Public records can be generally explained as a record which includes all materials that are generated or collected by those public units which are in connection to the states official business. These include photographs, written documents, tape recordings, and several other records which are in physical and electronic formats. This also includes emails.
If you wish to obtain online public records from Rhode Island, you can visit http://www.statewidemls.com/realtorresources/publicrecords/. This website has detailed records from several counties within the state. This is a simple click-through site which has listings of different counties and cities within the state.
The APRA, or Access to Public Records Act, is the state law of Rhode Island, which provides people with the right to view and get public records. The law has certain guidelines for getting access to such records. It also defines all those records that are subject to public examination and those that are exempted from it.
Several internal records that belong to police agencies are exempted from revelation. This exemption is only valid to cut out cases of unnecessary invasion of confidentiality, revelation of secret sources, or obstruction with the investigation of the crime. Further details about this can be found in R.I.G.L. 38-2-2(4)(D). However, records that are related to the administration of law enforcement bodies are clearly made public. The same thing applies to reports which reflect the early arrests of adult defaulters.
You may have to pay up to $.15 for every page while you are copying records. The body may also charge nearly $15 every hour for the retrieval or search of records; however the initial hour is free. For all electronic records, only the "rational actual cost" for providing those will be charged. You will not require any identification while accessing or obtaining records.
Another great source of online and free public records for Rhode Island is available at http://www.statearchives.us/public/rhode-island.htm. You can easily search these records via first and last name searches. Birth, death, and marriage certificates can be obtained after the payment of $15 for each. Extra copies of same record can be obtained for $10. You can obtain divorce certificates by paying only $3.
Other places where you can personally obtain records are:
Here you can access complete state archives and records.
To obtain criminal and judiciary records, you can visit http://www.thugsearch.com/Rhode-Island-background-check.php. A log-in is required to view several criminal records. All you have to do is sign-in and enjoy detailed and updated lists of instant criminal records. If you wish to research Supreme Court archives, take a look at http://www.courts.ri.gov/records/forms.htm. Rhode Island's criminal records are also available at http://www.criminal-records.org/states/rhode-island.html. You may do an inmate and sex offender search on this website.
There are several ways to obtain records through electronic and physical sources. You may choose to visit these record offices personally and obtain the required information. There are several online sources for these records as well. However, it is important that you choose your sources wisely and rely on the ones which are updated regularly.
To lookup Rhode Island public records information, contact:
Rhode Island Office of the Secretary of StateAs the state works very hard to be able to provide more openness and accessibility, a Rhode Island public records search is something that is not at all difficult to accomplish. The laws within the state dictate that many forms of documents must be filed with the Office of the Secretary of State so that they can be researched and obtained either as a copy, or have the data revealed.
In Rhode Island, public records are handled by the Rhode Island State Archives which is a division of the Office of the Secretary of State. The Archives acts as custodian and trustee for these records that possess 'permanent historical value'. By law, these documents are available for research purposes to the public at their facility in Providence.
Within the State Archives, public records in Rhode Island are overseen by the Public Records Administration who provides management assistance to state agencies, the Local Government Records Program which offers the same programs to municipalities and the State Records Center that manages non permanent state government records.
The agency or custodian an individual would need to contact for public records in Rhode Island will depend on the specific needs, but requests can be sent to the State Archives for any Rhode Island public records and a representative will direct them to the appropriate department to fulfill their request.
Public Records
Court Records
Criminal Records
Birth Records
Death Records
Marriage Records
Divorce Records
Genealogy Records