---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- ZONING ORDINANCES"
description: "Adds an additional purpose to the standard provisions list that a zoning ordinance is required to address."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ri"
legislature: "Rhode Island General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 5796"
citation: "Rhode Island HB 5796 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ajello", "Casey", "Cotter", "Dawson", "Finkelman", "Hull", "Knight", "Speakman", "Stewart", "Tanzi"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 14
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2025-02-27"
last_action: "2025-07-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/37e5bdd4-225a-455e-b930-f0b290456273"
source_url: "https://status.rilegislature.gov/"
source_hash: "4bc71dfc5eb5a957e3de05ce6e0c3e0d6c129699876d85b1d2b23b8e6d0ebd60"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ri"]
---

# Rhode Island HB 5796 (2025) — AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- ZONING ORDINANCES

Adds an additional purpose to the standard provisions list that a zoning ordinance is required to address.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **5796 as amended** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5796aa.pdf)

## Votes

- PASSAGE OF AMENDMENT — **69–0** (pass) · lower
- AS AMENDED — **57–11** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Ajello — primary (person)
- Casey — primary (person)
- Cotter — primary (person)
- Dawson — primary (person)
- Finkelman — primary (person)
- Hull — primary (person)
- Knight — primary (person)
- Speakman — primary (person)
- Stewart — primary (person)
- Tanzi — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-02-27** 02/27/2025 Introduced, referred to House Municipal Government & Housing `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-07** 03/07/2025 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/11/2025)
- **2025-03-11** 03/11/2025 Committee recommended measure be held for further study `committee-failure`
- **2025-03-14** 03/14/2025 Scheduled for consideration (03/20/2025)
- **2025-03-20** 03/20/2025 Committee recommends passage `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-04** 04/04/2025 Placed on House Calendar (04/08/2025) `reading-3`
- **2025-04-08** 04/08/2025 House passed as amended (floor amendment) `passage`
- **2025-06-11** 06/11/2025 Referred to Senate Housing and Municipal Government `referral-committee`
- **2025-06-16** 06/16/2025 Scheduled for consideration (06/18/2025)
- **2025-06-18** 06/18/2025 Committee recommends passage as amended in concurrence `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-06-18** 06/18/2025 Placed on Senate Calendar (06/20/2025) `reading-3`
- **2025-06-21** 06/21/2025 Senate passed as amended in concurrence `passage`
- **2025-06-25** 06/25/2025 Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-07-01** 07/01/2025 Signed by Governor `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/37e5bdd4-225a-455e-b930-f0b290456273`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Rhode Island legislature records).