WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 8215

AN ACT RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RHODE ISLAND FAIR HOUSING PRACTICES ACT

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mia Ackerman and 3 co-sponsors

Strengthens housing nondiscrimination protections and expands disability accommodations, including rights to emotional support animals and accessibility requirements for new multi-

06/09/2026 Referred to Senate Judiciary
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 8215

Summary of HB 8215 (Rhode Island) – 2026

Purpose and intent

HB 8215 amends the Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act to clarify and expand protections for individuals seeking housing, with a notable emphasis on disability accommodations. The bill aims to ensure that individuals with disabilities can obtain reasonable accommodations, specifically addressing the use of emotional support animals, and to reaffirm standard nondiscrimination in housing transactions.

Key provisions and changes

  • Expanded nondiscrimination language (general housing practices):

    • Prohibits owners, agents, or others involved in selling, renting, leasing, or managing housing from inquiring about or acting on a prospective tenant’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, lawful source of income, military status (veteran), country of ancestral origin, disability, age, familial status, or the victim status of domestic abuse.
    • Prohibits advertising that shows discriminatory preferences or limitations based on the same protected categories or domestic-abuse status.
    • Prohibits discrimination in processing applications or in terms, conditions, or privileges of housing based on the above categories or domestic-abuse status.
    • Allows limited inquiries to verify age (18+) or to determine income to assess nondiscriminatory standards.

  • Financial assistance and loans (nondiscrimination in financing):

    • Extends the nondiscrimination protections to applicants for loans or other financial assistance for housing-related activities, prohibiting inquiries about protected characteristics or domestic-abuse status.
    • Permits inquiries only as necessary to determine eligibility (e.g., age 18+).

  • Disability-related accommodations and modifications (emotional support animals):

    • Reaffirms that owners may not refuse reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities to access housing.
    • Specifically adds and clarifies rights related to emotional support animals:
    • Tenants with disability-related needs may request emotional support animals as a reasonable accommodation.
    • Landlords may require documentation supporting the need, with specific criteria for documentation from Rhode Island-licensed healthcare practitioners.
    • Documentation must establish a patient-practitioner relationship for at least 30 days and be sworn under penalties of perjury.
    • Landlords may deny emotional support animals only if the animal poses a direct threat, would cause substantial insurance issues, or cannot be reasonably accommodated otherwise.
    • Tenants are liable for damages caused by emotional support animals.

  • Disability-accessible design (new construction standards):

    • Requires certain housing developments of four or more units (first occupancy after March 13, 1991) to be designed to be accessible to people with disabilities, including accessible routes, wider doors, adaptable kitchens and bathrooms, and reinforcement for grab bars.
    • States that state building codes’ accessibility requirements can satisfy these provisions, and directs the state building code committee to adopt compatible rules, with historical reference to earlier dates.

  • Definitions and clarifications:

    • Clarifies what constitutes a “housing accommodation of four units or more” (including elevator-serviced buildings and ground-floor units in multi-unit buildings).

Who or what is affected

  • Prospective and current tenants and purchasers: Enhanced protections against discrimination; explicit framework for requesting emotional support animals as accommodations.
  • Landlords, property managers, and housing operators: Must comply with nondiscrimination standards, provide reasonable accommodations, and follow rules around emotional support animals and modification agreements.
  • Financial institutions and lenders: Subject to nondiscrimination requirements in the provision of loans or financial assistance for housing.
  • Disability advocates and tenants with disabilities: Potentially greater access to housing and clearer procedures for emotional support animal documentation.
  • State building code authorities: Directed to align accessibility standards with the new requirements.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Effective date: The act takes effect upon passage.
  • The bill reflects changes to existing Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act provisions, with an emphasis on updating procedures related to emotional support animals and disability accessibility standards.

Note: The explanatory note reiterates the emotional support animal provision and its documentation requirements.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.