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1. Do I need a permit to re-side or re-roof my home?

Yes, you will need a building permit. Building permit applications may be obtained in the Building Inspection Office.

2. Do I need a permit to put up a fence?

Yes, you will need a building permit to put up a fence.
Additional Fence Information

3. Do I need a permit to construct or place a shed on my property?

Yes you will need a building permit to construct or place a shed on your property. Additional Shed Information

4. How do I register my home to be a rental property?

Download an application form off the Building Inspectors Website and return with the required fee. Rental Registration Information

5. Where do I apply for a Building Permit?

You can apple for a building permit, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, demolition, and solar permits at the below link.

Narragansett E-Permit Site

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1. Where can I get information regarding the zoning of a particular parcel of land?

Zoning information is available from the Building Inspection Department.

2. How long does it take to get through the Site Review process?

The Site Review process is typically a two (2) month process. Site Review applications are first required to go before the Planning Board for recommendation and then to the Zoning Board of Review for approval. Due to public notification and advertising requirements Site Review applications are typically scheduled with the Zoning Board a month after the application is reviewed by the Planning Board.

3. What is the Staff Review process?

Staff Reviews require submittal of an application along with required documentation such as letter of certification, site plan, architectural plans, etc. This process does not require a public hearing therefore abutter notification is not necessary.

4. What is the process for Site Review?

Site Reviews require the submittal of an application and the documentation listed in the application such as building permit application, project review sheet, architectural plans, site plans, list of abutters and area map delineating 200’ from the four corners of the subject property, etc.

5. What is a letter of certification?

A letter of certification is certification from the appropriate professional, such as an engineer or wetland biologist, that your application meets the development standards of the section of the ordinance that your proposal requires relief from.

6. Can someone represent me at the Planning Board and or Zoning Board meetings?

Yes, providing they have an authorization of representation letter signed by the owner of the property and notarized.

7. Do I have to compose a letter explaining my proposal to my abutting neighbors?

No, the Clerk of the Boards will provide (via certified mailing) a copy of the legal advertisement for abutter notification.

8. At what point do I notify my abutters?

Abutter notification is of the public hearing before the Zoning Board. This notification must be mailed 14 days prior to the Zoning Board meeting.

9. Do you have a survey of my property?

No, unless you have been granted relief from the ordinance or your property was subdivided.

10. Is my vacant lot 'buildable'?

It is up to the property owner to hire an engineer and go through the building permit review process to determine if their property is buildable. Although the Town can provide information on the possible presence of wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas for discussion purposes, the Town will not make the determination on buildability. Unless proven otherwise the Town will consider a parcel developable or potentially developable.

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1. Where are open positions advertised?

All open positions are advertised with JobsinRi.com, the Narragansett Times, as well as on the Town’s website and at the Town Hall.

2. Where can I get an employment application?

An electronic employment application is available on the Town’s website under Human Resources. You can also get an employment application at Narragansett Town Hall in the Human Resources Department on the 1st floor.

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1. What are the hours of the Parks and Recreation Department?

Our hours are Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm.

2. Can I pay by credit card?

Yes we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express

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1. Do I really HAVE to recycle?

Yes. Rhode Island General Law mandates recycling by all towns and cities in Rhode Island. To comply with the law, Narragansett’s new ordinance mandates the separation of recyclable materials from solid waste by all residents of the town, including those in single family and all types of multi-unit dwellings and complexes.

By ordinance, all residents, whether they use the transfer station or a commercial hauler, must separate recyclable materials from trash and recycle them. Residential non-compliance may result in fines.

2. What items are recyclable?

For complete list of recyclable materials in Rhode Island visit: www.recycletogetherri.org/what-can-i-recycle

3. Can I put plastic bags in my recycling bin?

Do not place plastic bags in your recycling bins, either empty or filled with other recyclables. Plastic bags can be recycled, but not in your bin. Please take empty plastic bags to any large grocery, pharmacy, or big-box store in RI and deposit them in the designated collection bin. You may also include dry cleaning bags, newspaper bags, bread/bagel bags, bubble wrap, over-wrap from cases of plastic beverages as well as cereal and cracker liner bags. For more information about plastic bag recycling see the below website or this document.

www.rirrc.org/restore

4. Do I have to separate my recyclable items?

Recyclable materials must be separated from household trash. Then all recyclable materials may be mixed together thanks to Rhode Island’s new single stream recycling program. Simply combine all recyclable items in your recycling bin or container for pick up by your commercial hauler or bring your items directly to the Rose Hill Transfer Station. For a complete list of all recyclable materials accepted in Rhode Island visit: www.recycletogetherri.org

5. Where do I get recycling bins?

Recycling bins are NOT provided free of charge from the Town of Narragansett. If you would like to purchase a specifically designated recycling bin, please contact your hauler to discuss any size restrictions and to see if bins are available for purchase from them. Bins can also be purchased from a local home improvement retailer or from the Town of Narragansett. Twenty-two gallon blue bins are available for purchase from the Town for $5.00. Exact change or checks only please. All sales are final.

Bins are available at the office of the Recycling Coordinator, located on the second floor of Town Hall at 25 Fifth Avenue, from 8:00am - 2:00pm Tuesday through Thursday.

Recycling bin photos and prices

6. How do I know if my hauler is licensed by the town?

All commercial haulers collecting solid waste and recycling in Narragansett must be licensed. Residents opting to have their trash and recycling picked up roadside must contract with a licensed hauler.

