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Cranston, Rhode Island city records

In Cranston, deeds are recorded by the City Clerk - Land Evidence; property values come from the Tax Assessor; court files are kept by the Clerk, Superior Court, Providence/Bristol County.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Where to get each record
  2. Deeds and land records
  3. Property values, owners and tax bills
  4. Court records: which clerk keeps which case
  5. Marriage records
  6. Divorce records
  7. Birth certificates
  8. Death certificates
  9. Probate records and wills
  10. Business names (DBA)
  11. Voter records
  12. Historical records
  13. Good to know about Cranston records
  14. Office addresses, phones and hours
  15. Records that are not online: public records requests
  16. Questions people ask
  17. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  18. Sources

Where to get each record

RecordOfficeSearch onlineFee
Deeds and land recordsCity Clerk - Land Evidence4Search deeds12Fee charged$1.50 per page (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-13-9)3
Property values and ownersTax Assessor4Property search5—
Property tax billsTax Collections4——
Court casesClerk, Superior Court, Providence/Bristol County6Rhode Island Superior Court, Providence/Bristol County7
Rhode Island District Court, Third Division7
Rhode Island Family Court, Providence/Bristol County7		—
Marriage recordsCity Clerk - Marriage Licenses / Vital Records4——
Divorce recordsRhode Island Family Court, Domestic Relations Clerk's Office8——
Birth certificatesCity Clerk - Marriage Licenses / Vital Records4——
Death certificatesCity Clerk - Marriage Licenses / Vital Records4——
Probate and willsCranston Probate Court1Search probate cases9Copies $1.50 per page10
Business names (DBA)City Clerk - Land Evidence4——

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Cranston are recorded by the City Clerk (ex-officio Recorder of Deeds) - Land Evidence.4

Cost
Account required. Pay-As-You-Go: $0 per month, images $2.50 per page, 100 results per page; Firm Subscription: individual $5 per month or firm $20 per month for up to 5 users, images $1.50 per page, 500 results per page2
Who runs it
ROAM (landrecordsonline.com), linked by the City Clerk1
Years online
Index 1986 to present; book/page images 1951 to present2
Copy fee
$1.50 per page (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-13-9)3
Certified copy fee
$3.00 per certification (§ 34-13-9)3
Recording fee
Deeds $80 + $1 each additional page (statute)11
How to order
Record in person, by mail, or by e-recording (Simplifile, CSC); same-day recording if received before 4:00 p.m.1
Payment
In person: cash, check or money order only (no cards at the counter)1

How deeds work in Rhode Island

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Tax Assessor sets property values4; Tax Collections bills and collects the tax4.

Property search
gis.vgsi.com/cranstonri (Vision Government Solutions database, linked by the Tax Assessor as 'Revaluation Statistics')5
Tax roll
2026 Real Estate and Tangible tax rolls posted as PDFs5
Tax bill search
Invoice Cloud online bill view/pay (linked from Tax Collections)12
Parcel map (GIS)
experience.arcgis.com/… (GIS Tax Map)5
Appealing a value
File the assessment appeal application by November 15, 2026 (new state deadline)5
Municipal lien certificate
Request form for municipal lien certificates posted by Tax Collections12
Radius package
Radius (abutters) package request form5

How property tax works in Rhode Island

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

CourtCasesRecords kept byCase search
Rhode Island Superior Court, Providence/Bristol CountyFelony criminal and major civil cases (state court)Clerk, Superior Court, Providence/Bristol County (state court)publicportal.courts.ri.gov/PublicPortal Rhode Island Judiciary Public Portal : free remote docket/register-of-actions search; documents viewable only at courthouse terminals7Free search
Rhode Island District Court, Third Division (Kent Judicial Complex)Misdemeanors, small claims, civil cases up to $5,000 (concurrent with Superior Court $5,000 to $10,000), all evictions13—publicportal.courts.ri.gov/PublicPortal Rhode Island Judiciary Public Portal : free remote docket/register-of-actions search; documents viewable only at courthouse terminals7Free search
Rhode Island Family Court, Providence/Bristol County (Garrahy Judicial Complex)Divorce and family matters—publicportal.courts.ri.gov/PublicPortal Rhode Island Judiciary Public Portal : free remote docket/register-of-actions search; documents viewable only at courthouse terminals7Free search
Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal (in Cranston)Most traffic cases; driver accident and violation records——
Court system
Unified, state-run Rhode Island Judiciary: Supreme, Superior, Family, District and Workers' Compensation Courts and the Traffic Tribunal (no county-run courts). Probate courts are municipal.7
Fees
Superior Court civil entry fee $160 by statute (§ 9-29-18); the Superior Court FAQ states a total filing fee of $180.75 for a TRO or a restitution case; writ of execution $50; citation $25. Family Court $120 per petition/complaint (§ 9-29-19).14
City courts
Cranston Municipal Court (Law Department) handles city matters4

