Electronic Monitoring in Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities
RI Resident Room Camera Law
Health · Communications · Employees
Lets nursing home and assisted living residents place cameras or audio recorders in their own rooms with written consent on a state form, including consent from any roommate. Facilities must post notices, may not retaliate or refuse admission over monitoring, and no one may access recordings without the resident's written consent; recordings are the resident's property and may be shared only for health, safety or welfare concerns.
- Where
- Rhode Island
- Citation
- R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 23-17.29-1 to 23-17.29-13
- Status
- In force
- In force since
- 2025-01-30
- Enforced by
- Rhode Island Department of Health
- People can sue
- No
- Penalties
- The chapter sets no specific fine; it is enforced through Department of Health facility licensing, and contract terms limiting its rights are void.
- Applies to
- Licensed nursing facilities and assisted living residences in Rhode Island
- Residents and resident representatives who install monitoring devices, and roommates
- Any person who tampers with devices or accesses recordings
What a privacy notice must say
- Facilities must post signs at visitor entrances that some rooms may be electronically monitored and at the entrance of each monitored room.R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.29-8
Practices it requires
- Residents or representatives must consent in writing on the Department of Health form, obtain written consent from any roommate before monitoring, and disable devices before a non-consenting roommate moves in.R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 23-17.29-3, 23-17.29-5
- No person, facility or facility representative may access a recording without the written consent of the resident or representative; recordings may be disseminated only to address residents' health, safety or welfare concerns.R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.29-10(a)-(c)
- Do not knowingly obstruct, tamper with or destroy an authorized monitoring device or its recordings without permission.R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.29-9
- Facilities may not refuse admission, remove, retaliate or discriminate against residents over their monitoring decisions, and must reasonably accommodate residents whose roommate refuses consent.R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 23-17.29-4, 23-17.29-13
Sources
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: § 23-17.29-6 (standard conditions) was not summarized.
Research reference, not legal advice.