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Educational information about court costs and procedure only — not legal advice and not a substitute for an attorney or your court clerk. Fees change; always confirm current figures with the clerk of the court where you file.

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Rhode Island court costs guide

Filing for divorce in Rhode Island costs $120 in court filing fees. This guide covers the verified filing fees for divorce, name change, general civil cases, and probate in Rhode Island — every figure from the official schedule or statute named at the foot of the page.

Rhode Island at a glanceFigure
CourtFamily Court (divorce) · Superior Court (civil) · Municipal Probate Court (name change)
Divorce filing fee$120 statutory base — the Family Court entry fee under §9-29-19. Judiciary e-filing add-ons of $20.75 apply where applicable; the combined total is not printed on an official Family Court page, so treat $120 as the base, not the all-in figure.
Name change filing feeTown-set — a name change is filed in the municipal Probate Court where you live, and there is no statewide figure.
Name-change publicationVaries — court's discretion — Varies by city and town — there is no statewide statute; local probate practice governs (for example, Narragansett's probate rules publish 'Advertised Matters' in The Narragansett Times 3 times before the hearing).
General civil filing fee$180.75 total per the Judiciary FAQ: $160 base (Superior Court, §9-29-18) + $17.50 processing + $3.25 technology fee. District Court civil is $80 plus add-ons.
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Divorce filing fees

$120 statutory base — the Family Court entry fee under §9-29-19. Judiciary e-filing add-ons of $20.75 apply where applicable; the combined total is not printed on an official Family Court page, so treat $120 as the base, not the all-in figure.

See the national picture — including the states where the fee is set county by county — in our divorce filing cost guide.

Name change: fee and publication

Town-set — a name change is filed in the municipal Probate Court where you live, and there is no statewide figure.

Publication: Varies by city and town — there is no statewide statute; local probate practice governs (for example, Narragansett's probate rules publish 'Advertised Matters' in The Narragansett Times 3 times before the hearing).

Publication is the step readers most often get wrong, because the rule changed recently in several states. The full state-by-state picture is in our name change cost guide.

General civil filing fees

$180.75 total per the Judiciary FAQ: $160 base (Superior Court, §9-29-18) + $17.50 processing + $3.25 technology fee. District Court civil is $80 plus add-ons.

Probate court costs

No probate filing figure for Rhode Island appears on the official schedules we read — in many states probate fees are set at county level (a register of wills or probate court fee schedule) rather than statewide. Confirm the current fee with the probate court where the estate will be filed. Our probate cost guide explains the cost layers every estate pays.

How filing works in Rhode Island

  1. Prepare the petition or complaint for the Family Court (divorce) — most Rhode Island courts publish the forms on their self-help pages.
  2. File with the clerk and pay the filing fee above. Keep the stamped copy; it is your proof of filing.
  3. Arrange service of process on the other party where the case requires it (divorce and general civil cases do; a name change usually does not).
  4. Complete any publication the rules require — for a Rhode Island name change: varies — court's discretion.
  5. Attend the hearing or, in uncontested matters, submit the proposed decree for the judge's signature.

Worked total: what a divorce filing costs

ItemCost
Filing fee$120
Service of process (typical private process server)$50–$100
Estimated total to file$170–$220

Filing fee plus service for one respondent, before any mediation, parenting-class, or copy charges described in the guides. Run your own combination in the cost calculator.

Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws §§9-29-18, 9-29-19 — RI Legislature · Rhode Island Judiciary — Superior Court Civil FAQs · Town of Narragansett — Probate Rules. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.

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