R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-6-2

This is the official text of R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-6-2, part of Rhode Island’s Gen. Laws — part of the compiled statutory law of Rhode Island, published by the state as "Gen. Laws." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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§ 2-6-2. Definitions.

Official statutory text

When used in this chapter:

(1) €œAdvertisement€ means all representations, other than those on the label, disseminated in any manner or by any means, relating to seed within the scope of this chapter.

(2) €œAgricultural seed€ means the seeds of grass, forage, cereal, and fiber crops and other kinds of seeds commonly recognized within this state as agricultural seeds, lawn seeds and mixtures of those seeds, and may include noxious weed seeds when the director determines that the seed is being used as agricultural seed.

(3) €œCertifying agency€ means:

(i) an agency authorized under the laws of a state, territory or possession to officially certify seed; or

(ii) an agency of a foreign country determined by the U.S. secretary of agriculture to adhere to procedures and standards for seed certification comparable to those adhered to generally by seed certifying agencies under (i).

(4) €œDirector€ means the director of the department of environmental management of the state of Rhode Island and/or his or her authorized deputies or agents.

(5) The terms €œFine-textured grasses€ and €œCoarse kinds€ are defined in rules and regulations under this chapter.

(6) €œHybrid€ means the first generation seed of a cross produced by controlling the pollination and by combining: (1) two (2) or more inbred lines; (2) one inbred or a single cross with an open pollination variety; or (3) two (2) varieties or species, except open-pollinated varieties of corn (Zea mays). The second generation of subsequent generations from those crosses are not regarded as hybrids. Hybrid designations are treated as variety names.

(7) €œKind€ means one or more related species or sub-species which, singly or collectively, is known by one common name, for example, corn, oats, alfalfa, and timothy.

(8) €œLabeling€ means all labels, and other written, printed, or graphic representations, in any form whatsoever, accompanying or pertaining to any seed whether in bulk or in containers, and includes representations on invoices.

(9) €œLot€ means a definite quantity of seed identified by a lot number or other mark, every portion or bag of which is uniform within recognized tolerances for the factors which appear in the labeling.

(10) €œPerson€ means any individual, partnership, corporation, company, society, or association.

(11) €œPrivate hearing€ may consist of a discussion of facts between the person charged and the director.

(12) €œProhibited noxious weed seeds€ means the seeds of perennial weeds that not only reproduce by seed but also spread by underground roots, stems and other reproductive parts, and which, when well established, are highly destructive and difficult to control in this state by ordinary good cultural practice.

(13) €œPure Seed€, €œGermination€, and other seed labeling and testing terms in common usage shall be defined as in the Rules for Testing Seeds published by the Association of Official Seed Analysts, effective July 1, 1955 and as subsequently amended.

(14) €œRecord€ means all information relating to the shipment or shipments involved and includes a file sample of each lot of seed.

(15) €œRestricted noxious weed seeds€ means the seeds of weeds that are objectionable in fields, lawns, and gardens of this state, but can be controlled by good cultural practices.

(16) €œSeize€ means a legal process carried out by court order against a definite amount of seed.

(17) €œStop sale€ means an administrative order, provided by law, restraining the sale, use, disposition, and movement of a definite amount of seed.

(18) €œTreated€ means given an application of a substance or subjected to a process designed to reduce, control, or repel disease organisms, insects, or other pests which attack seeds or seedlings growing therefrom.

(19) €œType€ means a group of varieties so nearly similar that the individual varieties cannot be clearly differentiated except under special conditions.
a definite amount of seed.

(18) €œTreated€ means given an application of a substance or subjected to a process designed to reduce, control, or repel disease organisms, insects, or other pests which attack seeds or seedlings growing therefrom.

(19) €œType€ means a group of varieties so nearly similar that the individual varieties cannot be clearly differentiated except under special conditions.

(20) €œVariety€ means a subdivision of a kind characterized by growth, yield, plant, fruit, seed, or other characteristics, by which it can be differentiated from other plants of the same kind.

(21) €œVegetable seeds€ means the seeds of those crops which are grown in gardens and on truck farms and are generally known and sold under the name of vegetable seeds in this state.

(22) €œWeed seeds€ means the seeds of all plants generally recognized as weeds within this state and includes noxious weed seeds.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.