Certificate of Service - Rhode Island

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

State of Rhode Island — Superior Court / District Court

JURISDICTION NOTE: This Certificate of Service template is designed for use in Rhode Island state court civil proceedings. Rhode Island has separate court systems for the Superior Court (major civil matters), District Court (limited civil jurisdiction), Family Court, and Probate Court. The Rhode Island Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure (February 2024) govern service of papers in Superior Court. The District Court has its own parallel rules. For cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, consult the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and local rules.

RHODE ISLAND SERVICE LAW — QUICK REFERENCE

R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 5(a) — Documents Requiring Service

Every pleading subsequent to the original complaint unless the court otherwise orders; every paper relating to discovery required to be served upon a party; every written motion other than one which may be heard ex parte; every written notice, appearance, demand, offer of judgment, and similar paper shall be served upon each of the parties. Rule 5(a) has a limited exception for parties in default and requires Rule 4 service for the listed papers that remain serviceable on them.

Service on a represented party shall be made upon the attorney of record unless the court orders service upon the party.

R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 5(b) — Methods for Later Papers

Use EFS for registered users. The delivery and mail routes below apply to persons eligible for conventional service under Rule 5(b)(3); the District Court rule has its own wording. Original process follows Rule 4.

1. Personal Delivery — Delivering a copy to the person to be served
2. Office / Home Delivery — Leaving a copy at the person's office with a clerk or other person in charge; if no one is in charge, leaving it in a conspicuous place in the office; or leaving it at the person's dwelling house or usual place of abode with someone of suitable age and discretion residing there
3. Mail — Mailing to the last known address of the person to be served
4. Electronic Filing System (EFS) — Serving registered users through EFS under Rule 5(b)(2) and Article X
5. Other Means — A method ordered by the court under Rule 5(b)(3)(C)

R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 6(d) — Additional Time After Electronic Service or Mail (One Day)

When a prescribed period runs after service of a notice or other paper and that paper is served electronically or by mail, Superior Court and District Court Rule 6(d) add one day to the period. Check the governing trigger, Rule 6(a) computation, and any rule-specific exception; Superior Court Rule 7(b)(3) and District Court Rule 6(b)(3) expressly exclude their listed motion procedures from Rule 6(d).

Rhode Island Judiciary EFS — Electronic Filing System

Rhode Island courts use the Rhode Island Judiciary Electronic Filing System (EFS) for e-filing and electronic service in Superior Court and certain other courts:

• Registered attorneys receive electronic service through EFS under R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 5(b)(2); a separate eNotification message is informational and is not official court notice
• EFS submission sets the filing and service time under Article X, Rule 5(b); clerk acceptance enters the document on the docket with that filing time
• Nonregistered users must receive conventional service, with proof submitted to the court; follow the applicable Rule 5(b) method or court order
• Self-represented litigants may or may not be registered in EFS; verify with the clerk

Email or Facsimile Outside EFS

Do not select email or facsimile as an independent Rule 5 service method unless a current court order authorizes that method. Identify the order and follow its conditions.

Court and Division

Copy the court, division, county, and case number from the case docket.

District Court

For a District Court case, use its own Rule 5 recipient and service routes and Rule 6(d) time provision, together with any applicable order.

COURT CAPTION

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
[________________________________] COURT (e.g., SUPERIOR COURT / DISTRICT COURT)

[________________________________] COUNTY / DIVISION (e.g., Providence/Bristol Division)

C.A. No.: [____________________]

Judge/Associate Justice: [____________________]

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

The undersigned hereby certifies that on [__/__/____], a true and correct copy of the following document(s):

Title of Document(s) Served:

1. [________________________________]

2. [________________________________]

3. [________________________________]

(collectively, "the Document(s)") was served upon the following parties and/or their attorneys of record in the manner indicated below, pursuant to R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 5 [or District Court Rules, Rule 5, as applicable].

PARTIES AND COUNSEL SERVED

Recipient No. 1

Full Name: [________________________________]
Role/Capacity: [________________________________] (e.g., Attorney for Defendant; Self-Represented Plaintiff)
Firm Name: [________________________________]
Mailing Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]
Email Address: [________________________________]
Facsimile Number: [________________________________]
Rhode Island Bar No. (if attorney): [____________________]

Method of Service — check all that apply:

☐ U.S. Mail — First Class, Postage Prepaid
Deposited in the United States Mail, postage prepaid, on [__/__/____], at [________________________________], Rhode Island.
(If a response period runs from this service, apply Rule 6(d) and any exception.)

