Rhode Island general warranty deed

What a general warranty deed does in Rhode Island

A general warranty deed transfers ownership and adds the full set of title covenants: the grantor promises they own the property, have the right to sell it, that it is free of undisclosed encumbrances, and that they will defend the title against any claim, including claims that arose long before they owned it. It is the standard instrument for an arm's-length sale between private parties.

The Rhode Island law behind this deed

Start with R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-11-12, 34-11-15 and 34-11-16 if you want to read the statute's own language. The table below lists the main statutes behind the rules on this page.

When Rhode Island property owners use a general warranty deed

• Sell a property directly to a buyer without an agent
• Transfer a property where the buyer expects full title protection
• Satisfy a purchase contract that calls for a warranty deed
• Convey property where a title company requires warranty covenants

What Rhode Island requires on the deed

Rhode Island has no statewide format statute. Deedly leaves a 3-inch space at the top of page one for the clerk's stamp, and some town clerks add their own rules: Smithfield, for example, wants a 2 x 2 inch blank space on the last page. A city or town clerk may refuse a deed that does not give the grantee's address or, for a sale, the price (R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-11-1.2, 34-11-1.4).

How to complete and record it in Rhode Island

1. 1Find your current deedYou need the legal description from it, word for word. If you can't find your copy, the City or Town Clerk or Recorder of Deeds (Land Evidence Records) can provide one, usually for a few dollars.
2. 2Identify everyone by full legal nameNames must match the current deed and government ID exactly, middle names included. A mismatch creates a gap in the chain of title that shows up years later at closing.
3. 3Complete the deedDeedly builds it with the wording, notary certificate, and 3-inch first-page margin used for Rhode Island deeds.
4. 4Sign in front of a notaryBring photo ID. Wait to sign until you are in front of the notary: you have to appear before the notary anyway, and signing there leaves no question about who signed.
5. 5Record it with the City or Town Clerk or Recorder of Deeds (Land Evidence Records)File in the town where the property is located and pay the recording fee. Many offices in this state also accept e-recording, but usually only from approved submitters such as title companies. Keep the stamped receipt. It fixes your priority date.
6. 6Update insurance and tax recordsA change of ownership can affect your homeowner's policy, your homestead or senior exemption, and in some states the assessed value. Do this within a few weeks.

What it costs in Rhode Island

Rhode Island charges a real estate conveyance tax of $3.75 per $500 of consideration, plus $3.75 per $500 on residential consideration above $824,000 (2026). Customarily paid by the grantor. Rhode Island has no separate exemption for transfers between spouses or into or out of a trust: they are untaxed only when $100 or less is paid for the property. The taxable amount includes any mortgage or lien that remains on the property (R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-25-1(a)), so ask the clerk before recording a transfer of mortgaged property. The tax is paid by buying documentary stamps from the city or town clerk when the deed is recorded (§ 44-25-3). In New Shoreham (Block Island) the buyer also pays the Block Island Land Trust a fee of 3% of the purchase price, and Land Trust forms go with every deed.

Exemptions that commonly apply to a transfer like this: deeds for which $100 or less is paid, including a true gift (when nothing is paid, the deed must state that the consideration is such that no documentary stamps are required), mortgages and other instruments given to secure a debt, and deeds from the United States, the State of Rhode Island, or a Rhode Island city or town. Rhode Island has no exemption form. A deed for which nothing is paid must itself state that the consideration is such that no documentary stamps are required (R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-25-1(c)). Deedly prints that statement on every gift and life estate deed, and on any deed where you chose "Nothing is being paid (a gift)".

Where to record it in Rhode Island

Rhode Island deeds are recorded with the City or Town Clerk or Recorder of Deeds (Land Evidence Records) in the town where the property sits, not where you live. There are 39 towns in Rhode Island.

Many Rhode Island recording offices accept e-recording through vendors such as Simplifile, CSC, or ePN. E-recording is generally open only to approved submitters such as title companies, attorneys, and lenders, so if you prepared the deed yourself, plan to record in person or by mail. Some offices accept filings from the public through those vendors; your town's website will say.

Recording offices we cover in Rhode Island: Providence, Cranston, Warwick, Pawtucket, East Providence, Woonsocket, New Shoreham. See all Rhode Island recording offices.

What a general warranty deed does NOT do

Being honest about the limits is more useful than a sales pitch. Every one of these catches somebody out.

• The covenants only bind the grantor personally. If they have no assets, a covenant claim may be worth little.
• It does not replace title insurance or a title search. It gives you a claim after the fact, not clean title today.
• It does not avoid probate and cannot be revoked once delivered and recorded.
• Signing one when you don't actually know the property's history exposes you to real liability. Where that is a concern, a special warranty deed is the safer instrument.

Quirks of Rhode Island law that catch people out

• Rhode Island records deeds in the land evidence records of the city or town where the property lies: the Recorder of Deeds in Providence, the city or town clerk everywhere else. There are 39 separate offices and no county recording.
• A deed for a sale must state the total dollar amount of the actual sale, and the clerk may refuse one that does not (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-11-1.4). A deed for which nothing is paid must state that the consideration is such that no documentary stamps are required (§ 44-25-1(c)).
• Every deed must give the grantee's name and residence or mailing address, or the clerk may refuse it (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-11-1.2).
• Rhode Island's real estate conveyance tax is $3.75 for each $500 (or part of $500) of the price when more than $100 is paid. For residential property, an additional $3.75 per $500 applies to the part of the price above $824,000 (the 2026 threshold, adjusted each January). The seller pays unless the parties agree otherwise (R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-25-1).
• Rhode Island does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds.
• Tenancy by the entirety is available for married couples.

How to hold title in Rhode Island

When two or more people take title in Rhode Island and the deed says nothing more, the law presumes a tenancy in common, which means no automatic survivorship. If you want the survivor to take the whole property, the words have to be on the deed. Forms of co-ownership available in Rhode Island: tenancy by the entirety (married couples only), joint tenancy with right of survivorship, and tenancy in common.