Title 44
Taxation

Chapter 5
Levy and Assessment of Local Taxes

R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-5-20.02

§ 44-5-20.02. Central Falls — Property tax classification — List of ratable property.

(a) Notwithstanding any provision within § 44-5-11.8 to the contrary, on or before June 1, except in 1990, in which case the time is thirty (30) days after June 1, 1990, the assessor in the city of Central Falls, after certification for classification, shall submit to the director of revenue a list containing the true, full, and fair cash value of the ratable estate and motor vehicles and shall classify and provide a tax rate for the property according to the following use:

(1) “Class 1” includes residential property which is owner-occupied dwellings of no more than five (5) units and which is property used or held for human habitation, including rooming houses and mobile homes with facilities designed and used for living, sleeping, cooking, and eating on a non-transient basis. Eligibility for the owner-occupied tax classification shall be determined by compliance with § 44-3-34 and relevant city ordinances. This property includes accessory land, buildings, or improvements incidental to the habitation and used exclusively by the residents of the property or their guests. This property does not include a hotel, motel, commercial, or industrial property.

(2) “Class 2” includes residential property which is owner-occupied dwellings of more than five (5) units and non-owner-occupied dwellings, including properties for mixed use as residential and commercial properties, and which is property used or held for human habitation, including rooming houses and mobile homes with facilities designed and used for living, sleeping, cooking, and eating on a non-transient basis. This property includes accessory land, buildings, or improvements incidental to the habitation and used exclusively by the residents of the property or their guests. This property includes open space including “farmland,” “forestland,” and “open space land” as defined in accordance with § 44-27-2. This property does not include a hotel, motel, commercial, or industrial property.

(3) “Class 3” includes personal property, previously subject to tax, and includes all goods, chattels, and effects, wherever they may be, except those that are exempt from taxation by the laws of the United States or of this state.

(4) “Class 4” includes every vehicle and trailer registered under chapter 3 of title 31.

(5) “Class 5” includes property used commercially or for industrial manufacturing.

(b) The city of Central Falls may, by ordinance adopted by the city council, provide for tax classification of property and tax rates in the city of Central Falls based on the five (5) classes outlined in subsection (a) of this section.

(c) The effective tax rate for Class 2 shall not exceed by two (2) times, the effective tax rate for Class 1; the effective tax rate for Class 5 shall not exceed by three (3) times, the effective tax rate for Class 1; and the effective tax rate for Class 3 shall not exceed by four (4) times, the effective tax rate for Class 1.

History of Section.
P.L. 1990, ch. 194, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 98, § 37; P.L. 2008, ch. 145, § 37; P.L. 2018, ch. 340, § 1; P.L. 2018, ch. 342, § 1; P.L. 2020, ch. 42, § 1; P.L. 2020, ch. 58, § 1; P.L. 2021, ch. 395, § 14, effective July 14, 2021.