Rhode Island County Records

Rhode Island County Records

Rhode Island county records are managed by the local government for a variety of reasons. Whether you’re aware of it or not, these records will contain valuable pieces of information about your life -- including some of the trouble you’ve gotten in along the way. If you don’t want Rhode Island county records preserved about you, your chances of getting what you want are close to none.

While many will disagree, Rhode Island county records provide your state with a viable system for keeping track of everything that goes on within state boundaries. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to determine who has a criminal history, who’s been married, who’s been born, and who has passed away.

In addition, Rhode Island county records allow for openness and transparency among those residing in the state. These records are used by people all over the United States, not just the government.

Are Rhode Island County Records Public?

Believe it or not, you can view anyone’s Rhode Island county records. No specially granted access is required and you won’t need to mail anyone a request letter. Rhode Island county records are available on the internet via online databases managed by the local governments.

This is an easier process for Rhode Island since they only have 5 counties to account for. They’re actually tied for the 2nd-least amount of counties in the United States. Hawaii also has 5, while Delaware only has 3. Still, some states have upwards of 100 and even 200 counties spread out across their state.

Dating back several decades, Rhode Island county records were always accessible to the public. In 1979, the Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act guaranteed the public a right to view them. This law has been revised several times throughout recent history including in 1991, 1998, and 2008.

This means that while you’ll be able to search for anyone’s Rhode Island county records, they will also be able to search for yours. This not only promotes the idea of transparency, but keeps it fair for everyone across the state -- even people that get in trouble while visiting the state.

Finding Criminal Records

One of the more popular reasons people use Rhode Island county records is for looking through their criminal history. Many people have a criminal past, but most people keep this information hidden from their friends and family. It might be embarrassing and shameful details about your life, but the public has a right to it.

When you search for someone’s name, their report will display a list of previous arrests and convictions that person was involved in. It’ll show you the charge or offense, the source of the information, the date of the arrest or conviction, where they were heard in court, and the court case number associated with their arrest.

In addition, it’ll tell you the outcome of the arrest. They might be convicted of a felony, misdemeanor, or infraction, as well as be handed a fine, probation period, or serve time in a prison or jail. With this information, you can see whether they were found guilty of the crime or if no punishment was given. It’ll be important to know this since not all arrests will lead to a conviction.

In case you were wondering, a person’s traffic violations and parking violations will be displayed a majority of the time.

Confirming Someone’s Identity

Rhode Island county records are also used by the public to confirm someone’s identity. With many people walking around your community -- and even on your social media profiles -- claiming to be someone they aren’t, it can be difficult to meet anyone new with confidence. You’re always left wondering whether or not they mean harm or good.

When you enter someone’s name into a Rhode Island county records database, you’ll be able to get a glimpse of their past and what their personality, behavior, and actions are like. These details won’t give you the whole story, but they can be used as a sign of caution.

Since Rhode Island county records are accumulated since birth, you’ll find information relating to their birth records, death records, marriage records, divorce history, criminal records, property records, asset records, and even contact information. The amount of information can be overwhelming, so it’s important to be prepared before conducting your first search.

Making Use of Rhode Island County Records

The public makes use of Rhode Island county records every day. They’ve helped reconnect old friends, fill in missing pieces to someone’s family history, stay protected in a dangerous world, and run a basic background check on people coming in contact with your children.

Think of all the times you meet people while traveling for work, going on vacation, all your old friends from high school that you have no way of contacting, even old military buddies. We often never hear from these people again, but their public record can reveal their contact information so you can reach back out to them and catch up.

How to Find Rhode Island County Records

Although many people are under the impression that Rhode Island county records are difficult to find or require special access, they can actually be researched right here on our website. All you’re required to do is type the name of the person into the search boxes provided below and click the ‘Search’ button -- it’s that easy!

Of course, you might have to weed through the people with the same name as the one you entered. By knowing their city, state, date of birth, phone number, or email address, you can easily narrow down your search.

Once you find the right report, you’ll be able to open it and view their information with no questions asked. Don’t worry, the person you’re searching for won’t even be notified that you’re doing this.

It can be done in complete privacy, which means no more awkward confrontations when you want to learn more about someone. Trust us, they’ll be thankful of this as they won’t have to talk about it either.