Rhode Island 50% Rule: RIGL 23-27.3-106 Explained

Posted by Tim Bray on July 31st, 2026

Rhode Island · Renovation Limits

Rhode Island’s 50% Rule Applies to Every Building in the State

Not just homes on the water. It’s written into state law, it runs on a fixed twelve-month clock, and it has three tiers — not one line.

Seaport Advisory  ·  Southern Rhode Island & Southeastern Connecticut

Most people first hear about the 50% rule in a flood context — renovate a house past a certain point and the whole structure has to be brought up to current flood standards. That version is real, and it comes from the federal flood insurance program.

Rhode Island has its own, and it is broader. It sits in the state building code rather than in a local flood ordinance, which means it reaches a farmhouse in Hopkinton the same…

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2026 Rhode Island Property Tax & Mill Rate Report

Posted by Tim Bray on July 8th, 2026

2026 Property Tax Report · Rhode Island

The list price tells you what a home costs to buy. It says nothing about what it costs to own — and in Rhode Island, that second number swings hard from one town to the next. The same home can cost three times as much to hold depending on which side of a town line it sits on.

$4.79 Lowest rate
(Little Compton) $21.52 Highest rate
(Foster) $12.70 Statewide
median 39 Cities & towns
in this report

The number most buyers never check

Everyone shopping for a home watches the price. Far fewer ask the question that actually sets the monthly payment: what’s the property tax? In Rhode Island, that answer comes from your town’s tax rate —…

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Town Meeting Minute – Issue #9: The Towns Are Choosing What Gets Built Next

Posted by Tim Bray on April 26th, 2026

Town Meeting Minute | Issue #9

The Towns Are Choosing What Gets Built Next

Across Southeastern Connecticut and Southern Rhode Island, recent town meetings show a clear pattern: future supply is not simply being built. It is being filtered through zoning, infrastructure, public feedback, political priorities, and local appetite for change.

Seaport Perspective: Demand is not the biggest question anymore. The question is which towns are willing to let supply respond. SupplyWhat new inventory may actually reach the market? AffordabilityDoes the action create attainable options? EconomyDoes it expand tax base, jobs, or investment? SpeedHow quickly could the impact be felt? SignalWhat does this tell us about future…

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Town Meeting Minute™ — Issue #8: The Filter on Future Supply

Posted by Tim Bray on April 12th, 2026

CT & RI Growth Watch — Investor Brief

Town Meeting Minute™ — Issue #8

The Filter on Future Supply

Produced by Seaport Real Estate Services

Before pricing moves, policy and infrastructure determine what is actually possible.

Real estate markets rarely move because of headlines. They move because of zoning changes, infrastructure decisions, development approvals, and environmental constraints that occur quietly at town halls and commission meetings.

This cycle, the clearest message across the shoreline is simple: future supply is not simply coming to market — it is being filtered.

Some towns are reviewing real housing applications. Some are reshaping the rules that govern future projects. Some are dealing with…

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Seaport Multifamily Brief — Issue #4 Two Weeks, Two Stories: Rhode Island Accelerates While Connecticut Pauses

Posted by Tim Bray on April 2nd, 2026

Seaport Multifamily Brief — Issue #4

Two Weeks, Two Stories

Rhode Island Accelerates While Connecticut Pauses

Powered by CoStar Data and Seaport Due Diligence

In just the past two weeks, coastal multifamily activity told two very different stories. While New London and Middlesex Counties remained relatively quiet, Newport and Washington Counties showed noticeably stronger velocity, deeper buyer confidence, and far more visible transaction movement.

Executive Summary

Sometimes the market speaks loudly. Sometimes it whispers. Over this two-week period, Rhode Island’s coastal multifamily markets spoke clearly. Connecticut’s coastal markets, by comparison, were quieter and more cautious.

That does not mean…

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Town Meeting Minute™ — Issue 7: Density Pressure, Waterfront Moves, and the Policy Signals Arriving Before Construction

Posted by Tim Bray on March 29th, 2026

Town Meeting Minute™ — Issue 7

Density Pressure, Waterfront Moves, and the Policy Signals Arriving Before Construction

Across southeastern Connecticut and southern Rhode Island, the latest municipal signals continue to point in a similar direction: more pressure on housing, more discussion around zoning flexibility, and more attention on redevelopment tied to infrastructure, waterfront locations, and long-term community planning. In some towns, the movement is formal and visible through adopted regulations. In others, it is still taking shape through planning studies, public hearings, housing conversations, and redevelopment filings.

At Seaport, we continue to watch these local decisions closely because the market often shifts long before…

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Changing Markets – Issue #5: The Affordability Illusion

Posted by Tim Bray on March 25th, 2026

Changing Markets – Issue #5: The Affordability Illusion

Affordability hasn’t disappeared — it’s been redefined.

If a buyer can make the monthly payment, does that mean the home is truly affordable?

That is the story many people want to believe.

In today’s market, buyers are constantly being told to focus on the monthly number. Lower the rate. Use a buydown. Stretch a little further. Find a way to make the payment work.

But affordability is not defined by whether a buyer can make the payment today. It is defined by whether that payment is sustainable over time, while still leaving enough room to handle the realities of ownership and the pressures of everyday life.

The Gap No One Wants to Look At

Over the past several years, home…

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From Policy to Pricing: Town Decisions Now Gaining Traction Across CT & RI

Posted by Tim Bray on January 19th, 2026

Town Meeting Minute

Tracking the Decisions That Move Markets
CT & RI Growth Watch — Investor Brief
Produced by Seaport Real Estate Services

Municipal decisions rarely impact real estate overnight. The real movement happens when policy turns into approvals, approvals turn into feasibility, and feasibility turns into construction.

Issue #2 of Town Meeting Minute focuses on projects and policy actions that have either advanced since our last brief or are beginning to show second-order impacts on pricing, demand, and development activity across Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Top Seaport Impact Scores™ This Cycle

City of Groton, Connecticut — Early Applications Under New Growth Zoning

Status: Under Review
Confidence: High
…

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Quiet Town Decisions That Are Reshaping CT & RI Real Estate

Posted by Tim Bray on December 29th, 2025

Town Meeting Minute

Tracking the Decisions That Move Markets
CT & RI Growth Watch — Investor Brief
Produced by Seaport Real Estate Services

Real estate markets rarely move because of headlines. They move because of zoning changes, infrastructure investments, and development approvals that occur quietly at town halls, planning commissions, and zoning boards.

Town Meeting Minute is a bi-weekly investor brief identifying municipal decisions with a Seaport Impact Score™ (SIS) of 7 or higher — actions most likely to influence property values, development feasibility, and local economic growth across Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Top 3 Seaport Impact Scores™ This Cycle

City of Groton, Connecticut — Growth Zoning and District Map…

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