Digital permit application gateway
Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.
Recommended first click
Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.
Typical review lane
N/A countywide; municipal review times vary with project completeness, zoning, coastal/floodplain review, septic or wastewater approvals, fire review, and state-agency requirements.
Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.
Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.
Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.
Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.
Application documents
Before submission, call Charlestown: 401-364-1215; Exeter: 401-667-2912; Hopkinton: 401-377-7771; Narragansett: 401-782-0619; New Shoreham: 401-466-3216; North Kingstown: 401-268-1500/401-294-3331; Richmond: 401-539-9000 ext. 3; South Kingstown: 401-789-9331 ext. 1225; Westerly: 401-348-2547; RI BCC: 401-921-1590 if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.
Source trail
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
This record is marked Municipal Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact Charlestown: 401-364-1215; Exeter: 401-667-2912; Hopkinton: 401-377-7771; Narragansett: 401-782-0619; New Shoreham: 401-466-3216; North Kingstown: 401-268-1500/401-294-3331; Richmond: 401-539-9000 ext. 3; South Kingstown: 401-789-9331 ext. 1225; Westerly: 401-348-2547; RI BCC: 401-921-1590.
N/A countywide; municipal review times vary with project completeness, zoning, coastal/floodplain review, septic or wastewater approvals, fire review, and state-agency requirements.
Narragansett does not schedule inspections through its online system: call 401-782-0619 one day ahead for electrical (Mon/Wed/Thu), plumbing/mechanical (Tue/Thu), or building inspections (24 hours ahead); a $50 reinspection fee applies after a failed inspection or missing permit card/plans. North Kingstown requires at least 24 hours' notice by calling 401-294-3331 ext. 301 or 303; same-day requests are not accommodated, with plumbing/mechanical generally Mon/Wed/Fri. Westerly requires applicants to call the office for all inspections and does not accept email requests.
For 2026 work, Rhode Island State Building Code: 2021 editions of ICC codes with Rhode Island amendments, effective December 1, 2025; the adopted International Energy Conservation Code is the 2024 edition. Local officials also enforce municipal zoning, property-maintenance, floodplain, coastal, fire, wastewater, and land-use requirements. No countywide exemption list. Ordinary code-compliant repairs may be exempt only within the Rhode Island State Building Code definition; structural alterations, additions, new buildings, demolition, changes of occupancy, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, pools, decks, sheds, roofing/siding, and work in coastal or flood zones commonly require review or permits. Charlestown publishes separate accessory-structure, flood-zone, and inspection requirements; confirm the exact scope with the local official.
What makes an application complete
Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.
Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.
Submission quality check
Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.
Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.
Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.