Rhode Island, county 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.
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Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
County court
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.
Open official site Rhode Island Federal CasesState records
Find active and inactive corporations by name from the RI Dept. of Business Regulation.
Open official site Rhode Island Business & Corporation SearchVital 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.
Open official site Rhode Island Death RecordsProperty records
Obtain property tax info by contacting the State of RI.
Open official site Rhode Island Property RecordsVital records
Request a copy of a marriage certificates from the Rhode Island Department of Health.
Open official site Rhode Island Marriage SearchState records
Search property and claim status by individual name or business thru the state treasurer.
Open official site Rhode Island Unclaimed PropertyLocal record guide
County profile
Sheriff & Law Enforcement. The Rhode Island Division of Sheriffs provides state court security and prisoner transportation in Newport County (source: sheriffs.ri.gov). The Rhode Island Department of Corrections operates the unified state detention and prison system (source: doc.ri.gov).
Police Departments. Municipal police departments handle local policing in Newport County; the Rhode Island Division of Sheriffs separately provides state court security and prisoner transportation (sources: newportri.gov; sheriffs.ri.gov).
Law Enforcement & Arrests. The Rhode Island Division of Sheriffs provides court security, prisoner transport and service of writs and summonses (source: sheriffs.ri.gov). Municipal services include 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. For an arrest or incident record, request the report from the law-enforcement agency that created it. Newport Police publishes its own public-record request process (source: newportri.gov).
Mugshots & Booking Photos. For booking-photo access, identify the law-enforcement agency responsible for the record and use its public-record request process. Newport Police supplies a municipal request route (source: newportri.gov).
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, 401-683-2101; source: portsmouthri.gov), Jamestown Town Clerk (93 Narragansett Avenue, 401-423-7200), and Tiverton Town Clerk (343 Highland Road, 401-625-6703). The Rhode Island Superior Court has a Newport County clerk office at the Murray Judicial Complex (source: courts.ri.gov) 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, RI 02840 (Superior Court 401-841-8330; District Court Second Division 401-841-8350; source: courts.ri.gov). 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 City of Newport property assessment information; other municipalities maintain their own property records (source: newportri.gov). 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
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 9 mine sites inside the county: 1 past producer, now closed, 1 prospect or occurrence that was never worked, 5 sites producing when the record was made, 2 sites with no status in the record; 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.
Rhode Island abandoned mine maps ranks every county and town in the state by the workings recorded inside it, names the office that holds the mine maps, and says what to do if the ground moves.
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.
Labor Department file
The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 167 investigations in Newport County since fiscal 2005 and recorded $1,334,498 in back wages agreed for 1,663 workers. The county is the one the Census Bureau puts each employer's ZIP code in. Snapshot of April 22, 2026; a case here is a finding by the Division, not a court judgment.
The 25 employers with the most back wages agreed, of 142 on the Newport County record; 42 employers have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record here. The 117 more with smaller records are on the Rhode Island wage theft records page, whose search answers for every employer in the state.
Newport County is a geographic label for this research, not a single local records counter. Newport's property-record instructions expressly say that Rhode Island land instruments are recorded by individual cities and towns, with the destination determined by the property's municipality. A Newport city search should therefore not be treated as covering land in Portsmouth, Middletown or another municipality. Municipal recording jurisdiction and Newport city search.
The Newport City Clerk combines city records, land evidence, vital registration, probate administration and licensing functions at 43 Broadway, Newport, RI 02840. The clerk numbers are 401-845-5341 and 401-845-5342; land evidence uses 401-845-5334. Other municipal clerks have their own collections and contacts. Identify the city or town, record category and event or filing date before selecting the office. Newport City Clerk functions and contact.
Newport city reports online recorded documents from January 1, 1910 forward. Its grantor-and-grantee index accepts date, name, or book and page, and the instructions expressly say that it cannot be searched by property address. The same resource links a separate Assessor database. Use that property information to develop identifiers, then search the land-evidence index for the recorded instrument. Source: newportri.gov
Land recording at Newport City Hall runs weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The city's published recording schedule distinguishes instrument types: a deed is listed at $84 for the first page and $1 for each later page, while mortgages and other documents have different base fees. These are City of Newport products, not a verified countywide fee schedule. Newport city instrument-specific recording schedule. Source: newportri.gov
Middletown's Town Clerk and Voter Registration office is on the first floor at 350 East Main Road, Middletown, RI 02842. Its numbers are 401-847-0009 and 401-849-5540. The department combines land evidence, vital records, probate, municipal and council records, licensing and canvassing functions. Its searchable Town Council minutes are described as extending back to 1971. Middletown clerk directory. Middletown clerk collections.
The town's land-evidence instructions cover purchases and sales, liens and releases, easements, subdivision maps and related real-property records within Middletown. They link the town's property-record search and set the last recording time at 3:30 p.m. each business day. Select this municipality's search when the parcel is in Middletown, and retain the local document reference before asking for a copy. Middletown land evidence and recording cutoff.
Portsmouth's Town Clerk is at 2200 E. Main Road, Portsmouth, RI 02871, telephone 401-683-2101. Its published hours are Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday until 6:30 p.m., and Friday until 2:30 p.m. The clerk maintains town land evidence, probate files, vital records, licenses and Town Council proceedings. Portsmouth Town Clerk collections and office schedule.
The clerk describes online land evidence from 1834 to the present, with printing available for a fee. It also identifies access to Portsmouth vital records and Rhode Island birth records from 1960 onward. Those descriptions belong to the Portsmouth office and should not be silently substituted for Newport city's historical image dates or copy procedure. Match the town named in the source to the town associated with the record. Source: portsmouthri.gov
Newport City Clerk's vital instructions list a first certified copy at $22 for a walk-in request and $25 for a mailed request, with additional copies ordered together at $18 each. The instructions apply to birth, death and marriage copies and require an eligible requester with identification. A mail order also calls for the record details, an identification copy, contact information, payment and the specified return envelope. Newport city certified-copy products and requirements.
