Desautel Browning Law

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Desautel Browning Law Desautel Browning Law is at the forefront of complex land use and environmental matters.

As October closes, a simple reality for developers, owners, and businesses: the work you file now can be decided this ye...
10/22/2026

As October closes, a simple reality for developers, owners, and businesses: the work you file now can be decided this year. The work you defer joins a spring backlog behind everyone else who waited.

A short year-end gut check:

▪️ Is anything sitting on your desk that needs a board or agency decision before year-end?
▪️ Are your permits, approvals, and compliance obligations current — or is something quietly expiring?
▪️ Is there a deal, a dispute, or an enforcement matter you've been meaning to get counsel on 'when things slow down'?

Things don't slow down; the calendar just runs out. If any of those is a yes, the last two months of the year are when getting ahead is still possible.

🔗 desautelbrowning.com | (401) 477-0023

After a significant legal battle, a Burrillville resident who opposed the installation of a turf field has emerged victo...
10/21/2026

After a significant legal battle, a Burrillville resident who opposed the installation of a turf field has emerged victorious in an anti-SLAPP lawsuit. As a result of this victory, they are now seeking $555,000 from the town to cover legal fees and damages.

This case highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding local development projects and the rights of individuals to speak out against them.

For more details on this story, check out the full article here: https://bit.ly/487rdZY

Part of what makes a specialist firm work isn't just the lawyers — it's the vetted network behind them: wetlands scienti...
10/21/2026

Part of what makes a specialist firm work isn't just the lawyers — it's the vetted network behind them: wetlands scientists, engineers, environmental consultants, surveyors. On a hard project, the right question is 'who's on the team,' not just 'who's my lawyer.'

🔗 desautelbrowning.com | (401) 477-0023

🚨 Important Update: Concerns are rising over potential sources of PFAS contamination at local schools! Check out this ar...
10/20/2026

🚨 Important Update: Concerns are rising over potential sources of PFAS contamination at local schools!

Check out this article for insights into the investigation surrounding leach fields and turf debris that may be affecting school wells: https://bit.ly/3UDPyDF

Residents in Tiverton are calling on a Superior Court judge to step in regarding the ongoing dispute over the Sapowet Co...
10/20/2026

Residents in Tiverton are calling on a Superior Court judge to step in regarding the ongoing dispute over the Sapowet Cove oyster farm. This situation highlights the growing tension between local abutters and the aquaculture industry, as community members express concern over potential impacts on their property and the environment. 🦪

For more details on this developing story, check out the full article here: https://bit.ly/4zOpjto.

As heating season starts, older properties across New England still run on oil — and aging underground and aboveground s...
10/20/2026

As heating season starts, older properties across New England still run on oil — and aging underground and aboveground storage tanks are a quiet source of environmental liability.

What owners tend to overlook:

1. An old underground tank you 'think' was removed may still be there — and it transfers with the property.
2. A leak doesn't stay put; it can reach soil, groundwater, and a neighbor's land, and the cleanup obligation follows the owner.
3. Documentation of a proper removal or closure is what protects you in a future sale — 'we took care of it' is not.

If you own an older property, heating season is a good prompt to confirm what's actually in the ground and whether your records would survive a buyer's diligence.

🔗 desautelbrowning.com | (401) 477-0023

Useful to know: RI DEM, MassDEP, and CT DEEP maintain records you can request on a property's environmental history — pe...
10/19/2026

Useful to know: RI DEM, MassDEP, and CT DEEP maintain records you can request on a property's environmental history — permits, violations, and open matters. Pulling that file early in a deal (or before you buy) is one of the cheapest risk checks available.

🔗 desautelbrowning.com | (401) 477-0023

One thing sets a specialist firm apart in land use and environmental work: not just the attorneys, but the people they c...
10/18/2026

One thing sets a specialist firm apart in land use and environmental work: not just the attorneys, but the people they can call.

A hard project rarely turns on the law alone. It turns on the wetlands scientist who can defend a delineation, the engineer who can redesign a system to clear a condition, the environmental consultant who can read a Phase II the way an agency will, the surveyor whose plan holds up under scrutiny.

Desautel Browning Law was built around that idea — a vetted network across engineering, wetlands, stormwater, planning, and environmental science, coordinated so the pieces of a project actually move together.

When the matter is complicated, the right question isn't only 'who's my lawyer.' It's 'who's on the team.'

🔗 desautelbrowning.com | (401) 477-0023

Plain English: 'as-of-right' means your use is permitted without discretionary approval — no special-use permit, no vari...
10/17/2026

Plain English: 'as-of-right' means your use is permitted without discretionary approval — no special-use permit, no variance. Knowing whether your project is as-of-right (or isn't) changes your whole timeline. Many owners assume they need approvals they don't — or skip ones they do.

🔗 desautelbrowning.com | (401) 477-0023

Vacant land looks simple and rarely is. Before you commit to a year-end purchase, the zoning and land use file will tell...
10/16/2026

Vacant land looks simple and rarely is. Before you commit to a year-end purchase, the zoning and land use file will tell you whether your plan is even possible on that parcel.

Pull these before you're under contract:

1. The zoning district and every dimensional rule that applies — setbacks, frontage, lot coverage, height.
2. Any overlay districts — wetlands, coastal, historic, watershed — that quietly change what you can do.
3. Access and frontage: is the lot legally buildable, or does it need a variance to be used at all?
4. Prior applications, denials, or conditions attached to the land.
5. Whether utilities and a legal means of onsite wastewater are actually available.

The answers determine your price, your timeline, and whether the deal makes sense at all. Better to know before the deposit than after.

🔗 desautelbrowning.com | (401) 477-0023

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38 Bellevue Avenue Suite B
Newport, RI

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Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

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