2023 Rhode Island General Laws
Title 44 - Taxation
Chapter 44-5 - Levy and Assessment of Local Taxes
Section 44-5-12.1. - Assessment of tangible personal property.

Universal Citation: RI Gen L § 44-5-12.1. (2023)

§ 44-5-12.1. Assessment of tangible personal property.

(a) All tangible personal property subject to taxation shall be assessed for taxation based on the original purchase price (new or used) including all costs such as freight and installation. Assets will be classified and depreciated as defined in this section.

(b) The following classification and depreciation table shall be used in determining the assessed value of tangible personal property.

State of Rhode Island Tangible Property Classification
Class I Class II Class III
Class of Assets Short Life Mid-Life Long Life
Age 1-5 yrs 6-12 yrs 13+ yrs
1 95 95 95
2 80 90 90
3 60 80 85
4 30 70 80
5 20 60 75
6 20 50 70
7 20 40 65
8 20 30 60
9 20 30 55
10 20 30 50
11 20 30 45
12 20 30 40
13 20 30 35
14 20 30 30
15+ 20 30 30

Assets Shall Not be Trended

(c) Assets shall be classified on an annual basis by the Rhode Island Association of Assessing Officers’ Personal Property Committee based on the following table:

INDUSTRY GROUP IN YEARS CLASS
Agriculture machinery and equipment II
Aircraft and all helicopters II
Amusement and theme parks II
Apparel and fabricated textile manufacturing II
Automobile repair shops II
Bakeries and confectionery production II
Barber and beauty shops II
Billboards III
Brewery equipment not used directly in manufacturing II
Cable television, headend facilities: II
Microwave systems II
Program origination II
Service and test II
Subscriber connection and distribution II
Canneries and frozen food production II
Cement processing III
Chemical and allied production II
Clay products processing III
Cold storage and ice-making equipment III
Cold storage warehouse equipment II
Computers, personal computers (PC), laptops, tablets, cellphones,
mainframe/servers, peripherals, keyboard, mouse I
Condiments, processing II
Construction equipment, general construction, backhoes,
forklifts, loaders, cranes, unregistered vehicles II
Dairy products processing II
Data handling equipment, except computers II
printers, copiers, bridges, routers and gateways II
Distilling II
Electrical equipment not used in manufacturing II
Electronic equipment II
Fabricated metal products/special tools II
Fishing equipment, excluding boats and barges, lines, nets I
Food and beverage production II
Fur processing II
Gas distribution, total distribution equipment III
Glass and glass products/special tools II
Grain and grain mill products processing III
Gypsum products III
Hand tools II
Hospital furnishings and equipment II
Hotel and motel furnishings and equipment II
Jewelry products and pens II
Knitwear and knit products, ex, work uniforms I
Laundry equipment II
Leather and leather products II
Logging, timber cutting II
Marine construction II
Meatpacking II
Medical and dental supply production II
Metalworking machinery processing II
Mining and quarrying II
Motion picture and television production II
Motor vehicle and parts/special tools II
Office furniture and equipment II
Optical lenses and instrument processing II
Paints and varnishes I
Petroleum refining III
pipeline transportation III
Plastics manufacturing I/II
Plastic products processing/special tools II
Primary metals production, nonferrous and foundry products III
special tools III
Primary steel mill products III
Printing and publishing II
Professional and scientific instruments II
Radio and television, broadcasting II
Railroad transportation equipment II
locomotive II
Recreation and amusement II
Retail trades, fixtures and equipment II
Residential furniture II
Restaurant and bar equipment II
Restaurant equipment, fast foods II
Rubber products processing/special tools II
Sawmills, permanent/portable II
Service establishments II
Ship and boat building equipment/special tools II
Soft drink processing and bottling II
Stone products processing III
Telecommunications, local and interstate II
analog switching II
circuit, digital, analog, optic II
information/origination equipment I/II
smart phones I
metallic cable III
fiber cable, poles, conduit III
all other equipment II
Telecommunications, cellular
analog/digital switching II
radio frequency channel and control II
power equipment II
antennae II
towers III
transmission equipment II
cellular phones I
Textile products, including finishing and dyeing II
yarn, thread and woven fabrics II
Theater equipment II
Utilities/power production III
generation, transmission, or distribution equipment III
Waste reduction and resource recovery II
Water transportation III
vessels, barges and tugs III
Water utilities III
Wharves, docks and piers III
Wholesale trade fixtures and equipment II
Wood products and furniture manufacturing II

(d) Any industry, group, or asset not enumerated in subsection (c) of this section, shall be categorized as class II.

History of Section.
P.L. 2006, ch. 383, § 2; P.L. 2006, ch. 434, § 2; P.L. 2018, ch. 315, § 1; P.L. 2018, ch. 352, § 1; P.L. 2021, ch. 422, § 1, effective July 17, 2021.

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