The city lists vital-record office hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays at 43 Broadway. It describes statewide municipal access for Rhode Island births from 1960 onward and supplies the local event or residence connection for other records. A new marriage-license application is a different transaction from obtaining the certified record of an existing marriage. Clarify the event and record sought before selecting a form. Source: newportri.gov
Newport's Probate Court instructions say probate matters are filed according to residence and that each Rhode Island municipality has its own probate court. Newport city's probate clerk can be reached at 401-845-5349. The described work includes wills, estate administration, guardianships, adult adoptions and name changes. Use the person's relevant residence and estate or proceeding details to identify the municipal file. Newport municipal probate scope and contact.
Middletown separately maintains probate records described as beginning in 1743 and lists its probate clerk at 401-847-0009. Its regular hearings use Middletown Town Hall rather than the state Murray Judicial Complex. A probate collection date does not establish that every historical file is indexed online. Ask the municipal clerk how the named estate or proceeding can be located and which copy product is available. Middletown probate collection and contact.
The Murray Judicial Complex is at 45 Washington Square, Newport, RI 02840. The Judiciary lists separate first-floor clerk contacts: Superior Court for Newport County at 401-841-8330, Family Court at 401-841-8340, and District Court's Second Division at 401-841-8350. The District Court division number and telephone should not be attached to the Superior Court office. Murray Judicial Complex court-by-court directory.
The Judiciary distinguishes case-file requests from Access to Public Records Act requests. A person seeking documents from a case should contact the clerk of the court where it was filed. A general administrative-record form does not replace that court-copy route. Give the court name, case identifier, parties and exact document requested; identify certification separately if the receiving institution requires it. Judiciary case-file and administrative-request distinction.
Rhode Island's Judicial Records Center holds semi-active, inactive and archival court files, while records still needed for daily court operations remain with the respective clerk. The center is at 5 Hill Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860, telephone 401-721-2641. Its resources distinguish archival research from lists of more recent transferred records. Judicial Records Center custody and research routes.
The center identifies archival holdings dating from 1671 to 1900 and naturalization records as an archive-research category. That broad description is not a promise that a particular Newport case survives or that an image is publicly online. Supply the court, name, approximate date and any docket reference, then establish which repository holds the file before requesting an inspection or reproduction. Source: courts.ri.gov
Newport Police accepts records inquiries by telephone, at its front desk and through its electronic request route, and acknowledges that a requester can remain anonymous. The department's records contact is 401-847-1306 at 120 Broadway, Newport, RI 02840. It lists records service each day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. This is a city police process, separate from the City Clerk's land and vital counters. Newport Police public-record request methods.
Portsmouth Police has its own Records Office, telephone 401-683-0301, with weekday service from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office maintains departmental police reports and handles public access requests. An incident location, date and report identifier help distinguish a municipal police record from a state-court file or a state custody entry. A county name alone does not identify the investigating department. Portsmouth Police Records Office.
The Rhode Island Division of Sheriffs describes statewide court security, prisoner transportation and related custody duties. It is the relevant state division for those functions in Newport, rather than an independently operated county patrol office. Its court-security records and transport functions should be distinguished from an incident report held by a municipal or state police department. State Division of Sheriffs responsibilities.
Rhode Island's Department of Corrections operates a unified system covering pretrial detainees and sentenced offenders. Its incarceration-search gateway provides the state custody-search route and identifies the online display as informational rather than an official record. Use the person's identifying details and the relevant custody period for that inquiry, and return to the court clerk for a filed judgment or other case document. State correctional-system responsibility. RIDOC incarceration-search gateway.
Where to go
Each office below was read on its own site. A field the office does not publish is left out rather than filled in from a directory.
City records, municipal land evidence, vital copies and licensing.
Office page: newportri.gov
Newport city estate, guardianship and other probate records.
Office page: newportri.gov
Middletown land evidence, council records, vital records, probate and voter registration.
Office page: middletownri.gov
Portsmouth land evidence, probate, vital records, licenses and council proceedings.
Office page: portsmouthri.gov
State court case-file routing by court and proceeding.
Office page: courts.ri.gov
Transferred inactive and archival state court files.
Office page: courts.ri.gov
City police reports and public-record requests.
Office page: newportri.gov
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Business entity filings are searched with the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division.
No. Rhode Island land instruments are recorded by the city or town where the property is located. Newport city land evidence does not cover every municipality in the county. Municipal recording rule.
The city says its grantor-and-grantee index uses date, name, or book and page and cannot be searched by property address. A separate Assessor database is linked for property information. City search instructions.
Middletown lists its final land-evidence recording at 3:30 p.m. each business day. The Town Clerk is at 350 East Main Road. Recording cutoff. Clerk location.
No. Its posted schedule ends at 4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. Thursday and 2:30 p.m. Friday, with an 8:30 a.m. opening. Portsmouth office schedule.
The city lists $22 for a walk-in order or $25 for mail, with $18 for additional copies ordered together. These are distinct local order methods. City vital-copy schedule.
The city explains that Rhode Island probate filings follow residence and each municipality has its own probate court. Contact the appropriate city or town clerk. Municipal probate routing.
The Judiciary lists 401-841-8330 for Superior Court at the Murray Judicial Complex. Family Court uses 401-841-8340, and District Court Second Division uses 401-841-8350. Separate state court clerk contacts.
The Rhode Island Department of Corrections operates the unified state system covering pretrial detention and sentenced custody. The Division of Sheriffs separately handles court security and prisoner transport. Correctional responsibility. Sheriff division functions.
Same county
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.