R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-16: Digging or smoking out animals — Use of probes.

No person or persons shall remove, or attempt to remove, a live muskrat, raccoon, mink, otter, skunk, or fox from any hole in the ground, from any stone wall, from within any ledge or from under any stone, from any den or house, or from any hole in any log or tree by digging or smoking, or by probing with any wooden, metal, or other device. No person shall set a trap within eight feet (8′) from a muskrat house. The provision of this section may be waived by the director on application by a landowner seeking to protect his or her property from nuisance furbearers.