[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of North Smithfield 5-12-1964 (Ch. 4 of the 1994 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
A. 
The Building/Zoning Official shall be appointed as provided in the Town Charter and shall receive such compensation as may be determined by the Town Council. Appointments to the Office of Building/Zoning Official shall be based on such qualifications of education and experience as set by the Town Council necessary for the proper performance of the Office. The Building/Zoning Official shall hold such Office until a qualified successor is appointed.
B. 
It shall be the duty of the Building/Zoning Official to issue and revoke building permits and to enforce the provisions of this article. The Building/Zoning Official shall examine all structures during the course of their erection, alteration, repair, moving or demolition to ensure compliance with the provisions of this article and shall record all violations which shall be reported to the Town Council and to the Town Solicitor.
A. 
The Town Council shall constitute the board of appeal from the inspector of buildings of the Town. The board shall fix a reasonable time for the hearing of an appeal and shall publish notice of the hearing at least 21 days prior to the date of such hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town; shall give due notice to the applicant, abutting owners and other parties in interest; and shall hear and decide the appeal within a reasonable time. Any party may appear at the hearing in person, by agent or by attorney.
B. 
Each application for appeal shall be accompanied by a filing fee in the amount set from time to time by the Town Council payable to the Town and deposited in the office of the Town Clerk. Under the supervisor of the board, a stenographic record may be maintained for all hearings on appeals if desired by any party to the appeal and provisions for payment of such stenographer shall be made by the applicant.[1]
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Section 4-3, Adoption of building code, as amended 4-19-1971, Section 4-4, Code enforcement; violations, and Section 4-5, Amending the building code, of the 1994 Code, which immediately followed this section, were repealed at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III).
[Amended 2-2-1970; 7-6-1970; 4-17-1978; 2-16-1982; 11-15-1982; 2-21-1989, 6-18-2001]
A. 
Any person contemplating the erection, extension, alteration or repair, moving or demolition of a structure or contemplating the structural alteration, reroofing, electrical wiring or installation of plumbing in an existing structure shall make application for a permit on the prescribed forms in the office of the Building/Zoning Official. Said application shall be submitted at least seven days prior to the start of construction and shall be accompanied by a fee as set forth in the fee schedule on file in the Town offices.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
B. 
The term "estimated cost," as used in this section, means the reasonable value of all services, labor, materials and use of scaffolding and other appliances or devices entering into and necessary to the prosecution and completion of the work ready for occupancy, provided the cost of excavation or grading, and of painting, decorating or other work that is merely for embellishment or not necessary for the safe and lawful use of the building or structure is not deemed a part of such estimated cost.
C. 
All such fees shall be collected by the Building/Zoning Official and transferred to the office of the Finance Director.
D. 
No building permit shall be issued for new construction, renovations or alterations involving the physical expansion, improvement or repair of an existing structure unless all past due taxes, assessment, fines or fees on the real estate thereon due to the Town has been paid, which shall be evidenced by a certificate executed by the Tax Collector.
E. 
Should any provision of this section be declared invalid for any reason, such declaration shall not affect the validity of other provisions, or of this section as a whole, it being the legislative intent that the provisions of this section shall be severable and remain valid notwithstanding such declaration.
[Amended 2-2-1970; 7-6-1970]
A. 
No construction work other than preliminary grading shall be done without the issuance of a valid building permit. No building permit may become valid unless the location of such permitted construction is identified by a Tax Assessor's plat and lot number on the building permit.
B. 
The Building/Zoning Official may require any additional information, maps and plans that he deems necessary in issuing a permit. Any permit issued under this article shall be valid for a period of six months after issuance, unless construction is in progress and is prosecuted diligently to completion.
C. 
Any act of construction not in conformity with this article and any false representation in any statement submitted in the application for a building permit shall be cause for the denial or revocation of a building permit. The denial or revocation of a building permit shall be made by the Building/Zoning Official to the applicant in writing precisely stating the reasons for such action by certified mail to the address indicated in said application.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Section 4-8, Sections of the code specifically amended, as amended 4-19-1971, which immediately followed this section, was repealed at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III).
A. 
Excavations. Where an excavation lies within five feet of the line of a public right-of-way, it shall be enclosed within a barricade at least three feet in height and shall be suitably lighted during the hours between sunset and sunrise.
B. 
Public right-of-way. No person shall store building materials, machinery or construction vehicles within a public right-of-way without the prior written approval of the Building/Zoning Official and the highway surveyor. Where staging or other apparatus or material is to be stored or erected within a public right-of-way, suitable barriers and lighting shall be provided, together with an alternative pedestrian walkway.
C. 
Rubbish. Within 10 days after completion of a building or work upon a building or at such time as may be required by the Building/Zoning Official, all rubbish and other discarded material shall be removed from the premises by the applicant or his agent. Failure to do so will subject the applicant to a charge of violation of this article.
D. 
Moving a building:
(1) 
Any person wishing to move a building or structure to a new location must obtain a building permit. No electric wire, telephone wire, sign, tree or shrub shall be removed in connection with such moving without the written permission of the Building/Zoning Official.
