RHODE ISLAND FIELD FILE

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can they search my cardo I have to show IDlandlord kept my depositcan I record the policewhat happens if I refuse a breathalyzer

Start with a situation

• Traffic stopsGetting pulled over, documents, searches, and what happens roadside.→
• Being stoppedOn foot, on the street, and what you owe an officer who stops you.→
• Marijuana and drugsWhat the state legalized, what it did not, and where state and federal law disagree.→
• Impaired drivingImpaired driving stops, field tests, breath and blood tests, and implied consent.→
• Court and moneyDebt, eviction, work, family and records. The side of the system with no officer in it.→
• Your homeRenting and the landlord, and when the police may come inside.→
• RecordingFilming police, recording calls, and whose consent the law requires.→
• Carrying a firearmCarry rules, the duty to disclose, where guns are barred, and self defense.→
• Charges and penaltiesHow offenses are graded, jail ranges, fines, and repeat offense steps.→
• How you carry yourselfSilence, counsel, complying now and contesting later.→

New in Rhode Island

• Walkthrough·Oct 8The Dome Light StopA stop after dark, the interior lights, a license left at home, and insurance shown on a phone.
• Walkthrough·Oct 8The Breath TestA roadside breath test, a chemical test after arrest, a doctor of one's own choosing, and questions at the station.
• Walkthrough·Oct 8The Five Day DemandRent fifteen days late, a demand in the mail, five days to pay, and the right to cure at the hearing.
• Walkthrough·Oct 8The Gun in the ClosetA pistol on a closet shelf, a visiting teenager, and the difference between a civil fine and a crime.

All 10 new in Rhode Island ↓

Someone asked

“How long does a landlord in Rhode Island have to return a deposit?”

Getting The Deposit Back

The landlord delivers the deposit due, with a written notice itemizing anything kept, within twenty days after the latest of the end of the tenancy, the return of possession, or the tenant giving a forwarding address for the deposit.

• R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19StatuteSecurity depositsOpens webserver.rilegislature.gov ↗

Read the whole section →

Legal information, not legal advice. Every block on this site carries the source it rests on.

Walk it through

52 situations taken one decision at a time, with what the law asks of each side written out at every step. Each opens on its own page.

Traffic stops9Being stopped2Marijuana and drugs2Impaired driving1Court and money21Your home10Carrying a firearm3Charges and penalties3How you carry yourself1

• The Dome Light StopA stop after dark, the interior lights, a license left at home, and insurance shown on a phone.3 steps →
• The Crash at the LightA rear end collision, a sore neck, names and licenses exchanged, a written report, and the time to sue.3 steps →
• The New DriverA permit at sixteen, the hours with a parent, a provisional license with a curfew, and a phone left alone.4 steps →
• The Phone at the Red LightA text read at a light, the meaning of driving, a ticket by mail, and what hands free allows.3 steps →
• The Cyclist on the ShoulderA narrow road, a cyclist ahead, the distance a pass needs, and the fine when care fails.3 steps →
• The School Bus MorningRed lights on a bus in the opposite lane, a parking lot, following too close, and the fine.3 steps →
• The Suspended LicenseA license suspended for an unpaid ticket, a drive to work anyway, and a ladder from civil penalties to a misdemeanor.3 steps →
• The Car Seat TicketA booster seat that wore out, a stop, a citation, and seven days to make it go away.3 steps →
• The Speeding TicketFifty miles per hour on a road with no sign, a ticket, the fine by the mile, and a second one inside a year.3 steps →

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About this guide — education built from the General Laws of Rhode Island as the General Assembly publishes them, not a law degree in a webpage. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Rhode Island attorney or a legal aid office. Current as of October 2026.

This guide covers common situations in real Rhode Island encounters. Not the whole legal code, not a replacement for a lawyer.