diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/RuleList.test.tsx b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/RuleList.test.tsx
index e7898e55547..b13b738d74b 100644
--- a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/RuleList.test.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/RuleList.test.tsx
@@ -8,20 +8,23 @@ import { byLabelText, byRole, byTestId, byText } from 'testing-library-selector'
 
 import { locationService, setDataSourceSrv } from '@grafana/runtime';
 import { configureStore } from 'app/store/configureStore';
+import { AccessControlAction } from 'app/types';
 import { PromAlertingRuleState, PromApplication } from 'app/types/unified-alerting-dto';
 
 import RuleList from './RuleList';
 import { fetchBuildInfo } from './api/buildInfo';
 import { fetchRules } from './api/prometheus';
-import { fetchRulerRules, deleteRulerRulesGroup, deleteNamespace, setRulerRuleGroup } from './api/ruler';
+import { deleteNamespace, deleteRulerRulesGroup, fetchRulerRules, setRulerRuleGroup } from './api/ruler';
 import {
+  enableRBAC,
+  grantUserPermissions,
   mockDataSource,
+  MockDataSourceSrv,
   mockPromAlert,
   mockPromAlertingRule,
   mockPromRecordingRule,
   mockPromRuleGroup,
   mockPromRuleNamespace,
-  MockDataSourceSrv,
   somePromRules,
   someRulerRules,
 } from './mocks';
@@ -101,6 +104,8 @@ const ui = {
   moreErrorsButton: byRole('button', { name: /more errors/ }),
   editCloudGroupIcon: byTestId('edit-group'),
 
+  newRuleButton: byRole('link', { name: 'New alert rule' }),
+
   editGroupModal: {
     namespaceInput: byLabelText('Namespace'),
     ruleGroupInput: byLabelText('Rule group'),
@@ -628,4 +633,105 @@ describe('RuleList', () => {
       );
     });
   });
+
+  describe('RBAC Enabled', () => {
+    describe('Grafana Managed Alerts', () => {
+      it('New alert button should be visible when the user has alert rule create and folder read permissions and no rules exists', async () => {
+        enableRBAC();
+
+        grantUserPermissions([
+          AccessControlAction.FoldersRead,
+          AccessControlAction.AlertingRuleCreate,
+          AccessControlAction.AlertingRuleRead,
+        ]);
+
+        mocks.getAllDataSourcesMock.mockReturnValue([]);
+        setDataSourceSrv(new MockDataSourceSrv({}));
+        mocks.api.fetchRules.mockResolvedValue([]);
+        mocks.api.fetchRulerRules.mockResolvedValue({});
+
+        renderRuleList();
+
+        await waitFor(() => expect(mocks.api.fetchRules).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
+        expect(ui.newRuleButton.get()).toBeInTheDocument();
+      });
+
+      it('New alert button should be visible when the user has alert rule create and folder read permissions and rules already exists', async () => {
+        enableRBAC();
+
+        grantUserPermissions([
+          AccessControlAction.FoldersRead,
+          AccessControlAction.AlertingRuleCreate,
+          AccessControlAction.AlertingRuleRead,
+        ]);
+
+        mocks.getAllDataSourcesMock.mockReturnValue([]);
+        setDataSourceSrv(new MockDataSourceSrv({}));
+        mocks.api.fetchRules.mockResolvedValue(somePromRules('grafana'));
+        mocks.api.fetchRulerRules.mockResolvedValue(someRulerRules);
+
+        renderRuleList();
+
+        await waitFor(() => expect(mocks.api.fetchRules).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
+        expect(ui.newRuleButton.get()).toBeInTheDocument();
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('Cloud Alerts', () => {
+      it('New alert button should be visible when the user has the alert rule external write and datasource read permissions and no rules exists', async () => {
+        enableRBAC();
+
+        grantUserPermissions([
+          // AccessControlAction.AlertingRuleRead,
+          AccessControlAction.DataSourcesRead,
+          AccessControlAction.AlertingRuleExternalRead,
+          AccessControlAction.AlertingRuleExternalWrite,
+        ]);
+
+        mocks.getAllDataSourcesMock.mockReturnValue([dataSources.prom]);
+        setDataSourceSrv(new MockDataSourceSrv({ prom: dataSources.prom }));
+        mocks.api.fetchBuildInfo.mockResolvedValue({
+          application: PromApplication.Cortex,
+          features: {
+            rulerApiEnabled: true,
+          },
+        });
+
+        mocks.api.fetchRules.mockResolvedValue([]);
+        mocks.api.fetchRulerRules.mockResolvedValue({});
+
+        renderRuleList();
+
+        await waitFor(() => expect(mocks.api.fetchRules).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
+        expect(ui.newRuleButton.get()).toBeInTheDocument();
+      });
+
+      it('New alert button should be visible when the user has the alert rule external write and data source read permissions and rules already exists', async () => {
+        enableRBAC();
+
+        grantUserPermissions([
+          AccessControlAction.DataSourcesRead,
+          AccessControlAction.AlertingRuleExternalRead,
+          AccessControlAction.AlertingRuleExternalWrite,
+        ]);
+
+        mocks.getAllDataSourcesMock.mockReturnValue([dataSources.prom]);
+        setDataSourceSrv(new MockDataSourceSrv({ prom: dataSources.prom }));
+        mocks.api.fetchBuildInfo.mockResolvedValue({
+          application: PromApplication.Cortex,
+          features: {
+            rulerApiEnabled: true,
+          },
+        });
+
+        mocks.api.fetchRules.mockResolvedValue(somePromRules('Cortex'));
+        mocks.api.fetchRulerRules.mockResolvedValue(someRulerRules);
+
+        renderRuleList();
+
+        await waitFor(() => expect(mocks.api.fetchRules).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
+        expect(ui.newRuleButton.get()).toBeInTheDocument();
+      });
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/RuleFolderPicker.tsx b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/RuleFolderPicker.tsx
index 1e65372a238..518348877aa 100644
--- a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/RuleFolderPicker.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/RuleFolderPicker.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import React, { FC } from 'react';
 
 import { FolderPicker, Props as FolderPickerProps } from 'app/core/components/Select/FolderPicker';
+import { PermissionLevelString } from 'app/types';
 
 export interface Folder {
   title: string;
@@ -12,5 +13,12 @@ export interface Props extends Omit<FolderPickerProps, 'initialTitle' | 'initial
 }
 
 export const RuleFolderPicker: FC<Props> = ({ value, ...props }) => (
-  <FolderPicker showRoot={false} allowEmpty={true} initialTitle={value?.title} initialFolderId={value?.id} {...props} />
+  <FolderPicker
+    showRoot={false}
+    allowEmpty={true}
+    initialTitle={value?.title}
+    initialFolderId={value?.id}
+    {...props}
+    permissionLevel={PermissionLevelString.View}
+  />
 );
diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/mocks.ts b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/mocks.ts
index 0dcb67cca28..70c9070c8fd 100644
--- a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/mocks.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/mocks.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ import {
   DataSourceRef,
   ScopedVars,
 } from '@grafana/data';
-import { DataSourceSrv, GetDataSourceListFilters, config } from '@grafana/runtime';
+import { config, DataSourceSrv, GetDataSourceListFilters } from '@grafana/runtime';
+import { contextSrv } from 'app/core/services/context_srv';
 import { DatasourceSrv } from 'app/features/plugins/datasource_srv';
 import {
   AlertmanagerAlert,
@@ -18,8 +19,8 @@ import {
   Silence,
   SilenceState,
 } from 'app/plugins/datasource/alertmanager/types';
-import { FolderDTO } from 'app/types';
-import { AlertingRule, Alert, RecordingRule, RuleGroup, RuleNamespace, CombinedRule } from 'app/types/unified-alerting';
+import { AccessControlAction, FolderDTO } from 'app/types';
+import { Alert, AlertingRule, CombinedRule, RecordingRule, RuleGroup, RuleNamespace } from 'app/types/unified-alerting';
 import {
   GrafanaAlertStateDecision,
   GrafanaRuleDefinition,
@@ -465,3 +466,13 @@ export const mockFolder = (partial?: Partial<FolderDTO>): FolderDTO => {
     ...partial,
   };
 };
+
+export const enableRBAC = () => {
+  jest.spyOn(contextSrv, 'accessControlEnabled').mockReturnValue(true);
+};
+
+export const grantUserPermissions = (permissions: AccessControlAction[]) => {
+  jest
+    .spyOn(contextSrv, 'hasPermission')
+    .mockImplementation((action) => permissions.includes(action as AccessControlAction));
+};
diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/utils/access-control.ts b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/utils/access-control.ts
index 0f03e12af10..9b736179118 100644
--- a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/utils/access-control.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/utils/access-control.ts
@@ -108,9 +108,11 @@ export function evaluateAccess(actions: AccessControlAction[], fallBackUserRoles
 export function getRulesAccess() {
   return {
     canCreateGrafanaRules:
-      contextSrv.hasEditPermissionInFolders &&
+      contextSrv.hasAccess(AccessControlAction.FoldersRead, contextSrv.isEditor) &&
       contextSrv.hasAccess(rulesPermissions.create.grafana, contextSrv.isEditor),
-    canCreateCloudRules: contextSrv.hasAccess(rulesPermissions.create.external, contextSrv.isEditor),
+    canCreateCloudRules:
+      contextSrv.hasAccess(AccessControlAction.DataSourcesRead, contextSrv.isEditor) &&
+      contextSrv.hasAccess(rulesPermissions.create.external, contextSrv.isEditor),
     canEditRules: (rulesSourceName: string) =>
       contextSrv.hasAccess(getRulesPermissions(rulesSourceName).update, contextSrv.isEditor),
   };