(2) 
Any person moving a structure or building must file with the permit application a bond or other surety satisfactory to the Town Solicitor and conditioned to comply with all legal requirements and restrictions relative to the moving of buildings, and to pay damages suffered by any person or persons by reason of any negligence of the licensee, his servants, or agents, in or about the moving of buildings in the Town, and to indemnify and save the Town harmless from all loss and damage by reason of any such negligence in moving buildings through, over or on any public street or highway in the Town, and any liability of the Town therefor relative to maintaining its public highways in a condition safe and convenient for pedestrian and vehicular travel of any description. Said permit may be revoked at any time by the Building/Zoning Official for any violation of this section or any of the conditions of said bond.
E. 
Plumbing and wiring. All electrical wiring, plumbing, drainage fixtures and gas fixtures and piping shall conform to the requirements as specified in appropriate sections of the Rhode Island Plumbing Code and Electrical Code (R.I.G.L. Title 23, Chapter 27.3).
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III)]
Any structure erected, repaired, altered, moved or demolished under the provisions of this article shall conform to all provisions of Chapter 340, Zoning, as may be amended from time to time, and to other ordinances that may be adopted by the Town.
[Added 8-22-1988]
Acting under the authority granted under R.I.G.L. § 45-6-1, as amended, the Town Council hereby ordains this article establishing a uniform numbering system for residential, commercial and industrial buildings and lots in the Town.
The standards set forth in this article are made for the purpose of promoting the public health and safety by providing a means of locating residential and other structures by police, fire and other emergency services and for such other purposes requiring the location of residential and other structures as may be required.
This building and lot numbering system shall be administered by the Town Planner who shall assign building numbers to all residential, commercial and industrial structures and lots in conformity with the plan developed pursuant to this article. The Town Planner shall also be responsible for developing and maintaining the following official records of this numbering system:
A. 
A Town map for official use showing said numbering system.
B. 
A Town-wide alphabetical list of primary property occupants by last name, showing the assigned numbers.
C. 
A Town-wide alphabetical list of streets with property owners listed in order of their assigned numbers.
The following criteria shall govern the development of the numbering system for an assignment of numbers:
A. 
Number interval. Generally, every 500 feet of every street shall be assigned 20 number intervals, 10 odd numbers and 10 even numbers, at intervals of 50 feet on each side of the street. (Exceptions: the Town Planner shall have the authority to formulate a numbering system for existing streets where these provisions are not practicable.)
B. 
Odd and even numbers. Odd numbers shall be on the right-hand side of all streets facing from the point of number origin to the point of number destination of each street.
C. 
Number origins.
(1) 
On through streets which terminate at another at both ends, numbers shall start at the northerly end of streets which run in a generally north to south direction and shall start at the easterly end of streets which run in a generally east-west direction. Streets running in other directions shall start numbers at whichever end is most northerly or easterly.
(2) 
On dead-end streets or culs-de-sac, numbers will start at the intersection of origin of the street and run toward the dead end or turnaround. Exceptions to either of the above shall be decided on a case-by-case basis.
D. 
Number assignment. The number assigned to each residence or other structure shall be the number which falls closest to the main entry or driveway providing access to the property as shown on the official map of street numbers.
E. 
Common access. Where several residences or other structures are served by a common driveway or a private right-of-way which is not on a street recognized by the Town, the number at the entrance shall apply to all residences and structures served by the drive or way, and each separate residence or structure shall be identified by a suffix letter in counterclockwise rotation starting with the structure on the immediate right of the drive or accessway. Where possible, letters shall be assigned using the same interval in feet as used on recognized streets.
[Amended 3-21-1994; 9-15-2003]
All owners of record of residences or other structures shall display assigned numbers in the following manner:
A. 
Number on the structure or residence. Where the structure or residence is within 50 feet of the edge of the street right-of-way, the assigned number shall be displayed on the front of the residence or structure in the vicinity of the front door or main entryway.
B. 
Number at the street line. Where the residence or structure is over 50 feet from the edge of the street right-of-way, the assigned number shall be displayed on a fence, post, wall or the mailbox at the property line adjacent to the walk or access drive to the residence or structure.
C. 
Size and color of number. Numbers displayed shall be at least four inches in height and shall be of a color which contrasts with the building surface upon which it is placed so as to be visible from the street.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Section 4-25.4, Interior location, of the 1994 Code, which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III).
D. 
Penalty for noncompliance; enforcement. Compliance under this section of this article shall be enforced by the Building/Zoning Official, the Fire Chief or his designee. Any owner of record of a residence or other structure who fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall be subject to a penalty. The Building/Zoning Official, the Fire Chief or his designee shall notify said owner by certified mail, return receipt requested, of the violation and the need and necessity to conform with this article. Any violations not corrected within 30 days shall be subject to continuing fines of $10 per day until the violation has been corrected.
Whenever any residence or other structure is constructed or developed, the Town Building/Zoning Official shall obtain an assigned number or numbers from the Town Planner. This shall be done at the time of the issuance of a building permit. No certificate of occupancy shall be issued until the assigned number is posted on the residence or structure.
Any prospective subdivider shall show a proposed lot numbering system on the preapplication submission to the Town Planning Board. Approval of the Planning Board shall constitute the assignment of numbers to the lots in the subdivision.
This article shall take effect upon passage, and number and street assignments shall be initiated by the Town Planner upon completion of the official map of street numbers and names and the availability of such official map of street numbers and names in the office of the Town Clerk; provided, however, that nothing contained in this article shall be construed to be an acceptance of any street by the Town as an official Town street and is solely for the purpose of the emergency response system and public safety.