Criminal records and background checks

State check fee
$5 state background check15

How Rhode Island courts keep their files

Marriage records

Kept by the City Clerk - Marriage Licenses / Vital Records.4

Marriage license
$24.00 cash, check or money order (no cards); by appointment only (9:30, 11:30, 1:30), both parties in person; license valid 90 days16
How to order
In person or via the city's online vital records portal (cityofcranstonvitals.permitium.com/rod)16

Rhode Island marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Kept by: Rhode Island Family Court, Domestic Relations Clerk's Office8

Birth certificates

Kept by the City Clerk - Marriage Licenses / Vital Records.4

How to order
Online portal (card payments accepted there) or in person; foreign-government records must come from the state1
Any town hall
Births 1960 to present: any city or town hall; before 1960: the city/town where the birth occurred or the parents lived17

Ordering a Rhode Island birth certificate

Death certificates

RIDOH Center for Vital Records; city/town clerks (any town for 2022+ deaths, else the town of death/residence); State Archives for deaths 50+ years old17

Ordering a Rhode Island death certificate

Probate records and wills

Kept by the Cranston Probate Court (City Clerk is ex-officio clerk).1

About this search
Both searches are linked on the city Probate Court page. Filed on or before 7/1/2024: city index PDF; filed 7/1/2024 and later: Curia Systems Public Probate Portal9
Copy fee
Copies $1.50 per page10
Certified copy fee
Certification of copies $3.00 per packet10
Filing fees
Most petitions: $30 filing fee + $4 state surcharge (+ advertising where required); e.g., Probate of Will with waiver $84.0010
Rules
Municipal probate court of each city/town (records requested from the city or town clerk); appeals go to Superior Court18

Business names (DBA)

Kept by the City Clerk (ex-officio Recorder of Deeds) - Land Evidence.4

State
Trade names (DBAs) are now kept by the RI Department of State; municipalities transferred active trade-name records before January 1, 202619
Business licenses
City Clerk issues business licenses through an online portal1

Voter records

Kept by Canvassing Authority.4

Check your registration
RI Voter Information Center vote.sos.ri.gov20

Historical records

City Council records, ordinances and resolutions inventory 1754-2022 (PDF); approved minutes and ordinances 2000/2022-current on ClerkBase1

Good to know about Cranston records

  • Cranston's City Clerk is also the Recorder of Deeds and the ex-officio clerk of the Probate Court, so deeds, vital records and probate share one office.1
  • Cranston's online land records go back further than most: an index from 1986 and book/page images from 1951.2
  • Cranston probate searches are split: estates filed before July 1, 2024 are in a city index, later ones in the Curia Systems portal.9
  • The state's Traffic Tribunal, which keeps driver accident and violation records, sits in Cranston.6
  • The City Clerk keeps an inventory of City Council records going back to 1754.1

Office addresses, phones and hours

City Clerk (ex-officio Recorder of Deeds) - Land Evidence

Address
Cranston City Hall, 869 Park Avenue, Cranston, RI 02910 (City Clerk's Office, Room 207)16
Mail
Recordings accepted by mail at City Hall, 869 Park Avenue, Cranston, RI 029101
Phone
(401) 780-3130 (Land Evidence / Deeds)21
Hours
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., closed for lunch 12-1 p.m.; in-person recordings not accepted 12-1 p.m. or after 4:00 p.m.21

City Clerk - Marriage Licenses / Vital Records

Address
Cranston City Hall, 869 Park Avenue, Cranston, RI 02910 (Room 207)16
Phone
(401) 780-3195 (Marriage Licenses / Vital Records)21
Hours
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; closed for lunch 12:00-1:00 p.m.1

