Rhode Island Short-Term Rental Laws by City (2026)
Short-term rental rules in Rhode Island are set city by city — a property that is legal to rent nightly in one town can be prohibited a few miles away. The table below covers 1 Rhode Island city (1 human-verified against official sources), with each city's legal status, permit cost, and last-verified date.
Statewide short-term rental rules in Rhode Island
Rhode Island requires every short-term rental (30 nights or fewer) listed on a third-party hosting platform to register annually with the state Department of Business Regulation ($25/year), and platforms may not carry unregistered listings. State law (R.I. Gen. Laws 42-63.1-14(a)) conditionally preempts cities and towns from prohibiting STRs offered through tax-compliant hosting platforms, though the scope of that preemption is being litigated and municipalities still impose their own licensing and zoning rules. Guests pay a combined 14% tax (7% sales tax, 2% local hotel tax, plus a 5% whole-home STR tax or 5% state hotel tax), which hosting platforms must collect and remit for platform bookings.
Full statewide rules: permits, taxes & enforcement
Rhode Island requires every short-term rental (30 nights or fewer) listed on a third-party hosting platform to register annually with the state Department of Business Regulation ($25/year), and platforms may not carry unregistered listings. State law (R.I. Gen. Laws 42-63.1-14(a)) conditionally preempts cities and towns from prohibiting STRs offered through tax-compliant hosting platforms, though the scope of that preemption is being litigated and municipalities still impose their own licensing and zoning rules. Guests pay a combined 14% tax (7% sales tax, 2% local hotel tax, plus a 5% whole-home STR tax or 5% state hotel tax), which hosting platforms must collect and remit for platform bookings.
Reviewed by the STR Rule Watch research team against 9 official sources. How we verify data
Rhode Island statewide STR rules at a glance
| Legal status | Allowed with permit |
|---|---|
| Permit required | Yes |
| Permit name | Short-Term Rental Property Registration (RI Department of Business Regulation) |
| Permit fee | $25 |
| Renewal | Annual |
| Owner occupancy required | No |
| Primary residence only | No |
| Total occupancy taxes | ~19% of gross revenue |
| Enforcement | DBR enforces the registry. |
| Current rules effective | 2025-01-30 |
State law & local authority
No statewide zoning rules for STRs, but state law conditionally preempts local prohibitions: under R.I. Gen. Laws 42-63.1-14(a), for rental property offered on a hosting platform that collects and remits applicable sales and hotel taxes, municipalities 'shall not prohibit the owner from offering the unit for tourist or transient use through such hosting platform.' Municipalities nonetheless adopt STR licensing/zoning ordinances (e.g., Narragansett, Newport, Providence); a 2024 Superior Court preliminary injunction blocked Narragansett's ordinance as likely preempted, and the reach of the preemption clause remains contested.
State-level taxes
| Tax | Rate | Who collects |
|---|---|---|
| RI state sales taxApplies to all rentals of 30 consecutive days or fewer. Hosting platforms and realtors must register with the Division of Taxation and charge, collect, and remit for bookings made through them; hosts booking guests directly must register (BAR form) and remit themselves (Form RI-STR, monthly). | 7% | varies |
| Whole home short-term rental taxNew tax effective January 1, 2026 (FY2026 budget, H5076 Sub A, Art. 5, sec. 6) on residential dwellings rented in their entirety for 30 days or fewer. Replaces the 5% state hotel tax for whole-home rentals; no stay pays both. Platform collects for platform bookings; direct-booking hosts file Form RI-8478 monthly. In Newport, remitted to the city. | 5% | varies |
| State hotel tax (room rentals only)Applies to rentals of individual rooms (not whole homes, which pay the whole-home STR tax instead). Platform collects for platform bookings. | 5% | varies |
| Local hotel taxStatewide local hotel tax increased from 1% to 2% effective January 1, 2026; applies to all short-term rentals. Rates are determined by date of occupancy, not booking date. | 2% | varies |
Enforcement & penalties
DBR enforces the registry. Listings must display a current, valid registration number and expiration date; hosting platforms that carry listings without a registration number face a civil fine of $250 per day per violation, with each listing a separate violation (42-63.1-14(j)). Under 42-63.1-14.1, a platform 'shall not conduct business involving a short-term rental property if that property has not been registered.' Platforms must also file quarterly electronic reports to DBR of all RI listings (municipality, room vs. whole unit, registration number, URL, nights occupied) under 42-63.1-14(k), added effective January 30, 2025. Effective January 1, 2026, every STR operator must complete DBR-approved human trafficking awareness training before/within 180 days of first listing and annually thereafter, and adopt policies for reporting suspected trafficking (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-14.1-3).
Owner who lists an unregistered STR on a hosting platform: civil fine of $250 for the first 30 days of noncompliance, $500 for days 31-60, and $1,000 for more than 60 days (42-63.1-14(i)). Hosting platforms: $250 per day per unregistered listing (42-63.1-14(j)). Unremitted lodging/sales taxes are 'trust fund' taxes carrying enhanced penalties, including criminal penalties.
Statewide sources
- RI Department of Business Regulation - Short-Term Rentalsretrieved July 20, 2026
- RI DBR - Short-Term Rentals Frequently Asked Questionsretrieved July 20, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws 42-63.1-14 - Offering residential units through a hosting platformretrieved July 20, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws 42-63.1-14.1 - Properties listed on hosting platform websitesretrieved July 20, 2026
- 230-RICR-30-20-4 - Short-Term Rental Property Registration (DBR regulation)retrieved July 20, 2026
- RI Division of Taxation ADV 2025-16: Effective 1/1/26 - Changes to the taxation of short-term rentalsretrieved July 20, 2026
- RI Division of Taxation FAQs: Tax on Residential Dwellings Rented in their Entirety (Dec 2025)retrieved July 20, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws 5-14.1-3 - Human trafficking awareness training (effective Jan 1, 2026)retrieved July 20, 2026
- Partridge Snow & Hahn: Short Term Rentals in Rhode Island - Municipality Restrictions and Subsequent Litigation (secondary source)retrieved July 20, 2026
| City | Status | Permit fee | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence | Restricted | — | July 21, 2026 |
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This page is informational only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Regulations change frequently — verify current requirements with each jurisdiction before operating. HOA and condo rules may prohibit short-term rentals regardless of city law.