☐ U.S. Mail — Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested
USPS Tracking / Certified Article No.: [____________________]
Date mailed: [__/__/____]
(If a response period runs from this service, apply Rule 6(d) and any exception.)

☐ Personal / Hand Delivery
Delivered in person at the address shown above on [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Person accepting delivery (if not recipient): [________________________________]
(Rule 6(d) does not add a day for hand delivery.)

☐ Office Delivery — Left with Clerk or Person in Charge
Left at the attorney's office at [________________________________] with: [________________________________]
Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.

☐ Facsimile Transmission (only if ordered by court; order: [____])
Transmitted by fax to: [____________________] on [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Number of pages (including cover): [____]
Confirmation of successful transmission: ☐ Yes ☐ Attached

☐ Electronic Mail (Email) (only if ordered by court; order: [____])
Transmitted to: [________________________________]
Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Court order's service conditions satisfied: [________________________________]
Bounce-back / undeliverable notice received: ☐ No ☐ Yes (describe): [________________________________]

☐ Rhode Island Judiciary Electronic Filing System (EFS)
Document electronically submitted through RI Judiciary EFS on [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
EFS Submission / Confirmation No.: [____________________]
EFS Submission/File Stamp Date/Time: [____________________]
Recipient is a registered EFS user: ☐ Yes ☐ Unknown — also served by additional method above
The electronically filed and served document is available for viewing or downloading from the Rhode Island Judiciary EFS.

☐ Overnight Courier / Commercial Carrier (only if ordered by court; order: [____])
Carrier: [________________________________] | Tracking No.: [____________________] | Date: [__/__/____]

☐ Other court-ordered method (order and method): [________________________________]

Recipient No. 2

Full Name: [________________________________]
Role/Capacity: [________________________________]
Firm Name: [________________________________]
Mailing Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]
Email Address: [________________________________]
Facsimile Number: [________________________________]
RI Bar No. (if attorney): [____________________]

Method of Service — check all that apply:

☐ U.S. Mail — First Class, Postage Prepaid
Deposited in the United States Mail, postage prepaid, on [__/__/____], at [________________________________], Rhode Island.
(Apply Rule 6(d) only when the response period runs from this service.)

☐ U.S. Mail — Certified Mail | Tracking No.: [____________________] | Date: [__/__/____]

☐ Personal / Hand Delivery | Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.

☐ Left at Office with: [________________________________] | Date/Time: [__/__/____]

☐ Facsimile (court order: [____]) to [____________________] | Date/Time: [__/__/____] | Pages: [____] | Confirmed: ☐ Yes ☐ Attached

☐ Email (court order: [____])
Sent to: [________________________________] | Date/Time: [__/__/____] | Consent date: [__/__/____]

☐ RI Judiciary EFS
Date/Time: [__/__/____] | Confirmation No.: [____________________] | Registered: ☐ Yes ☐ Unknown
The electronically filed and served document is available for viewing or downloading from the Rhode Island Judiciary EFS.

☐ Overnight Courier (court order: [____]) | Carrier: [________________] | Tracking: [____________________] | Date: [__/__/____]

☐ Other court-ordered method: [ORDER / METHOD]

Recipient No. 3 (duplicate as needed for additional parties)

Full Name: [________________________________]
Role/Capacity: [________________________________]
Firm Name: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________], [________________________________], RI [____________________]
Email: [________________________________] | Fax: [____________________] | RI Bar No.: [____________________]

Method of Service:

☐ U.S. Mail | Date: [__/__/____] | Location: [________________________________], RI (one additional day under Rule 6(d), if applicable)

☐ Certified Mail | Tracking: [____________________] | Date: [__/__/____]

☐ Personal Delivery | Date/Time: [__/__/____]

☐ Left at Office with: [________________________________]

☐ Fax (court order: [____]) to [____________________] | Date: [__/__/____] | Pages: [____] | Confirmed: ☐ Yes

☐ Email (court order: [____]) | Sent to: [________________________________] | Date: [__/__/____]

☐ RI Judiciary EFS | Date: [__/__/____] | Conf. No.: [____________________] | Registered: ☐ Yes ☐ Unknown
The electronically filed and served document is available for viewing or downloading from the Rhode Island Judiciary EFS.

☐ Other court-ordered method: [ORDER / METHOD]

CERTIFICATION AND SIGNATURE

I, the undersigned, certify from personal knowledge that the foregoing record of service is true and correct and that service was completed as described above on [__/__/____].