Cranston Probate Court (City Clerk is ex-officio clerk)

Address
Cranston City Hall, 869 Park Avenue, Cranston, RI 029109
Phone
(401) 780-3197 (Probate)21

Tax Assessor

Address
Cranston City Hall, 869 Park Avenue, Cranston, RI 029105
Phone
(401) 780-3209 (principal clerk, main contact); City Hall (401) 461-100022
Hours
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (City Hall)5

Tax Collections

Address
Cranston City Hall, 869 Park Avenue, Cranston, RI 0291012
Phone
(401) 780-3124 (senior cashier); City Hall (401) 461-100023
Hours
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (City Hall)12

Canvassing Authority

Address
Cranston City Hall, 869 Park Avenue, Cranston, RI 0291024

Clerk, Superior Court, Providence/Bristol County (state court)

Address
Licht Judicial Complex, 250 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 0290325

GIS Tax Map (City of Cranston)

Records that are not online: public records requests

Request page
cranstonri.civicrecordsonline.com (Public Records Request Portal; printable APRA form also available)1
Where to send it
Office of the City Solicitor, Cranston City Hall, 869 Park Ave., Cranston, RI 02910; (401) 461-1000 ext. 31331

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

How do I get a copy of a deed in Cranston?

The City Clerk (ex-officio Recorder of Deeds) - Land Evidence keeps deed records. Plain copies: $1.50 per page (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-13-9). Certified copies: $3.00 per certification (§ 34-13-9).43

Can I search Cranston land records online for free?

No, the official online search charges a fee. Account required. Pay-As-You-Go: $0 per month, images $2.50 per page, 100 results per page; Firm Subscription: individual $5 per month or firm $20 per month for up to 5 users, images $1.50 per page, 500 results per page. The official search: cranston.landrecordsonline.com/cranston21

Where do I get a divorce decree in Cranston?

Divorce decrees are court records; ask the Rhode Island Family Court, Domestic Relations Clerk's Office.8

How do I look up who owns a property in Cranston?

Use the property search of the Tax Assessor: gis.vgsi.com/cranstonri5

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Cranston office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Other towns and cities in Rhode Island with a full guide: Coventry, Cumberland, East Providence, Johnston, North Providence, Pawtucket, Providence, South Kingstown, Warwick, West Warwick, Woonsocket. Every town and city in the state: Rhode Island town and city list.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 27 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. City Clerk/Records & LicensesCity of Cranston
  2. Cranston Land Records (ROAM) - Available SubscriptionsCity of Cranston land records portal (ROAM)
  3. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-13-9 Fees for copies of recordRhode Island General Assembly (State of Rhode Island General Laws)
  4. City of Cranston home pageCity of Cranston
  5. Tax AssessorCity of Cranston
  6. Courthouse and Facility LocationsRhode Island Judiciary
  7. Access to Case InformationRhode Island Judiciary
  8. About the Family CourtRhode Island Judiciary
  9. Cranston Probate CourtCity of Cranston
  10. Cranston Probate Court - Fee Schedule (PDF)City of Cranston
  11. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-13-7 General recording feesRhode Island General Assembly (State of Rhode Island General Laws)
  12. Tax CollectionsCity of Cranston
  13. Rhode Island Judiciary: About the District CourtRhode Island Judiciary
  14. R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-29-18 Superior court feesRhode Island General Assembly (State of Rhode Island General Laws)
  15. Get a Background CheckRhode Island Office of the Attorney General
  16. Marriage Licenses and RequirementsCity of Cranston
  17. Birth, Death & Marriage Records (Vital Records)Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Vital Records
  18. Judicial Records Center - List of RecordsRhode Island Judiciary
  19. Trade Names - Municipal Transfer DatesRhode Island Department of State
  20. Canvassing AuthorityCity of Cranston
  21. City Clerk DirectoryCity of Cranston
  22. Tax Assessor DirectoryCity of Cranston
  23. Tax Collections DirectoryCity of Cranston
  24. Census Government Units List 2026 (excerpt: Vernon CT, Providence RI, Cranston RI)US Census Bureau
  25. Superior Court - Know Your Courts (PDF)Rhode Island Judiciary
  26. Rhode Island Judiciary: Contact the CourtRhode Island Judiciary
  27. County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureau