WHAT ARE THE CITY OF PROVIDENCE’S SHORT-TERM RENTAL REGULATIONS?
SHORT-TERM RENTAL is defined as the occupancy or use, for a fee, of all or portions of a dwelling unit by anyone other than the owner for a period of fewer than 28 consecutive calendar days.
OWNER-OCCUPIED is defined as a characteristic of a property on which its owner considers it their predominant and principal home and spends a majority of the year occupying the property.
DIFFERENT ALLOWANCES IN DIFFERENT ZONES
IN THE R-1, R-1A, R-3 AND R-4 ZONES, owner-occupied dwellings can be used as short-term rentals. This includes allowing owner-occupants in multi-family dwellings to use their spare apartment(s) for short-term rentals.
IN ALL OTHER ZONES where residences are allowed, dwellings can be used as short-term rentals.
TEMPORARY USE PERMIT REQUIREMENTS
ENTIRE DWELLING UNITS being used as a short-term Rental is required to have a temporary use permit, issued by the Dept. of Inspection and Standards. These permits must be renewed annually.
PRIVATE BEDROOM RENTAL where the owner rents out an individual room in their home for a period of time and is residing in the dwelling unit during the term of the rental, do not need to apply for a temporary use permit.
ALL SHORT-TERM RENTALS must have basic safety measures in place, including, visible printed materials with diagrams of all exits and clearly marked fire extinguishers.
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
ZONING INFORMATION for all properties in Providence can be found using the “Where’s My Parcel and What’s My Zone” GIS app here:
https://providence-gis-hub-pvdgis.hub.arcgis.com/
