Certificate of Service

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.

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) — Permitted Methods of Service

Service of papers (other than original process) may be made by:

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 or the office is closed, leaving at the person's dwelling house or usual place of abode with a person 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 through the Rhode Island Judiciary Electronic Filing System; when a document is submitted through EFS, the system generates notification to all registered users constituting service
5. Other Electronic Means — By email or other electronic means with written consent of the party or their attorney
6. Facsimile — By fax with appropriate agreement or where the fax number is on file

R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 6(e) — Mail Extension (3 Days)

Whenever a party must act within a prescribed period after being served by mail, 3 days are added to the prescribed period. This extension applies when the party's response period is triggered by mail service.

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 automatic electronic notification when documents are filed in their cases
• The EFS notification constitutes service on registered participants under R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 5
• Upon acceptance, the EFS records the date and time of filing; the docket reflects the official file stamp
• Unregistered parties must be served by traditional means (mail, personal delivery) with that service separately noted in the Certificate of Service
• Self-represented litigants may or may not be registered in EFS; verify with the clerk

Email and Electronic Consent Service

Service by email or other electronic means (outside the EFS system) requires written consent of the party or their attorney. Maintain written consent documentation in your file.

Rhode Island Superior Court — Key Structure

• Superior Court handles major civil matters ($10,000+) in two divisions: Providence/Bristol Division (Providence) and Kent/Newport/Washington Division (Kent County courthouse at Warwick)
• The Certificate of Service must identify the correct division and courthouse

District Court

The Rhode Island District Court has jurisdiction over civil matters with lower monetary thresholds. The District Court Rules of Civil Procedure contain parallel service requirements. Verify whether your case is in Superior or District Court and use the appropriate rules.

COURT CAPTION

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

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

[________________________________],
Plaintiff(s),

vs. C.A. No.: [____________________]

[________________________________],
Defendant(s). 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.
(Response deadline extended by 3 days per R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 6(e).)

☐ U.S. Mail — Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested
USPS Tracking / Certified Article No.: [____________________]
Date mailed: [__/__/____]
(3-day extension per R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 6(e) applies.)

☐ Personal / Hand Delivery
Delivered in person at the address shown above on [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Person accepting delivery (if not recipient): [________________________________]
(No extension — deadline runs from date of 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
Transmitted by fax to: [____________________] on [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Number of pages (including cover): [____]
Confirmation of successful transmission: ☐ Yes ☐ Attached

☐ Electronic Mail (Email) — Written Consent on File
Transmitted to: [________________________________]
Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Written consent to email service obtained on: [__/__/____] (documentation on file)
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 Official File Stamp Date/Time (upon acceptance): [____________________]
Recipient is a registered EFS user: ☐ Yes ☐ Unknown — also served by additional method above

☐ Overnight Courier / Commercial Carrier
Carrier: [________________________________] | Tracking No.: [____________________] | Date: [__/__/____]

☐ Other Method (describe): [________________________________]

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.
(3-day extension per R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 6(e).)

☐ 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 to [____________________] | Date/Time: [__/__/____] | Pages: [____] | Confirmed: ☐ Yes ☐ Attached

☐ Email (Written Consent on File)
Sent to: [________________________________] | Date/Time: [__/__/____] | Consent date: [__/__/____]

☐ RI Judiciary EFS
Date/Time: [__/__/____] | Confirmation No.: [____________________] | Registered: ☐ Yes ☐ Unknown

☐ Overnight Courier | Carrier: [________________] | Tracking: [____________________] | Date: [__/__/____]

☐ Other: [________________________________]

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 (+3 days per Rule 6(e))

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

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

☐ Left at Office with: [________________________________]

☐ Fax to [____________________] | Date: [__/__/____] | Pages: [____] | Confirmed: ☐ Yes

☐ Email (Consent on File) | Sent to: [________________________________] | Date: [__/__/____]

☐ RI Judiciary EFS | Date: [__/__/____] | Conf. No.: [____________________] | Registered: ☐ Yes ☐ Unknown

☐ Other: [________________________________]

CERTIFICATION AND SIGNATURE

I, the undersigned, declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Rhode Island that the foregoing Certificate 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. Per R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 6(e), the responding party's deadline is extended by 3 calendar days.
   ☐ Certified mail, return receipt requested. Certified article number(s): [____________________]. The 3-day extension under Rule 6(e) applies.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Rhode Island that the foregoing 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 [__/__/____]. Upon acceptance by the Superior Court, the document(s) were entered into the docket and the system generated notification to all registered EFS participants, constituting electronic service. EFS confirmation number: [____________________]. Official file stamp date/time (upon acceptance): [____________________]. Parties not registered in EFS were served by traditional means as stated above.

☐ Electronic Mail (Email):
I transmitted the Document(s) by email to each person identified above at the email address(es) listed. Written consent to email service was obtained from each recipient on or before [__/__/____] and is maintained in my files. I did not receive any undeliverable or bounce-back notification.

☐ Facsimile:
I transmitted the Document(s) via facsimile to each person identified above at the fax number(s) listed. The fax machine confirmed successful transmission. A confirmation sheet is ☐ attached ☐ maintained in the file.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Rhode Island that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on: [__/__/____]

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

RHODE ISLAND PRACTITIONER NOTES

Response Deadline Calculation — Rule 6(e)

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:

• The official filing date is the date of acceptance, not the date of submission (unless the court's rules provide otherwise for deadline purposes)
• If the court rejects a document, it is not considered filed and must be resubmitted
• Retain all EFS submission confirmations and acceptance notifications
• The EFS notifies the filing party of acceptance or rejection and updates the docket accordingly

Superior Court Divisions

Rhode Island Superior Court sits in two divisions:

• Providence/Bristol Division — Providence County Courthouse, 250 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903
• Kent/Newport/Washington Division — Licht Judicial Complex, 222 Quaker Lane, Warwick, RI 02886
  Ensure your filing and service are directed to the correct division.

District Court

Rhode Island District Court has jurisdiction over civil claims generally under $10,000 (small claims under $2,500). The District Court Rules of Civil Procedure (February 2024) have parallel service provisions. Confirm applicability of District Court vs. Superior Court rules based on the court where your case is pending.

Personal Identifiers

Consistent with Rhode Island Supreme Court rules on confidentiality, redact personal data identifiers (Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, dates of birth of minors) before serving documents electronically or filing publicly.

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.

Domestic Relations / Family Court

Family Court matters in Rhode Island are governed by the Rhode Island Family Court Rules of Domestic Relations Procedure. These differ from Superior Court rules. Use the appropriate Family Court certificate of service form for domestic matters.

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
• Rhode Island Superior Court Rules of Practice (February 2024): https://www.courts.ri.gov/Courts/superiorcourt/Documents/SuperiorCourtRulesOfPractice.pdf
• Rhode Island Judiciary (courts.ri.gov): https://www.courts.ri.gov/
• Rhode Island Bar Association: https://www.ribar.com/