2023 -- H 6290
========
LC002639
========
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
____________
A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- TOURISM AND
DEVELOPMENT
Introduced By: Representatives Carson, and Cortvriend
Date Introduced: April 19, 2023
Referred To: House Municipal Government & Housing
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 42-63.1-14 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-63.1 entitled "Tourism 1
and Development" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
42-63.1-14. Offering residential units through a hosting platform. 3
(a) For any rental property offered for tourist or transient use on a hosting platform that 4
collects and remits applicable sales and hotel taxes in compliance with §§ 44-18-7.3(b)(4)(i), 44-5
18-18, and 44-18-36.1, cities, towns, or municipalities shall not prohibit the owner from offering 6
the unit for tourist or transient use through such hosting platform, or prohibit such hosting platform 7
from providing a person or entity the means to rent, pay for, or otherwise reserve a residential unit 8
for tourist or transient use. A hosting platform shall comply with the requirement imposed upon 9
room resellers in §§ 44-18-7.3(b)(4)(i) and 44-18-36.1 in order for the prohibition of this section to 10
apply. The division of taxation shall at the request of a city, town, or municipality confirm whether 11
a hosting platform is registered in compliance with § 44-18-7.3(b)(4)(i). 12
(b) Any short-term rental property listed for rent on the website of any third-party hosting 13
platform that conducts business in Rhode Island shall be registered with the department of business 14
regulation. The registration shall provide the information necessary to identify the property 15
pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. For purposes of this section, the term “short-term rental” 16
means a person, firm, or corporation’s utilization, for transient lodging accommodations, not to 17
exceed thirty (30) nights at a time. 18
LC002639 - Page 2 of 4
(c) The department of business regulation shall contact all hosting platforms that list 1
property in Rhode Island on their website for rent and that submit hotel taxes to the division of 2
taxation and shall provide notice of the registration requirement, pursuant to this section, instructing 3
the hosting platforms to notify their listed properties to register with the department of business 4
regulation by December 31, 2021, or be subject to fines pursuant to § 42-63.1-14.1 42-63.1-14(i). 5
(d) The state registration pursuant to this section shall include: 6
(1) The principal place of business of the owner, or if outside the state, the agent for service 7
of process or property manager for the owner; 8
(2) The phone number of the owner of the property and/or property manager; 9
(3) The email address of the property owner and/or property manager; 10
(4) The address of the rental property; 11
(5) The number of rooms for rent at the property; 12
(6) Whether the registrant rents or owns; and 13
(7) Intended use (entire space, private room, or shared space); and 14
(8) Registration number for the short-term rental property. 15
(e) The assigned registration number shall consist of numeric and alpha characters, the 16
alpha characters shall correspond to the city/town where the property is located and shall be uniform 17
for the remaining properties in said city/town. 18
(f) The department of business regulation shall notify all hosting platforms to contact all 19
listed properties by December 31, 2021, to ensure compliance with this section and if the listed 20
properties are not duly registered after six (6) months, the hosting platform shall remove the 21
property listing from its website. 22
(g) The department of business regulation shall promulgate rules and regulations to 23
correspond with and enforce this section and § 42-63.1-14.1 and may charge a registration fee to 24
property owners registering with the department pursuant to this section. 25
(h) The department of business regulation shall create an online database to store all 26
registered short-term rental units, and each unit shall have an online identification number in said 27
database to correspond with subsection (e) of this section. 28
(i) Any owner of the property who or that fails to register with the department of business 29
regulation as prescribed herein and lists the property as a short-term rental on a hosting platform 30
website shall be subject to a civil fine as follows: 31
(1) Two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for the first thirty (30) days of non-compliance; 32
(2) Five hundred dollars ($500) for between thirty-one (31) and sixty (60) days of non-33
compliance; and 34
LC002639 - Page 3 of 4
(3) One thousand dollars ($1,000) for more than sixty (60) days of non-compliance. 1
(j) The hosting platform shall only advertise rentals that are properly registered with the 2
department of business regulation. The advertisement shall list the registration number for the 3
short-term rental property. Violations shall be subject to the fines listed in subsection (i) of this 4
section. 5
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 6
========
LC002639
========
LC002639 - Page 4 of 4
EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- TOURISM AND
DEVELOPMENT
***
This act would require that a short-term rental property listed on a hosting platform be 1
registered with the department of business regulation and be given a registration number. The 2
hosting platform would be required to include the rental property registration number in the 3
advertisement for the property or would face fines for noncompliance. 4
This act would take effect upon passage. 5
========
LC002639
========