CITY CLERK Staff DIRECTORY
At the head of this department is the City Clerk who serves as ex-officio clerk of the Probate Court and the Recorder of Deeds. The City Clerk appoints a Clerk of Committees.
The City Clerk’s Office is responsible for providing a number of services to the public, including:
• Receiving and recording all land evidence records
• Issuing certified copies of vital statistics (birth, death, and marriage)
• Issuing marriage licenses
• Issuing dog licenses
• Issuing business licenses
In addition to receiving, recording, and issuing these documents, this department is responsible for the indexing, maintenance, and storage of records as required by law.
The City Clerk’s Office is open Monday through Friday, except legal holidays, from 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. We do not close for lunch.
Land evidence recordings are accepted in-person, by mail, or through e-recording services provided by Simplifile and CSC. We record daily until 4 PM, except 12-1 PM while the Recording Clerk takes lunch. Recordings received by our office prior to 4:00 p.m. will be recorded on the same business day. E-recordings are processed in the order they are received from the vendor. If you need an expedited recording, we recommend you come to our office in person. Any recording submitted without the correct fee will be rejected and returned in the same manner it was received.
Marriage licenses are issued by appointment only. Please contact Matthew Goyette at (401) 780-3195 or mgoyette@cranstonri.gov to schedule an appointment. For additional information and requirements for obtaining a marriage license, please click the MARRIAGE LICENSES button to the right.
We encourage you to take advantage of our online resources such as searching land evidence records, ordering vital records, and searching Council records by using the buttons on this page.
All business license applications must be submitted through our online portal. Please click the BUSINESS LICENSES button to apply. If not listed, paper applications are still being accepted.
Currently, all fees paid to our office in person must be made in the form of cash, check, or money order. We do not have the ability to accept debit or credit cards at the counter. Cards may be used to pay for copies of vital records or business licensing fees when using the appropriate online portals.
We are currently not offering walk in services for vital records. You may use our online portal to apply for a record. Requests will be processed as time permits; in the order they are received. For information on other ways to obtain a vital record, please visit the Dept. of Health information page: https://health.ri.gov/vital-records or contact them at (401) 222-2812. Please note: all vital records for the use of foreign government must be issued by the state, not a city or town.