Warwick building department

Warwick’s Building Inspection Department works from the second floor of the Sawtooth Annex at 65 Centerville Road, not from City Hall on Post Road. Article 8-7 of the city charter puts building, plumbing, and electrical inspection under a single appointed building inspector. Today the department houses the building inspectors, Property Maintenance (minimum housing), the Zoning office that staffs the Zoning Board of Review, and the Building Board of Review. Alfred T. DeCorte is Director and Building Official. Kent County has no building department, so Warwick issues the permits for every address in the city.

What the department handles

The city says the Building Department:

• issues building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits for new construction and for alterations and repairs to existing structures
• enforces the Rhode Island State Building Code and Warwick’s zoning laws
• answers questions about zoning, building codes, and flood zones, and keeps elevation certificates on file for construction in flood zones
• investigates building-code and zoning complaints, and inspects private properties under the state Property Maintenance Ordinance
• issues zoning certificates confirming the legal use of a property, and takes appeals to the Zoning Board of Review and the Building Board of Review

Applying through OpenGov

Warwick files permits through its OpenGov Online Permitting Program at warwickri.portal.opengov.com. The old ViewPointCloud address redirects there. The residential checklist still names the retired permits.ri.us system, but the OpenGov portal is what the city links today. Short-term rental registration is filed in the same portal, and its contact is the Building Coordinator Specialist at (401) 921-9545.

Residential plan checklist

Warwick’s checklist for new residential structures and additions goes further than many in the state. It calls for:

• Site plan at 1” = 10’ or 1” = 20’, showing property lines, lot area, street names, setbacks for every existing and proposed structure, the driveway, and any wetlands, watercourses, or coastal features. The city may also require a Class I survey by a registered land surveyor.
• CRMC jurisdictional determination for freshwater wetlands, for on-ground structures of 250 sq ft or more.
• Construction drawings, typically at ¼” = 1’. These include a footing/foundation plan, floor plans, all four elevations, and cross sections. Add engineered truss drawings with a stamp, design reports for manufactured lumber (TJIs, LVLs), and a window/door schedule with U-factor and design-pressure ratings.
• Energy code window-to-wall ratio.
• Flood-zone data: lowest-floor elevation in AE zones, the lowest horizontal structural member in VE zones (VE also requires an architect or engineer), and existing and proposed grades. Additions or reconstruction worth 50% or more of the structure count as a substantial improvement.
• Wind-load design for zone 2.

The city will not accept single-line drawings, pencil, red ink, taped plans, or plans on graph paper. Larger projects also need a Project Certification from a Rhode Island-registered architect or engineer under Section 128 of the state code. That professional agrees to observe construction periodically, file progress reports, and submit a final report before occupancy.

Permit fees

Warwick’s posted fee sheet is headed “State Mandated as of July 1, 2018” and lists this valuation schedule:

Project valuation	Fee
$1 – $10,000	$10.00 per $1,000
$10,001 – $50,000	$100 + $8.00 per $1,000 over $10,000
$50,001 and up	$420 + $6.00 per $1,000 over $50,000
Minimum fee	$75.00

A State of Rhode Island CE/ADA fee is added on top, calculated on project valuation. The city’s sheet notes this rate was updated in January 2025. Since 2017, state law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-27.3-119.0) has required every municipality to compute permit fees using the formula set or approved by the Rhode Island Building Code Commission. Because Warwick’s sheet is dated 2018, check the fee OpenGov calculates when you apply. The same law bars a fee for the first reinspection after a failed inspection. For a worked example, see what a building permit costs.

Codes and exemptions

Warwick enforces the Rhode Island State Building Code. Since December 1, 2025, residential work follows SBC-2, which is the 2021 IRC with Rhode Island amendments. The state exempts one-story detached accessory structures up to 64 sq ft, fences up to 6 ft, and retaining walls up to 32 inches. Decks are not exempt, and their footings must reach 3 ft 4 in below grade.

Inspections

To schedule an inspection, call (401) 738-2007, ext. 1. For general questions or appointments, use the main line or email [email protected]. Office hours are Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. After construction is finished, the department keeps residential blueprints for one year and commercial plans for five years. If you want copies of your approved plans, request them within that window.

Zoning Board of Review

The Zoning office is at (401) 921-9534. Under the 2026 instructions, applications have also had to be filed online, in addition to hard copies, since March 2025. A complete filing includes:

• two signed applications
• 12 copies each of the 200 ft radius map and abutter mailing list from the city GIS. The radius is 400 ft for A-40 zoned areas.
• 12 copies of a Class I survey and of scaled plans on 11” x 17” paper

Filing fee (check only)	Amount
Residential	$102.00 ($50 + $52 recording) + $0.78 per abutter
Commercial	$302.00 ($250 + $52 recording) + $0.78 per abutter

Corporations and LLCs must be represented by an attorney. For petitions the Board considers controversial, the applicant pays the stenographer. The Board itself warns that zoning approval does not cover curb cuts, sewers or septic systems, floodplain review, fire safety, DEM wetlands, or CRMC permits. It advises filing building plans in parallel.