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What a Rhode Island meeting notice must include, and when to post it

Short answer

For every meeting, a Rhode Island public body posts a written notice at least 48 hours before the date of the meeting, not counting weekends or state holidays. The notice states the date it was posted; the date, time and place of the meeting; and the business to be discussed. It is posted at the body's office (or the meeting building), at one other prominent place in the town, and filed electronically with the Secretary of State.(R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-6(b) and (c))

This guide explains the law in plain words; it is not legal advice. For a question about your board, ask your town or city solicitor.
By Clarivis · Checked against R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-6 on Wed, Oct 7, 2026.

Questions on this page

What must the notice say?

Three things, in the law's own words:

Statute text

“This notice shall include the date the notice was posted; the date, time, and place of the meeting; and a statement specifying the nature of the business to be discussed.”

R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-6(b)

In plain terms:

  • The date you posted it. Easy to forget, because the meeting date is the one everyone looks at.
  • The date, time and place. The notice section does not list online access details. If the public can follow or join online, saying how on the notice helps residents.
  • A statement of the business. Each item should tell a resident what the board will actually take up.

How specific is specific enough? The statute does not define it. A useful test: could a resident who reads only this line decide whether to come? "Zoning variance, 12 Main Street, request to add a second-floor deck; possible vote" passes. "Variance request" does not.

In the Attorney General's open meetings findings, agenda wording is one of the two most common problems; the other is minutes. Of the 13 findings of a violation in the office's 2023 annual report, 7 involved an agenda item that did not tell the public clearly enough what the board would discuss or decide. In 2024 it was 2 of 9, for an agenda that was too vague, late or not posted.

How far ahead do we have to post it?

Statute text

“Public bodies shall give supplemental written public notice of any meeting within a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours, excluding weekends and state holidays in the count of hours, before the date.”

R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-6(b)

Forty-eight hours is the minimum, and hours that fall on a Saturday, a Sunday or a state holiday do not count.

Count back from the start of the meeting day. The law measures the 48 hours to "the date" of the meeting. The safe way to count starts at midnight at the beginning of the meeting day, so the hours of the meeting day itself never count. Some read the law as counting back from the meeting's start time instead, which gives a later deadline; that question is not settled (see below). Counting the safe way:

  • A Monday meeting, at any hour: post by the end of the Wednesday before.
  • A Tuesday meeting: post by the end of the Thursday before.
  • A Monday holiday in between: one more day earlier.

Which days are state holidays? The Act's definitions section (§ 42-46-2) does not define the term. Rhode Island's general holidays are listed in R.I. Gen. Laws § 25-1-1. Two of the days it names are easy to miss:

Statute text

“the third Monday of February (as Washington’s Birthday), the fourth day of May (as Rhode Island Independence Day)”

R.I. Gen. Laws § 25-1-1

The safe count treats every day that section names as a holiday.

When in doubt, post earlier. Nothing in the law stops a board from giving more notice than the minimum.

Where does the notice have to go?

Statute text

“Written public notice shall include, but need not be limited to, posting a copy of the notice at the principal office of the public body holding the meeting, or if no principal office exists, at the building in which the meeting is to be held, and in at least one other prominent place within the governmental unit, and electronic filing of the notice with the secretary of state pursuant to subsection (f)”

R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-6(c)

So, three places at minimum:

  1. The body's principal office, or the meeting building if the body has no office.
  2. One other prominent place in the town or city.
  3. The Secretary of State, filed electronically through its open meetings portal.

Keep a copy. The statute says: "Copies of the notice shall be maintained by the public body for a minimum of one year." (§ 42-46-6(b))

Is there a separate notice at the start of the year?

Yes. Every public body gives a yearly notice of its regular meeting schedule:

Statute text

“All public bodies shall give written notice of their regularly scheduled meetings at the beginning of each calendar year. The notice shall include the dates, times, and places of the meetings and shall be provided to members of the public upon request and to the secretary of state at the beginning of each calendar year in accordance with subsection (f).”

R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-6(a)

This annual notice does not replace the 48-hour notice for each meeting. Both are required.

Can we add an item after the notice is posted?

Only in a narrow way. Most bodies may add an item by majority vote, but an added item is for information only:

Statute text

“Nothing contained herein shall prevent a public body, other than a school committee, from adding additional items to the agenda by majority vote of the members.”

“Such additional items shall be for informational purposes only and may not be voted on except where necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public or to refer the matter to an appropriate committee or to another body or official.”

R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-6(b)

In practice: if the board may need to vote on something, put it on the posted notice. An added item can be discussed, and the board may vote to refer it to a committee or to another body or official. Otherwise it cannot be voted on, unless an unexpected occurrence requires immediate action to protect the public.

School committees cannot add items this way. They follow separate rules for revised agendas in § 42-46-6(e).

Public comment. Members may respond to a resident who raises an unlisted topic during a properly noticed open forum, but those matters are informational only and cannot be voted on outside the same emergency and referral exceptions (§ 42-46-6(d)). A board is not required to hold an open forum and may limit comment at one.

What about an emergency meeting?

Statute text

“nothing contained herein shall prevent a public body from holding an emergency meeting, upon an affirmative vote of the majority of the members of the body when the meeting is deemed necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public.”

R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-6(c)

An emergency meeting still needs a notice and agenda, posted and filed with the Secretary of State "as soon as practicable". At the meeting, the board states for the record and the minutes why the matter could not wait 48 hours, and discusses only the issue that created the emergency (§ 42-46-6(c)).

Checklist for each meeting

  • Notice states the date it was posted.
  • Notice states the meeting's date, time and place.
  • Every item says what the business is, specifically enough for a resident to decide whether to attend.
  • Any item the board may vote on says so (good practice).
  • Posted at the principal office (or the meeting building) and one other prominent place.
  • Filed electronically with the Secretary of State.
  • All of the above done at least 48 hours before the meeting day, counting from its first minute and not counting weekends or state holidays; earlier when in doubt.
  • A copy kept for at least one year.
  • At the start of the year: the regular meeting schedule posted and filed.

What the law does not settle

These are questions to take to your town or city solicitor; this guide does not answer them.

  • Whether the 48 hours run to the start of the meeting day or to the meeting's start time (see above).
  • Whether "state holidays" means every day named in § 25-1-1.
  • How specific an item must be for a particular kind of business.
  • Whether posting on the town website counts as the "other prominent place".

How Clarivis helps

Clarivis is software that helps a committee follow these steps; it does not post or file anything for you. Clarivis works with Rhode Island municipalities today.

  • Emails a reminder to file the notice while it is not yet marked filed.
  • Checks each agenda item and suggests more detail where an item may be too thin for a resident to know what to expect. It is advice; the board decides.
  • Prints the agenda and notice as a document with the town's details.
  • Records the filing. After you file the notice with the Secretary of State, you paste in the link to the posted notice, and the meeting shows the notice as filed.
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