The bill amends Section 24-6-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 24-6 entitled "Abandonment by Towns." It outlines the process by which a town council can declare a highway or driftway, or any part of it, as no longer useful to the public. Upon such a declaration, the title of the land reverts to its original owner, and the town is no longer responsible for its maintenance. The town council is required to place a sign at each end of the abandoned highway or driftway indicating it is not a public highway and to publish a notice in a local newspaper for three consecutive weeks. Personal notice must also be served to any known abutting landowners residing within the state. The bill also allows for the sale of abandoned highways or driftways to abutting property owners at fair market value in specific towns and cities, including Coventry, North Providence, New Shoreham, Barrington, Cranston, Warwick, Middletown, and Cumberland, under certain conditions.

The bill introduces a new subsection (c), which mandates that all abandonments must be recorded in the land evidence records of the applicable municipality through the filing of an administrative subdivision in accordance with chapter 23 of title 45. The new boundary lines created by such abandonments must be certified to a Class 1 measurement specification as per the rules and regulations set by the Rhode Island board of registration for professional land surveyors. The bill emphasizes that the new legal requirement for recording road abandonments is to ensure they are properly documented in land evidence records. The act is set to take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
5596: 24-6-1