Update 7/07/25 - SB 213, which addresses self-storage liens, officially passed on July 5 and took effect without a signature from Gov. Daniel McKee. A reason for his decision to forego signature wasn’t reported, according to sources.
The new legislation mandates that self-storage operators can’t sell a tenant’s stored property sooner than 60 days after the first payment default and 15 days after the sale has been published on a publicly accessible website or in a local newspaper for a minimum of seven days, sources reported.
“People are struggling these days, and it’s unfair to sell an individual’s belongings without giving them enough time to pay their unit bills,” said Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone, who co-sponsored the bill. “This legislation will afford people who fall behind on their self-storage rental fees the time and notice to either remove their items or get up to date with what they owe to keep the unit.”
Related:State Regs, Tech Pitfalls, Fraud, Etc. Engfer and Greenberger Discuss the Latest Legal Risks in Self-Storage Operation
The Rhode Island House voting process sparked controversy when leadership held open a close amendment vote while seeking absent members. SB 213 passed 32-31, but they refused to count a representative who returned seconds after the vote. Then, while the amendment’s sponsor was outside the chamber speaking with a lobbyist, house leadership moved the unamended Senate version of the self-storage bill up on the agenda. This allowed the original bill to pass without previously approved consumer-protection amendments, sources reported.
Sources:Press Reader, ‘They Took Advantage of People’: RI Self-Storage Bill Causes StirRhode Island Current, Five Wins From Rhode Island’s 2025 Legislative Session
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Posted 6/24/25 - Rhode Island Senate Bill 213 (SB 213), which updates the state’s self-storage lien legislation, was approved by the senate on June 20 and will soon be sent to Governor Daniel McKee for approval. It'll take effect immediately upon his signature. SB 213 was supported by the national Self Storage Association (SSA) and Northeast Self Storage Association (NeSSA), according to a recent NeSSA announcement.
Once the bill is signed into law, Rhode Island self-storage operators will no longer be required to advertise their lien sales on the website originally identified in the rental agreement. Instead, they may send a notice to the tenant, informing them of a new advertising location. In addition, operators can now advertise the sale once in a newspaper of general circulation in lieu of online advertising, sources reported.
Related:Handling Law-Enforcement Requests Without Compromising Your Self-Storage Tenants’ Trust
SB 213 also includes a new section that amends the lien-enforcement timeline. The law previously required self-storage operators to conduct a sale no sooner than 10 days after the first publication. The time has been extended to 15 days after final publication. This change is a result of a drafting error that couldn’t be fixed before the legislature was scheduled to adjourn for the year. Additionally, as a compromise to eliminate the newspaper requirement, the minimum enforcement timeline was adjusted to 60 days after the self-storage tenant’s default, a source reported.
NeSSA represents self-storage professionals in the Northeast. It aims to strengthen the industry by promoting professional standards and quality, and presenting a unified voice on issues affecting its members.
The SSA represents more than 22,000 U.S. and international member-affiliated self-storage facilities, according to its website. It’s allied with several state and international self-storage associations and has about 6,000 members.
Sources:LegiScan, Senate Bill 213Northeast Self Storage Association, Rhode Island Legislative Victory!
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