RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW EFFICIENCY, ACT
Summary
H7563 creates a new chapter in Title 45, the “Development Review Efficiency Act,” to let property owners, or their contractors with written authorization, hire licensed or certified third-party professionals to review development documents and perform building inspections. The bill is aimed at speeding up development review while maintaining public safety by allowing these “independent providers” to be architects, engineers, or building code administrators who can certify compliance with applicable codes and submit affidavits or certificates to the local regulatory authority.
The bill sets detailed procedures for notice, documentation, insurance, and timelines. It requires owners to disclose the independent provider’s qualifications and insurance, and it obligates regulatory authorities to share permitting and inspection records with those providers. It also establishes deadlines for local review: development documents and permit applications must be approved or flagged with specific code-based deficiencies within 10 business days, and certificates of occupancy or completion must generally issue within 7 business days after required inspections and fees are complete, or within 3 business days for single-family and two-family dwellings. If the authority misses those deadlines, approval or issuance is deemed granted by operation of law.
Impact
The bill would significantly alter municipal permitting and inspection practices by shifting some review and inspection functions from public officials to private licensed professionals chosen by property owners. It would also constrain local governments from adopting more restrictive standards for independent providers, require fee reductions when private review reduces public costs, and create appeal rights to the Rhode Island building code standards commission and, in some cases, the courts. Existing building code and permitting statutes would remain in place, but this chapter would add an alternative compliance pathway and impose new mandatory timelines and procedural requirements on regulatory authorities.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and caption, the measure is framed positively as a development-efficiency reform intended to reduce delays in permitting and inspections. The absence of committee transcripts or recorded votes means there is no documented public debate in the provided materials, but the structure of the bill suggests support from development and property-owner interests seeking faster approvals. The bill also emphasizes public safety, insurance, and audit authority, indicating an effort to balance efficiency with oversight.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely to be the transfer of review and inspection work to private independent providers, the strict deemed-approved deadlines, and the limits placed on local regulatory authority. Municipalities and building departments may object to reduced control over permitting, mandatory fee reductions, and the possibility that approvals occur automatically if deadlines are missed. By contrast, property owners, contractors, and development interests are likely to support the bill for its faster timelines and alternative review process. The bill preserves stop-work authority for immediate public-safety threats, which appears designed to address concerns about weakening enforcement.