Who needs a health club registration and surety bond in Rhode Island?

Issued by Rhode Island Department of Attorney General, Consumer Protection Unit (registration); Department of Business Regulation (bond), at step 4 of 6 in the opening sequence: get the permits for your kind of business.

2 of the 20 kinds of business in Rhode Island

Any gym or studio selling memberships files the registration statement, with proof of the bond, before signing its first member; nonprofits and 30-day, no-initiation-fee programs are exempt from the bond. Contracts carry the Act’s three-day cancellation right and the refund terms for closure, relocation and disability, and a member can recover three times what they paid on a contract that breaks the chapter.

Checked Oct 21, 2026 against the agency’s page.

Step 4 of 6: Get the permits for your kind of business

  1. Set up the business
  2. Register for tax
  3. Approve the space
  4. Get the permits for your kind of business
  5. Alcohol permits
  6. Before the first hire

Issued by Rhode Island Department of Attorney General, Consumer Protection Unit (registration); Department of Business Regulation (bond).

Sources and dates

R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50 (Health Clubs); Attorney General health club registration page and form; Department of Business Regulation health clubs page. Checked against the agency’s page on the date shown; cities add their own fees.

Questions about opening here.