About the Department of Business Regulation

Agency Operations

The Department's primary function is the implementation of state laws mandating the regulation and licensing of designated businesses, professions, occupations, and other specified activities. The areas regulated include Banking, Securities, Commercial Licensing, Office of Cannabis Regulation, Gaming and Athletics, Insurance, Accountants and the Division of Building, Design and Fire Professionals. Specifics on regulation in each of these areas can be found on the Division page on the Department website.



The Department has two locations, Buildings 68 & 69 located in the Pastore Complex at 1511 Pontiac Avenue in Cranston, which houses the following Divisions: Insurance, Banking, Securities and Commercial Licensing. The second location, at 560 Jefferson Blvd., Suite 100 in Warwick, houses the Office of Cannabis Regulation and State Board of Accountancy along with the State Building Commissioner, State Fire Marshal, the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review, the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers, Board of Registration for Professional Land Surveyors, Board of Examination and Registration of Architects, the Board of Examiners of Landscape Architects and the Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board which have been consolidated within the Department of Business Regulation’s Division of Building, Design and Fire Professionals. 

The Department Director is appointed pursuant to Title 42 of the Rhode Island General Laws and serves statutorily as the Real Estate Administrator and State Boxing Commissioner and supervises all Financial Services which includes Insurance, Banking and Securities. Boards and Commissions housed within the Department include the Real Estate Commission, Real Estate Appraisal Board, the Auto Collision Repair Licensing Advisory Board, the Rhode Island Boards of Accountancy, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Engineering and Land Survey, Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review, Building Code Commission, and the Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board. The Department issues more than 200,000 licenses and conducts administrative hearings involving issuances, suspensions, or revocations of those licenses.

Statutory History

The Department was established by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1939 and is organized under Title 42 of the Rhode Island General Laws.