State facts
Rhode Island: homes, climate zones and who licenses the work
Rhode Island has 486,000 housing units. 70.9% were built before 1980, and the median year built is 1962. 63.6% of occupied homes are lived in by their owners.
How old the homes are
Rhode Island housing units, by year built
Layers drawn to scale
Age changes what applies to a house. In general, anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 must be certified in lead-safe work practices under the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, which Rhode Island Department of Health administers in Rhode Island.
How homes are heated
How homes in Rhode Island are heated
Main heating fuel, share of about 442,000 occupied homes
- Utility gas 53.0%
- Fuel oil or kerosene 26.6%
- Electricity 13.0%
- Propane or other tank gas 5.0%
- Wood 1.1%
- Other fuel 0.6%
- No fuel used 0.5%
- Solar energy 0.1%
- Coal or coke 0.1%
Climate and building zones
The 2021 International Energy Conservation Code assigns every county a climate zone from 1 to 8 and a moisture regime: A for moist, B for dry, C for marine. Zones 7 and 8 have no letter. Here is how Rhode Island's residents divide among them, by the county they live in.
| IECC 2021 zone | Share of residents | Counties |
|---|---|---|
| 5A | 100% | 5 |
ENERGY STAR rates windows, doors and skylights for four climate zones of its own. All of Rhode Island falls in the Northern zone.
By NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals, counties here average 130 days a year with a low of 32°F or colder, weighted by where people live. The range runs from 98 days in the mildest county to 135 in the coldest.
- SEER2 Requirements by State: What a New AC Must Meet
- What Size AC Do I Need? How a Load Calculation Answers It
- Do Heat Pumps Work in Cold Weather? What to Check Before Buying
- No Heat in Winter: How to Stay Safe Until the Furnace Is Fixed
- Ice Dams: Why They Leak Into Ceilings and How to Stop Them
- Crawl Space Moisture: Vented vs. Sealed Crawl Spaces
- Condensation on the Inside of Windows: Causes and Fixes
Flood risk and flood insurance
2.7% of residential structures in Rhode Island carry a National Flood Insurance Program policy: 8,360 policies, in FEMA's count as of August 3, 2026.
In FEMA's National Risk Index, 1 of 5 counties rates high or very high for riverine flooding.
Fire ants and termites
No county in Rhode Island is inside the federal imported fire ant quarantine.
Who licenses the work in Rhode Island
Before anyone starts work, check the license with the agency below. Where the state does not license a trade, cities and counties may; ask the one where the house is.
- Pest control Anyone who applies pesticides as a commercial applicator must hold a commercial applicator license (or certificate for restricted-use products) issued by the DEM Director; structural work is Category 7, with 7A General Pest and 7B Termite and Structural Pest. Agency: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Agriculture. Who to call about pest control.
- Heating and cooling Masters, journeypersons and apprentices in pipefitting, air conditioning/refrigeration and sheet metal (the mechanical trades) are licensed by the state. Agency: Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Professional Regulation (Board of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians, Fire Protection Sprinkler Fitters, Sheet Metal Workers, and Oil Heat Contractors). Look up a license. Who to call about heating and cooling.
- Window replacement and other home improvement Every contractor, remodeler and most subcontractors who build or repair residential or commercial structures must register with the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board. Agency: Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board. Look up a license. Who to call about window replacement.
- Mold remediation We found no statewide license for this work in official sources. Cities and counties may license it; ask the one where the house is. Who to call about water damage and mold.
Checked 2026-09-29. Licensing rules change; the agency's own page is the authority.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, tables B25034, B25035, B25040 and B25003 data.census.gov
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Guide to Determining Climate Zone by County: Building America and IECC 2021 Updates basc.pnnl.gov
- U.S. Department of Energy Prototype Building Models (climate zones 1–8 and moisture regimes A, B, C) energycodes.gov
- ENERGY STAR Climate zones by county for windows, doors and skylights energystar.gov
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual and seasonal ncei.noaa.gov
- Federal Emergency Management Agency OpenFEMA NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (as of 2026-08-03) fema.gov
- Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index, county ratings fema.gov
- USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Imported fire ant quarantine map aphis.usda.gov
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations 7 CFR part 301, subpart P, Imported Fire Ant ecfr.gov
- Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Agriculture rules.sos.ri.gov rules.sos.ri.gov
- Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Professional Regulation (Board of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians, Fire Protection Sprinkler Fitters, Sheet Metal Workers, and Oil Heat Contractors) rules.sos.ri.gov rules.sos.ri.gov
- Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Professional Regulation (Board of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians, Fire Protection Sprinkler Fitters, Sheet Metal Workers, and Oil Heat Contractors) crb.ri.gov crb.ri.gov
- Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board rules.sos.ri.gov rules.sos.ri.gov
- Rhode Island Department of Health epa.gov epa.gov
- Rhode Island Department of Health rules.sos.ri.gov rules.sos.ri.gov
- Rhode Island Department of Health health.ri.gov health.ri.gov