Rhode Island opens statewide competition for ready-to-use ADU designs

Rhode Island has opened a statewide competition seeking accessory dwelling unit designs that homeowners could eventually use as a free starting point for smaller homes on existing residential properties.

The +1 RI ADU Design Competition is accepting concepts from architects, designers, builders, contractors and students. The application portal officially opened at 8:30 a.m. on August 11, 2026, according to the competition project manual. Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on October 23.

The initiative is intended to create a public catalog of adaptable, accessible and cost-conscious designs. It is not a housing-construction program, and it does not give homeowners automatic approval to build.

Important dates for applicants

The optional virtual question-and-answer session is scheduled for September 9, 2026, at 11 a.m. The state says applicants will be notified of awards on or about November 30, and the project manual identifies an awards event for on or about December 11.

The General Assembly described August 10 as the competition’s launch date, while the Executive Office of Housing’s current project materials identify August 11 at 8:30 a.m. as the application portal opening. For applicants, the operative deadline is October 23 at 11:59 p.m.

Who can submit a design

Applicants may enter individually or in teams of no more than five people. Eligible participants include architects, designers, builders, contractors and students.

Professional applicants must be currently licensed or registered in Rhode Island, or actively work for a licensed or registered architect or contractor who can endorse the submission. Student entries must include a licensed or registered professional team member or mentor who reviews and endorses the submission.

The competition asks participants to design an attached or detached ADU for one of three case-study sites. The project manual says the designs should follow Rhode Island’s one- and two-family dwelling code and include sleeping, cooking or eating space and at least one full bathroom.

What homeowners could get

The planned catalog is intended to give Rhode Island homeowners no-cost design options for accessory dwelling units, commonly known as ADUs. An ADU is a smaller, independent home on the same property as an existing single-family or multifamily residence.

ADUs can include detached backyard cottages, converted garages or other accessory structures, additions to a primary home, and finished basements or other interior spaces. A qualifying unit generally includes living and sleeping areas, cooking facilities, a bathroom and a separate entrance.

Those designs could be useful for households seeking space for an older relative, a caregiver, a family member with a disability or a multigenerational household. An ADU may also provide additional household space or longer-term rental flexibility, subject to applicable rules. Rhode Island’s materials say ADUs cannot be used as short-term rentals.

State guidance says municipalities may set maximum sizes, but must allow studios or one-bedroom ADUs up to 900 square feet, or 60% of the primary home’s floor area, whichever is less. For two-bedroom ADUs, the limit is up to 1,200 square feet, or 60% of the primary home’s floor area, whichever is less, subject to applicable dimensional requirements.

What the competition does not provide

A catalog design could reduce some early planning work, but it would not guarantee that a particular plan fits a homeowner’s lot, budget or utility conditions. Construction, engineering, utility work, permitting, inspections and site adaptation would remain separate project issues unless future assistance is announced.

Homeowners considering an ADU should still check with their municipality about zoning, setbacks, lot size, parking, utilities, building-code requirements and the local permitting process. Rhode Island law sets statewide ADU standards, but the state’s materials say local requirements still matter when they do not conflict with state law.

The competition also does not mean selected concepts already have permit-ready plans. The Executive Office of Housing says it may work with winning designers to advance selected designs toward permit-ready documentation and implementation resources. The project manual likewise says winning designs may receive reasonable services to reach construction-permit-ready documents if additional design and specification work is needed.

The competition is also not a homeowner application program. Designers and building professionals are submitting concepts now; homeowners would use any future public catalog later and would still need to develop a site-specific project.

Prizes and the housing strategy

The competition’s prizes are $10,000 for first place, $6,000 for second place, $4,000 for third place, $3,000 for the Best Accessible ADU and $2,000 for the Most Innovative ADU. The project manual says the prize money is funded by the AARP Community Challenge grant and that no public dollars will be awarded to challenge winners.

The competition itself is supported by a $25,000 AARP Community Challenge grant. That money supports the competition and related design work; it is not homeowner construction assistance.

The project is connected to Rhode Island’s Housing 2030 planning goals, including a statewide target of creating 525 ADUs by the end of 2030. That is a planning goal, not a completed result.

For residents, the near-term opportunity is informational rather than financial: designers are submitting concepts now, while homeowners will have to wait for any public catalog and then complete the normal local review process before construction.

Sources

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