Bill
HB 6135
Amends RI liquor laws to enforce 200-foot school/worship distance and preserve pre-1978 licenses, while letting select cities grant narrowly tailored exemptions.
Status / Timeline
- Introduced: March 26, 2025 (Rep. Anthony J. DeSimone)
- Referred to: House Municipal Government & Housing
- Passed both chambers: June 2025 (House and Senate concurrence)
- Transmitted to Governor: June 27, 2025
- Effective: July 5, 2025 (effective without Governor’s signature)
Purpose
- To amend R.I. Gen. Laws § 3-7-19 (retail alcoholic beverage licensing) to clarify and restate rules about objections by adjoining property owners and distance prohibitions from schools and places of worship, preserve grandfathered licenses, define “private school,” and expressly authorize certain municipal boards of licenses to grant specified exemptions for particular areas or circumstances.
Key provisions and changes
- Distance and objection rules (restate/confirm)
- Retailers’ Class B, C, N, and I licenses (and any license under § 3-7-16.8) must not be issued for a building if the owner of the greater part of the land within 200 feet of any point of the building files an objection with the licensing authority.
- Those licenses also must not be issued for any building within 200 feet of the premises of any public, private, or parochial school or place of public worship.
- In East Providence alone, Retailers’ Class A licenses are prohibited within 500 feet of a school or place of worship.
- Definition
- “Private school” is defined as any nonpublic K–12 institution accredited or recognized by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or the local school committee.
- Grandfathering / transfers
- The section does not apply to Class B or C license holders whose licenses were issued prior to January 1, 1978.
- It also does not support objections to transfers of a Class B or C license where the licensed establishment predated the school or place of worship.
- Local exemption authority (explicit authorizations)
- The bill authorizes, upon application, the board of licenses in specified municipalities to exempt proposed retailer licenses from the distance and objection rules in narrowly described locations:
- City of Providence: multiple specifically described areas (detailed boundary descriptions in bill text), plus authority relating to specific tax-assessor lots.
- City of Newport: a narrowly defined, small area described by measured distances from Broadway/Courthouse Square, including a provision allowing sidewalk-cafe exemptions for existing Class B holders as to places of worship.
- Town of Warren: exemptions for proposed licenses located in zoning districts designated limited business or general business.
- Town of Bristol: exemption for a specific lot (lot 34, plat 10 as of 12/31/1999) including contiguous sidewalk.
- These exemptions are discretionary and require application to the local board of licenses.
Who is affected
- Prospective and existing retail alcoholic beverage licensees (Classes A, B, C, I, N and related § 3-7-16.8 licenses).
- Property owners within 200 feet of proposed licensed premises (who may file objections).
- Public, private, and parochial schools and places of worship (protected by distance restrictions, subject to local exemption authority).
- Local boards of licenses in Providence, Newport, Warren, Bristol, and East Providence (who gain or exercise specified authority).
- Municipal zoning and planning processes where exemptions intersect with local land use.
Practical impact
- Reinforces community-proximity limits intended to keep alcohol retailing certain distances from schools and places of worship while preserving longstanding licenses (pre-1978).
- Provides specific, targeted flexibility by permitting local licensing boards to exempt certain parcels/areas—largely downtown or specially mapped areas—potentially facilitating new or transferred liquor licenses in those predefined localities.
- Maintains a mechanism for nearby property owners to prevent issuance (owners of the majority of land within 200 feet), preserving local community input.
Limitations / procedural notes
- Exemptions are limited to the exact areas or lots described in the statute and require application to the local board; they are not blanket waivers statewide.
- The bill is narrowly focused on amending § 3-7-19; other licensure requirements, zoning, and public-safety rules remain governed by existing law and local ordinances.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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