shannock village core is in the Shannock Village Historic District (NRHP 1976; one of only a handful of intact 19th-century mill villages in southern RI). Visible exterior alterations, new detached structures within the district, and roofline changes trigger historic-context consultation. While Charlestown does not have a local historic district commission, federal/state historic-preservation review is advised for any RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission grant or tax-credit eligibility.
4. Submit application via RI statewide e-permitting portal (permits.ri.gov) (~3d)
   Charlestown participates in the Rhode Island Building Code Commission statewide e-permitting system. Building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and demolition permits are all filed digitally. The Charlestown Building/Zoning office at 4540 South County Trail processes the submission.
5. Administrative-only ADU plan review (R.I.G.L. § 45-24-37(j)) (~21d)
   Per H 7062 statewide preemption AND Charlestown's January 2024 ordinance ending single-family-only zoning, no special-use-permit or zoning-board hearing is allowed for a code-compliant ADU. Review is a strict building/zoning compliance check by Charlestown's Building Official.
6. Pawcatuck River flood-zone elevation and CRMC freshwater-wetland clearance (~30d)
   The Pawcatuck River through Shannock is a FEMA SFHA. Riverbank parcels require elevation certificates and flood-resistant construction per IBC/IRC Appendix G. CRMC has freshwater-wetland jurisdiction within 200 ft of the river — ADUs in that buffer require CRMC Assent in parallel with the local permit. This is the most common Shannock-specific delay.
7. ISDS septic and well clearance (every Shannock parcel) (~30d)
   Shannock has no municipal sewer and no public water; every parcel is on private well + ISDS septic. RIDEM ISDS approval (~$350) required for any ADU adding sewage flow. Wellhead protection rules apply under Chapter 218 because of the small village's groundwater dependency.
8. Pay permit fees (RI statewide formula 510-RICR-00-00-21) (~1d)
   Charlestown 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 Charlestown building-permit fee is approximately $1,320 plus 0.2% state levy (capped $100) and $10 e-permit application fee.
9. Construction inspections and Certificate of Occupancy (~5d)
   Foundation, framing, rough MEP, insulation, and final inspections by Charlestown Building Inspector. Final CofO triggers Charlestown tax-assessor parcel update. Inspection scheduling: at least one business day in advance via the e-permit portal or by calling 401-364-1215.

• Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of an ADU is the explicitly contemplated use under both H 7062 and Charlestown Chapter 218.
• Short-term rental: yes Charlestown explicitly allows ADUs to be used as short-term or seasonal rentals per the January 2024 ordinance — a notably permissive posture vs. most RI towns. Shannock's Pawcatuck River vacation context makes STR economically attractive.
• 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 218 home-occupation standards.
• Studio / workshop: yes Owner-use artist studio is a permitted accessory use; Shannock's mill-village character supports an artist-residency context.
• Agriculture: with-restrictions Agriculture is permitted in Charlestown's larger-lot rural-residential districts; the Shannock village core is too dense for active livestock keeping.
• Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly contemplated; H 7062 specifically calls out disabled-family-member ADU as one of three preempted statewide pathways.

• RI Historic Preservation Investment Tax Credit (Shannock NRHP district)
• RIHousing 203(k) ADU financing program

• Water: Private well (no public water in Shannock) · 45d connect · $12,000
  No municipal water in Shannock; ADU shares well with primary OR drills new well with RIDEM permit (~$250 fee, $8-12k drilling cost). Wellhead protection setbacks under Charlestown Chapter 218 may constrain ADU siting on small village lots.
• Sewer: Private ISDS septic (no municipal sewer in Shannock) · 60d connect · $22,000
  Every Shannock ADU adds load to the parcel's onsite wastewater treatment system. RIDEM ISDS approval (~$350 fee) required; on small historic-village lots, an upgraded denitrifying system or shared community system may be needed.
• Electric: Rhode Island Energy (PPL Corporation, formerly National Grid Rhode Island) · 14d connect · $1,800
• Gas: Propane (no natural gas distribution in Shannock village) · 14d connect · $1,200
  Shannock has no natural gas service; ADUs use propane, electric heat pumps, or oil. Multiple regional propane suppliers serve South County.

Realistic total: best 9mo · typical 14mo · worst 20mo

Shannock GC pool is shallow — most South County builders are based in Westerly, Wakefield, or Charlestown center. Historic-district reconstruction trades (timber-frame restoration, period millwork) have especially long lead times.

Modular pathway inspectors are novice with modular

State ADU loans:

• RIHousing 203(k) ADU financing
• Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing ADU programs
• RI Historic Preservation Investment Tax Credit

HOA penetration in Shannock is essentially zero — the village is fee-simple historic single-family stock with no planned-community subdivisions. R.I.G.L. § 45-24-73 voids private-covenant ADU restrictions that conflict with statewide design standards.

• flood-zone
  Pawcatuck River through Shannock is a FEMA SFHA. Riverbank parcels require elevation certificates and flood-resistant construction per IBC/IRC Appendix G.
• historic-district
  Entire Shannock village core is in the Shannock Village Historic District (NRHP 1976) — one of only a handful of intact 19th-century RI mill villages. Visible exterior alterations trigger historic-context consultation; RIHPHC review is recommended for any state/federal historic tax-credit eligibility.
• wetlands
  CRMC freshwater-wetland jurisdiction within 200 ft of the Pawcatuck River. ADUs in the buffer require CRMC Assent in parallel with the local permit.
• groundwater-overlay
  Shannock's universal-private-well dependency triggers Charlestown's wellhead-protection setback rules under Chapter 218. Small village lots may be hard to site an ADU on without a variance from the wellhead setback.