Rhode Island, county records

Newport County, Rhode Island Public Records

Find the right office in Newport County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

Start here

Most requested Newport County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

Filter by type

Showing 6 official sources

Official

County court

Rhode Island Federal Cases

The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, in Providence, hears federal civil and criminal cases; case files are found through PACER. State cases come from the Rhode Island Judiciary.

rid.uscourts.gov
Open official site Rhode Island Federal Cases
Official

Vital records

Rhode Island Death Records

The Rhode Island Department of Health Center for Vital Records issues certified death certificates for a fee to eligible applicants. City and town clerks in Rhode Island also keep local death records.

health.ri.gov
Open official site Rhode Island Death Records

Local record guide

About public records in Newport County

County profile

Newport County at a glance

State
Rhode Island
County seat
Newport
Population
85,643
Area
314 sq mi
Founded
1703
Cities and towns
6

Newport County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Newport County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order within Newport County's jurisdiction. While Newport County does not operate its own jail facility, the Sheriff's Office is key to processing arrests and maintaining criminal records.

Police Departments. Law enforcement in Newport County is provided by several agencies, including Newport County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Newport County Sheriff's Office, located in Newport, Rhode Island, provides law enforcement services including court security, prisoner transport, and civil process service. ue), and Tiverton Police Department (456 Stafford Road). Rhode Island State Police also maintains jurisdiction throughout Newport County and can be contacted at 401-444-1000 for statewide arrest record inquiries.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Newport County are maintained by Newport County Sheriff's Office and local police departments.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Newport County are taken and retained by the arresting agency, whether it be Newport County Sheriff's Office or a local police department.

Rhode Island residents can register to vote online at vote.sos.ri.gov, which is managed by the Rhode Island Secretary of State Elections Division (148 West River Street, Providence, RI 02904, 401-222-2340). Vital records for Newport County residents are maintained by both municipal clerks and the Rhode Island Department of Health. Birth certificates can be obtained from the city or town clerk where the birth occurred or from the Rhode Island Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, Room 101, Cannon Building, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908 (401-222-2811). Business records in Newport County are primarily maintained at the state level through the Rhode Island Secretary of State and locally through municipal clerks. The Rhode Island Secretary of State, Business Services Division (148 West River Street, Providence, RI 02904, 401-222-3040) maintains the official business entity database accessible online at business.sos.ri.gov. Other municipalities maintain their own records: Middletown Town Clerk (350 East Main Road, 401-849-5540), Portsmouth Town Clerk (2200 East Main Road, 401-683-3157), Jamestown Town Clerk (93 Narragansett Avenue, 401-423-7200), and Tiverton Town Clerk (343 Highland Road, 401-625-6703). The Rhode Island Superior Court, Sixth Division, sits in Newport and handles felony criminal cases, major civil matters exceeding $10,000, and equity cases. The courthouse is located at Murray Judicial Complex, 45 Washington Square, Newport County, RI 02840 (401-841-8350). Property and land records in Newport County are maintained by individual city and town clerks and tax assessors, as Rhode Island has no functioning county recorder system. The City of Newport Tax Assessor (43 Broadway, Newport, RI 02840, 401-845-5388) maintains property assessment records, tax rolls, and parcel information for Newport County. 43 Broadway (401-845-5832). The Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce (35 Valley Road, Middletown, RI 02842, 401-847-1600, newportchamber.com) provides business directories and economic development information.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Newport County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Newport County

Old mine sites
2
Sites with no status in the records
2
Still producing
5
Main minerals
Graphite; construction sand and gravel
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
21
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
gravel/borrow pit - undifferentiated, gravel pit, quarry
Maps surveyed
1967 to 1996
Records behind them
31 records for 30 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 9 named mine sites inside the county, 2 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 21 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are Graphite; construction sand and gravel.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. No state page on mines or abandoned mines was found; Rhode Island has no active state geological survey site for this.

1 mile
Newport County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. The purple dots come off the old survey maps and the darkest of those are shafts and tunnels; the red, green and orange ones are mine records. Hover a dot for its name.
Named workings recorded in Newport County (9 shown, 21 unnamed on the map)

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

Newport County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Newport County, Rhode Island?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the state police or a town or city police department. Ask that agency for its record.

How do I get a criminal background check in Newport County, Rhode Island?

The Rhode Island criminal history record comes from the Rhode Island Attorney General, Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI). Get a state BCI check in person at the Attorney General's Customer Service Center in Cranston with ID and a credit or debit card, or by mail with the release form and a $5.00 check or money order payable to BCI. Fee: $5.00.

How can I look up sex offenders in Newport County, Rhode Island?

Search the Rhode Island Sex Offender Registry (RISOR), Rhode Island State Police, or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Newport County, Rhode Island?

Register with the local board of canvassers (city or town) or through the Rhode Island Department of State, Elections Division. You can also register online with the state online registration. You must be registered to vote 30 days before an election to take part in it; without a Rhode Island driver's license or state ID, the online system makes a form to print and mail to your local board of canvassers.

How do I look up property records in Newport County, Rhode Island?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Newport County are kept by the city or town clerk. Property values are set by the city or town tax assessor, and tax bills come from the city or town tax collector. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Newport County, Rhode Island?

Certified birth and death certificates for Rhode Island come from the Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Vital Records. Go to the city or town hall where you lived at the time of the event, or where it occurred, for birth certificates of births before 1960 and death and marriage certificates of events before 2022. By mail with check or money order payable to the General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island, to Center for Vital Records, Simpson Hall, 6 Harrington Rd., Cranston, RI 02920 (or the drop box there), or in person at Simpson Hall, with an appointment to avoid waiting. Fee: $22 for the first copy and $18 for each extra copy bought the same day.

How do I find business license records in Newport County, Rhode Island?

Business entity filings are searched with the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division.

Same county

Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.