Rhode Island Resources

Located in City Hall, includes building permits, razed building records, and more.

Includes vital records, building and land records, City Council records, City department records, and more.

"This preliminary guide provides a list of some of the resources available at the Providence City Archives that can be useful when researching the origins of town/city streets in Providence as well as name changes, street extensions, changes in street grade."

"This digitized collection contains approximately 90,000 images of Residential Assessment Records (a.k.a. “field cards”) created by the Tax Assessors Department of the City of Providence, Rhode Island. These cards contain information on structural conditions of buildings (e.g., grades of condition for foundations, walls, roofs, building materials, etc.) organized by, street address, and plat & lot number within the City of Providence. The verso of these cards contains structural diagrams, land valuations, and cost computations."

City Archives have begun posting high resolution historical records including house directories, recorder of deeds records, and city maps.

Includes links to departmental sites for Art, Culture and Tourism; Public Works, Economic Development, and many more.

"The PHDC regulates development in designated Local Historic Districts by acting as a design review body."

Online access to city ordinances, current up to January 2024.

Located in City Hall, includes records about lot and building ownership.

The office registers documents relating to land evidence, such as deeds, for the city of Providence. Some records available online. For other Rhode Island cities, search for similar offices online.

Searchable records including vital statistics, state history, pandemic response, Narragansett Indian and Black Rhode Islander records, and more.

Collections are largely related to the Rhode Island legislature and are open to the public.

The site includes state library and archive resources.

Search across archival collections, digital materials and more.

"Charged by the state legislature to stimulate public interest and participation in the arts, and to serve as the liaison to the state's arts community."

Access to database for tax evaluation of properties.

State agency for historical preservation and heritage programs.

RI National Register Search from the website of the RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. Includes basic information about buildings in historic districts.

The nation's first federal preservation program, administered by the National Parks Service. Great source for information and plans of historic buildings.

"The official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation."