Rhode Island Court Records
How Rhode Island's courts are organized, where their records are kept and how to search them.
Rhode Island, the smallest state, has a unified, state-run court system with no county government. Courts sit in four counties, and all trial court records can be searched through one public portal.
Probate courts are the exception: each city and town runs its own probate court.
Rhode Island courts moved to electronic filing for most case types, and the public portal shows case information for the Superior, Family (limited) and District Courts. Some documents can be viewed online, while others are available at courthouse public access terminals.
How Rhode Island's courts are organized
Rhode Island has a single appellate court and several statewide trial courts.
Rhode Island Supreme Court
Five justices hear all appeals from the trial courts.
Superior Court
The general jurisdiction trial court for felonies and larger civil cases.
Family Court
Hears divorce, custody, support, juvenile and adoption cases.
District Court
Hears misdemeanors, smaller civil cases, small claims and landlord-tenant cases.
Traffic Tribunal, Workers' Compensation Court and probate courts
The Traffic Tribunal hears traffic cases, the Workers' Compensation Court hears workers' comp disputes, and municipal probate courts handle estates.
Searching Rhode Island court records online
The Judiciary's public portal covers the state's trial courts.
- Rhode Island Judiciary public portalSearch case information from the state's trial courts.
- Rhode Island JudiciaryOpinions, court information, forms and self-help.
Getting records from the clerk's office
Contact the clerk's office of the court that heard the case. Clerks provide copies and certified copies for set fees.
Probate records come from the probate court in the city or town where the person lived. Deeds are kept by each city or town clerk.
The Superior Court has courthouses in Providence, Kent, Washington and Newport counties, and the District Court has divisions around the state. Clerks provide copies and certified copies for set fees, and most requests can be made in person or by mail.
- Rhode Island court locationsContact information for every court.
What is public, and what is not
Most Rhode Island court records are public, but Family Court, juvenile, adoption and mental health records are generally confidential.
Rhode Island allows expungement of first-time offenses and some other records after a waiting period, and sealing of records where the defendant was acquitted or charges were dismissed.
Rhode Island's Supreme Court rules govern public access to court records and require redaction of personal identifiers. Family Court records involving children are generally closed, and juvenile records may be sealed. Rhode Island's expungement law allows a person with a first-time offense to ask the court to expunge the record after a waiting period.
- Rhode Island Legal ServicesFree civil legal help, including on expungement.
Older and archived records
Historical court records are held by the Rhode Island Judicial Records Center and the Rhode Island State Archives.
The Rhode Island Judicial Records Center in Pawtucket holds historical court records dating back to colonial times, and the State Archives holds other historical government records.
- Rhode Island State ArchivesHistorical state records.
Criminal history and background records
A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.
The Rhode Island Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) keeps the state's criminal history records and processes background checks.
- BCI background checksHow to request a Rhode Island background check.
- Rhode Island Parole Board: Sex offender community notificationThe Parole Board publishes information on registered sex offenders who are subject to community notification.
- VINELinkCheck the custody status of people held by the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.
Federal court records in Rhode Island
Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in Rhode Island's state courts. Rhode Island is a single federal judicial district, and each has its own clerk's office:
Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from Rhode Island's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Tips for a faster search
- Know whether a case was in Superior, Family or District Court; each has its own clerk.
- Probate records are kept by each city or town, not the state.
- Expunged and sealed records will not appear in public searches.
- Because Rhode Island has no county government, all trial court records are kept by the state courts, except probate records, which are kept by each city and town.
- Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
- Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.
Legal help and law libraries
Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:
- Rhode Island State Law LibraryPublic law library in the Licht Judicial Complex.
- Rhode Island Legal ServicesFree civil legal help for eligible residents.
This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.