Signature: ___________________________________________
Printed Name: [________________________________]
Rhode Island Bar No.: [____________________]
Firm / Organization: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]
Telephone: ([____]) [____]-[________]
Email: [________________________________]
Representing: ☐ Plaintiff ☐ Defendant ☐ Third-Party ☐ Intervenor ☐ Self-Represented
Party Represented: [________________________________]

SUPPLEMENTAL PROOF OF SERVICE BY MAIL

(Complete when service is by U.S. Mail)

DECLARATION OF MAILING

I, [________________________________], declare as follows:

1. I am over 18 years of age. I am ☐ the attorney of record ☐ an employee of the law firm ☐ a person not a party to this action.
2. My address is: [________________________________], [________________________________], Rhode Island [____________________].
3. On [__/__/____], I placed in the United States Mail at [________________________________], Rhode Island, a true and correct copy of the Document(s) identified above, enclosed in a sealed envelope with first-class postage fully prepaid, addressed to each person listed below:

Recipient: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]

Recipient: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]

4. Service method:
   ☐ Regular first-class mail. If the response period runs from this service, apply Rule 6(d) and any exception.
   ☐ Certified mail, return receipt requested. Certified article number(s): [____________________]. Apply Rule 6(d) if the period runs from this service.

I certify from personal knowledge that the foregoing mailing record is true and correct.

Executed on: [__/__/____]

Signature: ___________________________________________
Printed Name: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]

SUPPLEMENTAL PROOF OF ELECTRONIC SERVICE

(Complete when service is by RI Judiciary EFS, email, or fax)

DECLARATION OF ELECTRONIC SERVICE

I, [________________________________], declare as follows:

1. I am over 18 years of age and authorized to make service in this action.
2. On [__/__/____], I served the Document(s) identified above by the following electronic method(s):

☐ Rhode Island Judiciary Electronic Filing System (EFS):
I electronically submitted the Document(s) through the Rhode Island Judiciary EFS at approximately [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m. on [__/__/____]. Under Article X, Rule 5(b), filing and service are deemed made at submission; upon acceptance the document(s) are entered on the docket with that filing time. The electronically filed and served document is available for viewing or downloading from the Rhode Island Judiciary EFS. EFS confirmation number: [____________________]. Submission/file stamp date and time: [____________________]. Persons eligible for conventional service were served as stated above.

☐ Electronic Mail (Email), authorized by court order [IDENTIFIER]:
I transmitted the Document(s) by email to each person identified above at the email address(es) listed, in compliance with the identified court order. I did not receive any undeliverable or bounce-back notification.

☐ Facsimile, authorized by court order [IDENTIFIER]:
I transmitted the Document(s) via facsimile to each person identified above at the fax number(s) listed, in compliance with the identified court order. The fax machine confirmed successful transmission. A confirmation sheet is ☐ attached ☐ maintained in the file.

I certify from personal knowledge that the foregoing electronic service record is true and correct.

Executed on: [__/__/____]

Signature: ___________________________________________
Printed Name: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]

RHODE ISLAND PRACTITIONER NOTES

Response Deadline Calculation — Rule 6(d)

RI Judiciary EFS — Filing and Acceptance

Rhode Island's EFS requires the court to review and accept submitted documents before they appear on the docket. Key practice points:

• Article X, Rule 5(b) deems the document filed and served at submission; upon acceptance, the docket reflects that time
• Under Rule 5(c), a rejected document is not docketed; it must be promptly corrected and resubmitted, with the initial filing date preserved for a statutory or rule-based deadline
• Retain all EFS submission confirmations and acceptance notifications
• The EFS notifies the filing party of acceptance or rejection and updates the docket accordingly

Court and Division

Copy the assigned court, division, and address from the current case docket before filing or serving.

District Court

For District Court proceedings, confirm the applicable District Court Rule 5 service route, Rule 6(d) calculation, and any assigned-court order before using this certificate.

Personal Identifiers

Review the current court confidentiality rules before including personal identifiers in any filing or service copy.

Special Masters and Mediators

Some cases may require service on appointed special masters, mediators, or arbitrators. Check the court's case management order for any additional service requirements beyond parties of record.

Other Courts

For matters outside the Superior and District Courts, check the governing court's service rules before using this certificate.

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• Rhode Island Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure (February 2024): https://www.courts.ri.gov/Courts/superiorcourt/Documents/SuperiorCourtRulesOfCivilProcedure.pdf
• Rhode Island District Court Civil Rules: https://www.courts.ri.gov/Courts/districtcourt/Documents/District_Civil_Rules.pdf