How to search Rhode Island court records

Rhode Island runs a single statewide case-lookup system, so one search — with the name spelled correctly — reaches courts across the entire state. There's no charge and no account required — results are visible to anyone who searches.

statewide free criminal data

Open the official Rhode Island portal →

What's actually there

The RI Judiciary public portal covers Supreme, Superior, District, Family and Traffic Tribunal cases.

Other official lookups for Rhode Island

RIDOC inmate search

How Rhode Island's courts are organized

Rhode Island's courts are run as one statewide judiciary. The Supreme Court is the only appellate court. Below it are five trial-level courts: the Superior Court, the District Court, the Family Court, the Workers' Compensation Court and the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal. Felony expungement motions go to Superior Court and misdemeanor motions are filed in District or Superior Court, which tells you roughly where criminal cases are heard.

All of these courts, including the Traffic Tribunal, are covered by the Judiciary's Public Portal, so one search reaches every state court.

Using the Public Portal

The Public Portal is free and needs no account for the public. What you see remotely is the register of actions, also called the docket sheet: the parties and a dated list of events, filings and activity in the case. The public cannot open the documents themselves from home.

To read the filed documents, use the public terminals in each court's clerk's office during business hours. Those terminals show all public electronic case information. Rhode Island attorneys and approved government agencies get broader remote access through a separate login.

Sealed cases and documents, and anything made confidential under the Supreme Court's Public Access Rules, are left out of every version of the portal.

Change coming: the Judiciary is moving from the Public Portal to a new platform called re:SearchRI. The Supreme Court held a public hearing on April 29, 2026 on rule changes for the switch, which could change remote access to documents.
The Supreme Court also has a separate Case Docket Search for its own calendar.

Getting copies and certified copies

Rhode Island's public records law (APRA) does not apply to court case files. For copies of a case file, go to the clerk's office of the court where the case was filed. Parties who represent themselves can see the documents in their own case at the clerk's office.

Older closed cases may have moved to the Judicial Records Center at 5 Hill Street in Pawtucket, which holds the Judiciary's inactive and archival records, including records going back to 1671 and naturalization records. For data or reports rather than a single case file, the Supreme Court takes a written request form by email, fax or mail and answers within ten business days.

Records that are not public

Under R.I. Gen. Laws 12-1.3-2, a first offender can ask the court that convicted them to expunge a felony or misdemeanor record. The wait is five years after finishing the sentence for a misdemeanor and ten years for a felony; a deferred sentence can be expunged once it is completed. Crimes of violence cannot be expunged, and all fines and court costs must be paid unless the court waives them. People with more than one but fewer than six misdemeanors and no felony can also apply after ten years. The Judiciary's FAQ says no fee is charged for the expungement process.

Under R.I. Gen. Laws 12-1-12.1, a person acquitted or exonerated on all counts can move to seal the case, and the clerk must seal it within 45 days of the order. District Court cases dismissed under Rule 48(a) on or after January 1, 2023 are sealed automatically. The Judiciary's expungement page links the motion forms; for your situation, talk to a lawyer or the court's self-help center.

Tip: one search, but no documents from home

Because the portal covers every state court, you do not need to know which courthouse handled a case before searching. But plan a trip to a clerk's office if you need to read the complaint, judgment or other filings, since remote public access stops at the docket sheet.

Sources

Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Court rules and fees change; the court's own site is the final word. This is general information, not legal advice.

Federal cases filed in Rhode Island

State portals don't cover federal court. If the case you're looking for might be a federal criminal prosecution, civil suit, or bankruptcy, use CourtRecordsFree's live federal search — it queries CourtListener/RECAP directly and isn't limited to any one state.

Search tips

Try both "Last, First" and "First Last" — courts index names inconsistently.
Middle initials and suffixes (Jr., III) often matter for common names.
A date of birth or case number is the only reliable way to confirm you found the right person.
An arrest or charge shown in a docket is not a conviction — read the disposition.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to search Rhode Island court records online?

Yes. Rhode Island's statewide search is free to use, with no account or subscription required.

Does this include criminal records?

Yes. Rhode Island's portal includes criminal case records alongside civil cases, though sealed and expunged cases are not shown.

Does one search cover the whole state?

Rhode Island runs one statewide system, so a single search covers the whole state.

Links move. If the Rhode Island portal link above is dead, tell us on the corrections page.