Garage door rules & licensing in Rhode Island

Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (CRLB), State Building Office / Department of Business Regulation — official site

Registration is mandatory. R.I. Gen. Laws 5-65-3: "A person shall not undertake, offer to undertake, or submit a bid to do work as a contractor on a structure unless that person has a current, valid certificate of registration." The board's own page says registration is required for "Individuals or businesses working in residential or commercial construction," "ALL subcontractors," and those performing "remodeling, alterations, or repairs such as handyman work." Exempt: employees of a registered contractor, and homeowners who reside in their residence. Applicants must also complete a state-approved 5-hour pre-registration course (waivable if the work will be exclusively on commercial structures), and incorporated entities must supply their Secretary of State Business Identification Number.

The board's application requirements for general contractor registration list a Certificate of General Liability Insurance with "minimum coverage of $500,000" naming RICRLB as certificate holder, and, if the applicant has employees, a Certificate of Workers' Compensation Insurance also naming RICRLB. A surety bond is NOT among the listed requirements for general contractor registration (bonding of up to $30,000 appears in the board's rules only as a condition the board may impose on reinstatement).

Building permits are issued by local building officials under the Rhode Island State Building Code. RISBC-1, the Rhode Island Building Code (510-RICR-00-00-1), is formally adopted and promulgated by the Building Code Standards Committee, adopting the provisions of the International Building Code as published by the International Code Council together with Rhode Island amendments. (Verify the current adopted edition with the RI Building Code Commission before relying on an edition number - the regulation version fetched here recites a 2012 IBC base.)

Rhode Island sets wind speeds municipality by municipality rather than by a single statewide number. RISBC-1 Section 1609.3: "The basic wind speed, in mph, shall be determined by Rhode Island Wind Speed Map Figure 1609 and Table 1608.1." Table 1608.1 assigns a wind speed to each Rhode Island municipality across three risk categories. A garage door on a coastal RI job must be specified to the wind pressure derived from that town's entry - look the town up in Table 1608.1 rather than assuming a statewide value.