Situation

Building a patio or wall on a waterfront lot

In Rhode Island, construction or alteration within 200 feet of a coastal feature or tidal waters generally needs a permit from the Coastal Resources Management Council. For a waterfront patio, wall or walkway, plan the permit first: CRMC offers pre-application meetings, and the design should account for wind, salt and storm water.

Updated November 11, 2026

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Paver path and plantings around a backyard pool

The best views in the East Bay come with a rule: within 200 feet of the water, the state has a say.

What should you check before you design?

Find where the coastal feature is (shoreline, bank, wetland edge).
If you're within 200 feet, expect a CRMC permit for construction or alteration.
Use CRMC's pre-application meeting for bigger projects.
Plan materials for salt and wind: granite, bluestone, pavers rated for freeze-thaw.

Massachusetts waterfront work has its own conservation commission process. We're a referral service: one local crew gets your request and tells you plainly what's likely to need a permit.

Questions people ask

Do I need a CRMC permit for a patio?

Within 200 feet of a coastal feature or tidal waters, generally yes for construction or alteration; call CRMC at (401) 783-3370 to confirm.

How long does CRMC take?

It varies; plan ahead of the building season.

Does the crew handle the permit?

Ask; some do, some work with your designer or engineer.

Backyard never used: A backyard nobody uses? A patio with a fire pit, seat walls or a grill island turns it into the best room of the house from May to October. Bristol, Barrington, Warren, East Providence, Newport.
Sunken or heaving patio: Pavers or bluestone sinking, heaving after winter or full of weeds in Bristol, Barrington, Warren, East Providence, Newport or Fall River? Usually a base or drainage problem, and often repairable without new stone.
Crumbling front steps: Concrete steps spalling from salt, granite steps tilting, brick steps loose? Reset or replace with granite or bluestone in Bristol, Barrington, Warren, East Providence, Newport and Fall River.
Pavers vs bluestone: How concrete pavers, bluestone, granite, fieldstone and brick compare for patios and walks in Rhode Island and Massachusetts: look, freeze-thaw, salt, heat and repair. No prices.
Why patios heave: Frost heave, settling and spreading explained: base depth, compaction, drainage, pitch and edge restraint. What to ask your mason before a patio, walk or wall goes in near Bristol, RI.

Sources

RI Coastal Resources Management Council: Applications and forms

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First name

Last name

Mobile number

ZIP

Property address

Suite / unit

What are you building?

When

Within 200 ft of the water?

Where are you

Photos of the area (optional, up to 4)

Up to 4 photos. They go only to the crew with your request.

Anything else worth knowing

Spring build slots fill over the winter. Photos help the crew quote it right.

East Bay HardscapeBristol, RI · patios · walls · steps

Plain, sourced answers about patios, walls and steps in Bristol and the East Bay, and one introduction to a local crew when you're ready to build.

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East Bay Hardscape is an independent referral service, not a contractor. We don't build, schedule or price work; the local crew we connect you with handles all of that directly with you and is responsible for its own registration, insurance and permits. We are not lawyers; permit information is general.

Building a patio or wall on a waterfront lot

What should you check before you design?

Questions people ask

Related

Sources

Start your project