• Birth Record Request Form
• Birth, Death & Marriage Record Information from the Rhode Island Department of Health

Birth records on file in the Town Clerk’s office date back to 1871. Records 100 years old and older are public records. All records less than 100 years old are only available by request to the person named on the record or to a close relative.

Where Do I Obtain a Copy of My Birth Certificate?

If you were born in Smithfield, or if you were born in Rhode Island and your mother lived in Smithfield at the time of birth, you may obtain your birth certificate in the Town Clerk’s Office:

Smithfield Town Hall
64 Farnum Pike
Smithfield, RI 02917

or you may obtain your birth certificate at the Department of Health, Vital Records:

Simpson Hall
6 Harrington Road
Cranston, RI 02920
P: (401) 222-2812
Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

How to Obtain a Copy of a Birth Certificate

The State of RI Health Department has initiated a RI Birth Record Program that allows any RI Town or City Clerk’s Office to prepare a birth certificate for any RI-born individual, so long as they were born on or after January 1, 1960 (program does not go further back, as yet). This means you can visit any of RI’s 39 cities/towns, closest to where you now live, and ask for a certified copy of your birth certificate (see instructions below). It is always best to telephone first to ensure that a certified copy of your birth certificate can be verified and then created for you.

However, if you were born before January 1, 1960, were born in Smithfield, or your mother lived in Smithfield at the time of your birth, you may obtain your birth certificate in the Smithfield Town Clerk’s Office.

Application to Request Record

• Birth Record Request Form

Birth Certificate Cost

• Walk-In Copies: $22.00
• Mail-In Copies: $25.00

Any additional copies of this record purchased this same day cost $18.00 each.

For further information please call Carolyn Bouchard, at 233-1000, ext. 113.

• Death Record Request Form
• Birth, Death & Marriage Record Information from the Rhode Island Department of Health

Death records from approximately 1871 to present day are indexed and stored in the Town Clerk’s Office. Pursuant to RI General Law, the only Vital Statistics available to the general public are death records over 50 years old, and birth and marriage records over 100 years old.

Where is the Death Certificate Filed?

The death certificate is filed in Smithfield if:

• The death occurred in the Town of Smithfield
• The decedent resided in Smithfield and the death occurred in the state.

How to Obtain a Copy of a Death Certificate

• Physically enter the Town Clerk’s Office
• Present a picture identification of yourself, or
• Request a certificate by mail, enclose copy of your photo identification.
• Fill out the request form
• Enclose check or money order made payable to “Town of Smithfield” along with the written request
• Mail request to: Town Clerk’s Office, 64 Farnum Pike, Smithfield, RI 02917
• State your full name
• State the date of death and your relationship to the deceased

Application to Request Record

• Death Record Request Form

Death Certificate Cost

• Walk-In Copies: $22.00
• Mail-In Copies: $25.00

Any additional copies of this record purchased this same day cost $18.00 each.

State of Rhode Island Regulations

Confidentiality

Vital records are confidential. Only individuals who have what is called a “direct and tangible interest” in the records can access them. This includes:

• The person named on the certificate, a member of his/her immediate family, his/her guardian, or an authorized agent of these individuals
• *Attorneys-at-law, title examiners, or members of legally incorporated genealogical societies conducting their official duties
• A person requiring information to determine or protect a personal or property right
• A person who has been granted a court order instructing the registrar to provide the document

Firms, agencies, or individuals requesting information for commercial purposes are not considered to have direct and tangible interest.

• Birth, Death & Marriage Record Information from the Rhode Island Department of Health

Smithfield Town Clerk Request

Attorneys-at-law, title examiners, or members of legally incorporated genealogical societies conducting their official duties to provide the following documentation prior to receiving Death Record information:

1. Written request should be submitted on official letterhead stating, “Direct and Tangible Interest” and provided to the Vitals Manager for further processing.

For further information please call Carolyn Bouchard, Vitals Manager, at 233-1000, ext. 113.