Rhode Island, county records
Find the right office in Washington 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
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. Washington County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order in Washington County's unincorporated areas.
Law Enforcement & Arrests. The Office of the Sheriff for Washington County, located at Washington County Courthouse, 4800 Tower Hill Road, West Kingston, RI 02892, primarily serves court related functions including serving civil process, transporting prisoners, and courthouse security rather than operating a county jail or conducting patrols. ce Department (8166 Post Road), Hopkinton Police Department (396 Wood Street), Exeter Police Department (675 Ten Rod Road), and Richmond Police Department (5 Richmond Townhouse Road).
Elections in Washington County, Rhode Island, are administered by the 18 municipal boards of canvassers in each town, coordinated under the oversight of the Rhode Island Secretary of State, Elections Division (148 West River Street, Providence, RI 02904; phone: 401-222-2340; website: elections.ri.gov). Business and licensing records in Washington County, Rhode Island, are managed through a combination of state and municipal agencies. The primary repository for business entity information is the Rhode Island Secretary of State, Corporations Division, 148 West River Street, Providence, RI 02904 (401-222-3040), which maintains records of corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, and trademarks. For example, the South Kingstown Town Clerk (180 High Street, Wakefield, RI 02879, 401-789-9331) maintains land records for that town, while the Westerly Town Clerk (45 Broad Street, Westerly, RI 02891, 401-348-2503) handles recordings for Westerly. Professional and occupational licenses are issued by the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation (1511 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston, 401-462-9500), which regulates contractors, real estate agents, healthcare professionals, and numerous other occupations through its various boards. The South County Tourism Council (southcountyri.com) and individual chambers of commerce, including the Southern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce (401-783-2801) and the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce (401-466-2982), provide business development resources and networking opportunities. Washington County court system operates under Rhode Island's unified court structure administered by the Rhode Island Judiciary. Washington County Courthouse, located at 4800 Tower Hill Road, West Kingston, RI 02892 (phone: 401-782-4121), houses both the Superior Court and District Court.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 28 named mine sites inside the county, 19 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 56 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; crushed stone; Titanium, Metal; Iron.
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.
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
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 Washington 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.
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.