Rhode Island law · Rhode Island Condominium Act

R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-36.1-3.20

Enforcement of declaration, by-laws and rules

Covered in 3 owner guides

What this section does for you

Modern-act enforcement section: notice and a hearing before any fine, dollar caps on daily and flat fines by unit type, and a rule voiding any declaration or bylaw that tries to set a different maximum.
Owner guide: Fines & violations in Rhode Island
The same notice-and-hearing and dollar-cap rules that govern any fine apply equally to a fine over an exterior or architectural violation; there's no separate, looser standard for this category.
Owner guide: Architectural review in Rhode Island
Ties fines to enforcing the declaration, bylaws, and rules, and provides the hearing where a selective-enforcement pattern can be raised before a fine becomes final.
Owner guide: Selective enforcement in Rhode Island

The statutory text

Verbatim from the public record. The law itself is a government work — always confirm the current version on the official source before you rely on it.

(a) An executive board may impose and assess fines against a unit owner as a method of enforcing the association’s declaration, bylaws, and rules and regulations. Such fines may include, but are not limited to, daily fines for continued violative conduct in the future. Notice and the opportunity for a hearing must be provided to an alleged violator before a fine is imposed and assessed. All fines shall be a lien on the unit charged. (b) Daily fines imposed and assessed pursuant to this section shall be no more than one hundred dollars ($100) per day for residential condominiums nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) per day for commercial condominiums. (c) Fines other than daily fines imposed and assessed pursuant to this section shall be no more than five hundred dollars ($500) for residential condominiums and no more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) for commercial condominiums. (d) Any condominium declaration, bylaw, rule or regulation which purports to establish a maximum fine or daily fine shall be invalid. (e) Hearings conducted pursuant to this section shall be before the executive board or a person designated by the executive board. (f) A decision in a hearing held pursuant to this section must include costs in all cases and reasonable attorney’s fees, if the prevailing party is represented by a member of the Rhode Island Bar. Such attorney’s fees and costs shall also be a lien on the unit charged.