Notice of Public Hearing
Proposed Amendments to New Shoreham Zoning Ordinance Amending Sections 202 Definitions Item 96 Household and
Section 506 Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTSs)
and Creating Sections 202 Item 18.1 Bedroom and 304.1 Number of Occupants per Household
Monday, April 6, 2026
at Town Hall, Old Town Road, Block Island RI
7:00 PM
Watch on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@Town-NewShoreham
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING
APPENDIX E ZONING
Note: Words set as strikeover are to be deleted from the ordinance; words set in underline are to be added to the ordinance.
Article 2
Definitions
§ 202 Definitions. [Ord. of 4-20-2011, art. 2, § 202; Ord. of 8-17-2011, art. 2, § 202]
A. In the Zoning Ordinance the following words and terms shall have the following meanings:
18.1. BEDROOM — Every dwelling unit shall be assumed to have at least one bedroom. For counting additional bedrooms, the total number of bedrooms shall be calculated as n-1, where n is the number of rooms as follows:
Any room in a residential structure which is greater than 70 square feet in area, which is susceptible to present or future use as a private sleeping area and which satisfies all of the following requirements:
a. Has at least one window that meets the 4.4 square foot minimum size and all other requirements of the "Rhode Island State Building Code SBC-1 or SBC-2";
b. Has at least one interior method of entry and egress, excluding closets and bathrooms, allowing the room to be closed off from the remainder of the residence for privacy; and
c. Is a heated living space that is unrestricted for year-round use. Rooms located below grade that are not recognized as bedrooms by the "Rhode Island State Building Code SBC-1 or SBC-2" are not recognized as bedrooms.
96. HOUSEHOLD — One or more persons living together in a single dwelling unit, with common access to, and common use of, all living and eating areas and all areas and facilities for the preparation and storage of food within the dwelling unit. The term "household unit" shall be synonymous with the term "dwelling unit" for determining the number of such units allowed within any structure on any lot in a zoning district. An individual household shall consist of any one of the following:
a. A family, which may also include servant and employees living with the family; or
b. A person or group of no more than six unrelated persons living together.
§ 304.1 Number of Occupants per Household
The Town of New Shoreham recognizes the allure of Block Island during favorable summer weather and the desire for increased household occupancy during peak times. Overcrowding can negatively impact public health and safety, in particular, as well as the well-being of the town, particularly when occupancy is beyond the design capabilities of household sewage systems. These limits are based on wastewater, plumbing, and building code capacity and apply regardless of the relationships among occupants. For these principal reasons, household occupancy is limited as follows:
A. For households with household plumbing drains not connected to public sewer or an onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) approved, installed, and maintained to standards published by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) and the Town of New Shoreham Code of Ordinances, household occupancy is limited to one person per bedroom.
B. For households with all household plumbing drains connected to at least an OWTS approved, installed, and maintained to standards published by RIDEM and the Town of New Shoreham Code of Ordinances, household occupancy consistent with OWTS design is limited to two people per bedroom.
C. For households with all household plumbing drains connected to public sewer, household occupancy is limited to eight people (or fraction thereof) per shower in good working order and ten people (or fraction thereof) per water closet in good working order, not to exceed sixteen people per household.
§ 506 Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTSs).
C. Definitions
BEDROOM
Any room in a residential structure which is greater than 70 square feet in area, which is susceptible to present or future use as a private sleeping area and which satisfies all of the following requirements:
(1) Has at least one window that meets the 4.4 square foot minimum size and all other requirements of the "Rhode Island State Building Code SBC-1 or SBC-2";
(2) Has at least one interior method of entry and egress, excluding closets and bathrooms, allowing the room to be closed off from the remainder of the residence for privacy; and
(3) Is a heated living space that is unrestricted for year-round use. Rooms located below grade that are not recognized as bedrooms by the "Rhode Island State Building Code SBC-1 or SBC-2" are not recognized as bedrooms under this ordinance.
Posted: March 3, 2026
Hearing: April 6, 2026
Adopted:
Effective:
Posted:
Attest: Millicent M. Highet, MMC
Town Clerk