If your hauler is not listed, please contact them directly.
Current Licensed Haulers

7. Where is the local transfer station?

Rose Hill Regional Transfer Station is located at 163 Rose Hill Road in South Kingstown one-half mile north of Saugatucket Road (783-4554). Narragansett and South Kingstown both require by ordinance that all residential users of the transfer station are required to recycle defined materials as a condition of use of the facilities. For more information on using the transfer station, including the hours of operations, fee schedule and accepted material visit the South Kingstown Solid Waste Division home page at: www.southkingstownri.com

8. How do I dispose of household hazardous waste – e.g. propane tanks, oil based paints, rechargable batteries, fluorescent light bulbs?

Anything labeled with words like “danger”, “flammable”, “combustible”, “toxic”, poison”, etc., cannot be recycled, nor should it be in the regular trash. These materials are dangerous when handled improperly and can put workers and the environment at serious risk. Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation runs a special, free program for collecting hazardous household waste from Rhode Island residents called The Eco-Depot. To find out more and make an appointment visit www.rirrc.org/ecodepot

9. How can I recycle a computer or TV?

Residents of Narragansett have several options for where to take their computer and other old electronics. Televisions, working or non-working computers, laptops, modems, printers, keyboards and mouse pointers are accepted at the Department of Public Works Maintenance Facility, 260 Westmoreland Street in Narragansett on Mondays-Fridays from 7:30am-3:00pm. It is against the law to dispose electronic waste in the landfill.

10. Why can’t I recycle cardboard boxes from 12-pack soda cans and other refrigerated and frozen food boxes – e.g. beer, butter, pizza, TV dinner, etc.?

If the box holding your fridge pack if soda or beer was just like any other thin cardboard, when the cans sweat (i.e. when water condensates on the outside), they would come crashing out through the bottom. To prevent this from happening to all of your boxes frozen and refrigerated cardboard packaging, it is either coated or treated with a chemical that prevents it from breaking down when wet. Regular cardboard breaks down when wet and that’s how recyclers at paper mills mush your cardboard back into pulp – they use water. For this reason, refrigerated and frozen food boxes are contaminants to the paper buyers and are not accepted for recycling.

11. Are pizza delivery boxes recyclable?

Mostly clean pizza boxes are now accepted for recycling. This includes boxes with a little bit of grease or food, but not completely soaked with either grease or food. If the bottom of the box is grease-soaked but the top of the box is clean, rip it off and place it in your recycling bin, throwing the greasy part in the trash.

12. Can I recycle Styrofoam?

STYROFOAM CANNOT BE PLACED IN YOUR CURBSIDE RECYCLING COLLECTION BIN. However, as of April 2015, RI residents may now recycle polystyrene (Styrofoam) in the Small Vehicle Area at the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) in Johnston. Foam must be clean, dry and bagged in clear or translucent bags. Food-service foam (like coffee cups, food trays and takeout boxes) must be bagged separately from all other foam. No spongy foam (think #1 Fan fingers) and no packing peanuts. www.recyclopedia.net

13. How can I recycle more on a daily basis?

The best thing you can do to recycle more is not to waste. It’s much better for the environment to reduce the amount of what you buy, reuse what you have, and finally to recycle. Check the RecycleTogetherRI website to ensure you’re including as many recyclable materials as possible in your recycling bin. Be sure to bring your plastic bags back to a retail store that accepts them. Use a refillable water bottle rather than those plastic bottles that waste energy and natural resources. Always think before you buy. Don’t buy products with excessive packaging.
To learn more visit: www.RecycleTogetherRI.org

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1. Where can i view the video of the Town Council meeting?

Videos are available on our YouTube channel. Additionally, regular Town Council meetings are broadcast live through RI PEG Access on Cox channel 17 and Verizon channel 28. The broadcasts repeat at 7:30 PM on the day after the meeting, and again at 12 Noon on the second day after the meeting. Narragansett Town Council YouTube Channel

2. What are the rules and procedures of a Council meeting?

The rules and procedures governing council meetings are in the below attached document.

Rules and Procedures for Council meetings

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1. What is the basis for my sewer bill?

Property owners in Narragansett either have an Individual Sewage Disposal System (ISDS; which may be a cesspool, septic system, or an advanced on-site treatment system, all of which are regulated by the State Department of Environmental Management) , or are connected to the public sewer system. Sewer use billing is based on both an annual minimum charge and a usage charge, which is taken directly from the property’s water meter reading. The minimum charge includes the first 8,000 cubic feet (59,800 gallons) of water consumption, and then a consumption charge for usage that exceeds the initial 8,000 cubic feet. Roughly 83% of our customers fall within this minimum annual usage allotment. The current sewer usage rates may be found on the Wastewater Rates page. There are no adjustments allowed for outside water usage; the 8,000 cubic foot annual minimum threshold for sewer usage, when compared to the 6,000 cubic foot minimum threshold for water consumption, already provides for 2,000 cubic feet, or 15,000 gallons of “excess” use before the sewer excess charges are applied.

We have recently changed our billing format to make it easier for you to read and understand your water/sewer bill. Water meters are read on a quarterly basis, and bills are generated and mailed accordingly. The minimum charge is billed in advance, while the excess usage charge (if any) is billed in arrears (for each preceding quarter).
Wastewater Rates

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1. What is the basis for my water bill?

Property owners in Narragansett are either serviced by SUEZ Water RI (a private company located in Wakefield – if you are a SUEZ customer, your water bill will come directly from them, and you may contact them at 401-789-0271) or the Town of Narragansett. Town water bills are based on a minimum charge, which includes the first 6,000 cubic feet (44,880 gallons) of usage annually, and then a consumption charge for usage that exceeds the initial 6,000 cubic feet. Roughly 60% of our customers fall within this minimum annual usage allotment. The current water usage rates may be found on the rates page.

Water Rates