Rhode Island General Laws
Part II - Licensing of Broker-Dealers, Sales Representatives, and Investment Advisers and Investment Adviser Representatives
Section 7-11-206. - Licensing and notice fees; and filing requirements for federal covered advisers.

§ 7-11-206. Licensing and notice fees; and filing requirements for federal covered advisers.
(a) A federal covered adviser or an applicant for licensing shall pay an annual fee as follows:
(1) Broker-dealer three hundred dollars ($300) and for each branch office one hundred dollars ($100);
(2) Sales representative one hundred dollars ($100.00);
(3) Investment adviser three hundred dollars ($300);
(4) Investment adviser representative sixty dollars ($60.00); and
(5) Federal covered adviser three hundred dollars ($300).
(b) Except with respect to federal covered advisers whose only clients are those described in § 7-11-204(1)(i), a federal covered adviser shall file any documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with the director, that the director requires by rule or order, together with any notice fee and consent to service of process that the director requires by rule or order. The notice filings under this subsection expire annually on December 31, unless renewed.
(c) A notice filing under this section is effective from receipt until the end of the calendar year. A notice filing may be renewed by filing any documents that have been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as required by the director along with a renewal fee of three hundred dollars ($300).
(d) A federal covered adviser may terminate a notice filing upon providing the director notice of the termination, which is effective upon receipt by the director.
(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, until October 11, 1999, the director may require the registration as an investment adviser of any federal covered adviser who has failed to promptly pay the fees required by this section after written notification from the director of the nonpayment or underpayment of the fees. A federal covered adviser is considered to have promptly paid the fees if they are remitted to the director within fifteen (15) days following the federal covered adviser’s receipt of written notice from the director.
(f) For purposes of this section, “branch office” means any location where one or more associated persons of a broker-dealer regularly conducts the business of effecting any transactions in, or inducing or attempting to induce the purchase or sale of any security, or is held out as such, excluding:
(1) Any location that is established solely for customer service and/or back office type functions where no sales activities are conducted and that is not held out to the public as a branch office;
(2) Any location that is the associated person’s primary residence; provided that:
(i) Only one associated person, or multiple associated persons who reside at that location and are members of the same immediate family, conduct business at the location;
(ii) The location is not held out to the public as an office and the associated person does not meet with customers at the location;
(iii) Neither customer funds nor securities are handled at that location;
(iv) The associated person is assigned to a designated branch office, and such designated branch office is reflected on all business cards, stationery, advertisements, and other communications to the public by such associated person;
(v) The associated person’s correspondence and communications with the public are subject to the firm’s supervision in accordance with Rule 3010 of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority;
(vi) Electronic communications are made through the broker-dealer’s electronic system;
(vii) All orders are entered through the designated branch office or an electronic system established by the broker-dealer that is reviewable at the branch office;
(viii) Written supervisory procedures pertaining to supervision of sales activities conducted at the residence are maintained by the broker-dealer; and
(ix) A list of the residence locations is maintained by the broker-dealer;
(3) Any location, other than a primary residence, that is used for securities business for less than thirty (30) business days in any one calendar year, provided the broker-dealer complies with the provisions of subsections (f)(2)(i) through (ix) above;
(4) Any office of convenience, where associated person(s) occasionally and exclusively by appointment meet with customers, that is not held out to the public as an office;
(5) Any location that is used primarily to engage in non-securities activities and from which the associated person(s) effects no more than twenty-five (25) securities transactions in any one calendar year; provided that any advertisement or sales literature identifying such location also sets forth the address and telephone number of the location from which the associated person(s) conducting business at the non-branch locations are directly supervised;
(6) The floor of a registered national securities exchange where a broker-dealer conducts a direct access business with public customers;
(7) A temporary location established in response to the implementation of a business continuity plan.
(g) Notwithstanding the exclusions in subsection (f), any location that is responsible for supervising the activities of persons associated with the broker-dealer at one or more non-branch locations of the broker-dealer is considered to be a branch office.
(h) The term “business day” as used in subsection (f) shall not include any partial business day provided that the associated person spends at least four (4) hours on such business day at his or her designated branch office during the hours that such office is normally open for business.
(i) Where the office of convenience is located on bank premises, signage necessary to comply with applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations and applicable rules and regulations of the New York Stock Exchange, other self-regulatory organizations, and securities and banking regulators may be displayed and shall not be deemed “holding out” for purposes of subsection (f)(4).
(j) If an application is denied or withdrawn or the license is revoked, suspended, or withdrawn, the director is not required to refund the fee paid.
(k) The director may issue a stop order suspending the activities of a federal covered adviser in this state if the director reasonably believes there has been a violation of the provisions of this section.
History of Section.P.L. 1990, ch. 460, § 2; P.L. 1997, ch. 69, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 32, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 73, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 68, art. 12, § 3; P.L. 2011, ch. 151, art. 19, § 12; P.L. 2021, ch. 162, art. 6, § 3, effective July 1, 2021.