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Storm contractor rules in Rhode Island: contractor registration, the elderly in-home cancellation right and deceptive trade penalties

Rhode Island registers contractors who work on structures through the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board under chapter 65 of title 5, with a US$150 fee and US$500,000 of liability cover, and gives elderly consumers a three-day right to cancel an in-home contractor contract. This page restates those sections and the deceptive trade practices penalties as the General Assembly publishes them, read on October 9, 2026.

Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. Every row is statute text. None of the sections names tree work or storms, and no official page on a Rhode Island price gouging rule or a general door-to-door cancellation right was read for this page on October 9, 2026.

The sections in one table

SectionWhat it says
5-65-1, contractorA person who, in an independent business, undertakes, offers or bids to construct, alter, repair, improve, move over public highways or demolish a structure, or to perform any work in connection with that, and the appurtenances. Appurtenances include wells connected to a structure, garages, carports, porches, patios, decks, docks, sheds, tents, gazebos, walkways, fencing, driveways, retaining walls, swimming pools, sidewalks, stone and masonry walls, and parking lots. A registration is needed for each business entity
5-65-2, exemptionsAmong them: work on one project under one or more contracts when all contracts total less than US$500 and the work is casual, minor or inconsequential, unless the person advertises as a contractor; a person working on a single-dwelling-unit property the person owns, or on the person's own residence; an employee of a contractor; and licensed trades under named chapters, who still need the insurance in 5-65-7
5-65-3, registration requiredA person does not undertake, offer to undertake or bid to do work as a contractor on a structure without a valid certificate of registration from the board. A city, town or the state does not issue a building permit to anyone required to be registered who has no valid registration, and the permit lists the registration number
5-65-5, applicationThe application includes government identification, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance and withholding account numbers, if applicable, owners or officers with business and residential addresses, and a valid insurance certificate. New applicants show 5 hours of preregistration education and renewals 2.5 hours of continuing education. A false application is punishable by a fine not to exceed US$10,000, denial or revocation, or both
5-65-7, insurancePublic liability and property damage insurance of not less than US$500,000 combined single limit, plus workers' compensation insurance as required by chapter 29 of title 28, with evidence at registration and renewal. Failure to maintain insurance invalidates the registration
5-65-8 and 5-65-9A registration is valid for one year from issue. Each applicant pays US$150 for original registration or renewal
5-65-10, disciplineAfter notice and a hearing, the board or office may revoke, suspend or refuse a registration for violating the chapter, lapsed insurance, dishonest or fraudulent conduct injurious to the public, building code violations and false statements on an application, among other grounds
5-65-19, penaltyFailing to register after a final board order is a misdemeanor, with up to one year in prison, a fine of up to US$1,000, or both, for a first or second offense. A third or later violation is a felony with up to two years, a fine of up to US$2,000, or both. Violating a final order of US$5,000 or more is a felony with up to ten years, a fine of up to US$10,000, or both
5-65-27, elderly in-home solicitationA contract from an in-home solicitation of an elderly person, in the absence of an emergency, gives three days to cancel. In-home solicitation means a transaction at the consumer's primary residence, including telephonic or online, except those the consumer started, and a response to an advertisement is not one. Emergency means an urgent and immediate need for services or repairs that must be addressed without delay to avoid substantial harm to persons or property. The contractor gives a notice headed Notice of Cancellation, and returns a deposit within 20 days when the agreement does not conform and the consumer cancels by registered mail
6-13.1-2, unlawful practicesUnfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce are declared unlawful
6-13.1-5.2, private actionA person who buys or leases goods or services primarily for personal, family or household purposes and suffers an ascertainable loss may recover actual damages or US$500, whichever is greater, and the court may award damages equal to three times actual damages, plus reasonable attorney's fees and costs
6-13.1-8, civil penaltyA violation of the chapter carries a civil penalty of not more than US$10,000 per violation, which the Attorney General may petition to recover

What registration involves

Rhode Island runs a registration with education hours, insurance proof and a US$150 fee. The contractor definition reaches work on a structure and its appurtenances, and the list of appurtenances does not name trees, so whether a tree company is a contractor under it is a question for the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board. The US$500 project floor and the exemption for owners on their own homes are in the statute text.

The cancellation right and storm work

The in-home cancellation right in section 5-65-27 is written for elderly consumers and carves out an emergency, which the statute defines as an urgent need that must be addressed without delay to avoid substantial harm to persons or property. How a storm-damaged tree fits is a question for the Rhode Island Attorney General. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work. The scam warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.

Sources