Served 123 LLC domesticates and serves out-of-state subpoenas across all 39 Rhode Island cities and towns under the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act, G.L. chapter 9-18.1, in force since July 15, 2019. Rhode Island runs lean and specific: one statewide Superior Court sitting in four courthouses for five counties, a dedicated official form — Superior-70 — that demands a certified copy of your foreign subpoena, a dual issuance channel through the clerk or any Rhode Island bar member, a flat $160.00 statutory filing fee competitors misquote, and a 20-day patient-notice machine welded onto every medical-records subpoena. We run the right channel, front the exact fee, and serve with the tender in hand and a notarized return.
One national guide tells readers Rhode Island issuance fees “vary by court, on average $185.00 according to R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-29-18.” Every clause of that is wrong. The statute it cites sets a flat $160.00 for entry of every civil action or petition, statewide — ten dollars of which goes to Rhode Island Legal Services. Rhode Island has one unified Superior Court, so there are no courts for the fee to “vary” between, and a statutory fee does not “average.” The real out-the-door math comes from the Judiciary’s own published schedule: $160.00 filing + $17.50 case-processing fee + $3.25 technology surcharge = $180.75, plus 3.25% only if paid by card. We front the exact figure and itemize it on your invoice — the schedule decides the price, not an invented average.
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Rhode Island adopted the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act as G.L. chapter 9-18.1, enacted by twin acts — P.L. 2019, ch. 190 and ch. 241 — and applicable to cases pending on July 15, 2019 by the statute’s own terms. Section 9-18.1-3 gives you two channels: submit the foreign subpoena to the Superior Court clerk in the county where discovery is sought — who shall promptly issue — or to any lawyer in good standing of the Rhode Island bar, who may issue directly. Neither is an appearance. The state publishes a dedicated form, Superior-70, which requires a certified copy of the foreign subpoena attached, and the clerk-channel fee is a flat $160.00 under § 9-29-18 plus the schedule’s $17.50 and $3.25 add-ons.
Rhode Island’s UIDDA is G.L. chapter 9-18.1, enacted — in Rhode Island’s charming convention of passing every act twice — as identical twin laws, P.L. 2019, ch. 190, § 1 and ch. 241, § 1. The effective date is written into the statute itself: § 9-18.1-8 applies the chapter “to requests for discovery in cases pending on July 15, 2019.” The definitions track the uniform act — a subpoena is any “document, however denominated” commanding testimony, production, or inspection — with one quiet omission worth knowing: Rhode Island’s definition of “state” covers the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the territories, but does not include federally recognized tribes, so a tribal-court subpoena needs case-by-case handling rather than the standard channel. And § 9-18.1-3 holds the structural signature: the foreign subpoena goes to a clerk of the superior court in the county in which discovery is sought — or to “a lawyer who is a member in good standing of the bar of this state.” The clerk shall promptly issue; the lawyer may. Neither request constitutes an appearance, and the issued subpoena carries the foreign terms plus a contact block that — unusually — must include email addresses for every counsel of record and unrepresented party.
The geography is the smallest in the country and still manages a trap. Rhode Island has five counties but only four Superior Court courthouses — and the counties have no governments; they exist as judicial map lines. The official form prints the four as checkboxes: the Licht Judicial Complex in Providence serving Providence and Bristol counties together — Bristol County has no courthouse of its own — the Noel Judicial Complex in Warwick for Kent County, the McGrath Judicial Complex in Wakefield for Washington County, and the Murray Judicial Complex in Newport for Newport County. That form is the second signature: Rhode Island publishes a dedicated UIDDA instrument, Superior-70, “Foreign Subpoena – Civil”, revised May 2023, with the dual channel baked in — “Issued by [ ] Clerk or [ ] Attorney pursuant to G.L. 1956 § 9-18.1-3” — a Rhode Island Bar Number line, Rule 45’s protections printed on the back, and one requirement competitors never mention: “a certified subpoena from a foreign jurisdiction shall be attached to this form.” A plain photocopy does not satisfy it.
Service runs on Rule 45 with two vintage flourishes. Any nonparty 18 or older may serve, anywhere in the state, and when attendance is commanded the server must tender the witness fee at the door — § 9-29-7’s $10.00 per day plus 10¢ per mile, rates that still carry a $2-a-day line for witnesses committed to jail on default of recognizance, vintage 1905. The form’s proof-of-service block adds the second flourish: a return signed by anyone other than a sheriff, deputy, or constable must be notarized. Documents-only commands carry a 14-day written-objection window and require prior notice to every party under Rule 5(b). And for healthcare records, § 5-37.3-6.1 bolts on a machine all its own — the patient, not just the parties, must be served and given twenty days to challenge before a custodian may lawfully produce. One court, four courthouses, two channels, one form. We run all of it.
Rhode Island's Confidentiality of Health Care Communications and Information Act does not let a custodian release records on a bare subpoena — the patient gets served, the patient gets twenty days, and the custodian gets it in writing.
A healthcare provider or custodian may disclose confidential healthcare information pursuant to a subpoena only when the issuing party provides written certification that:
The teeth are in subsections (b) through (e): the patient has twenty days from service to move to quash — in the pending court or, if none, the Superior Court — and the court shall grant the motion unless the requester shows reasonable grounds of relevance and a need that clearly outweighs the patient's privacy on a five-factor test. We serve the patient with the subpoena and the challenge notice, calendar the twenty days, prepare the certification, and only then put the subpoena in front of the custodian.
Section 9-18.1-3 is a fork: the same foreign subpoena can be issued by the Superior Court clerk — or directly by any member in good standing of the Rhode Island bar. The statute even grades the verbs.
The Superior-70 package — with the certified foreign subpoena attached — is filed with the clerk at the correct courthouse of the four, the $160.00 fee plus schedule add-ons is paid, a civil action file number is assigned, and the clerk shall promptly issue. The mandatory verb is yours to rely on, and the docketed file number anchors any later motion.
Superior-70 · Certified copy attached · $160.00 + $17.50 + $3.25 · File number assignedThe same foreign subpoena handed to a lawyer who is a member in good standing of the Rhode Island bar, who may issue the Rhode Island subpoena directly — no clerk, no filing, no court fee. The form carries a Bar Number line for exactly this. It is the fastest lawful route when Rhode Island counsel is already in the picture — and issuing is still not an appearance.
§ 9-18.1-3(a)(2) · Bar member issues · No clerk filing · No feeEither channel produces the same instrument: a Rhode Island subpoena incorporating the foreign terms with the full contact block — email addresses included — served under Rule 45. Served 123 LLC is a process-service company, not a law firm: we run the clerk channel directly, fee fronted and file number reported, and where the attorney channel fits your matter we coordinate issuance with your Rhode Island counsel and handle everything after the signature.
From intake to notarized affidavit — the courthouse picked correctly, the certified copy attached, the exact fee fronted, the patient-notice machine run where it applies, and the tender at the door.
Upload your out-of-state subpoena and the Rhode Island city or town where the witness or records sit. The official form requires a certified copy of the foreign subpoena attached — not a photocopy — so we confirm certification at intake and advise on obtaining it from your issuing court if needed.
Venue is the county where discovery is sought — we map your town to the right courthouse of the four: Licht in Providence for Providence and Bristol counties, Noel in Warwick for Kent, McGrath in Wakefield for Washington, Murray in Newport for Newport. And we route the channel: the clerk under § 9-18.1-3(a)(1), or coordinated issuance through your Rhode Island counsel under (a)(2) when that is the faster fit.
We prepare the official Superior-70 “Foreign Subpoena – Civil” form — the correct courthouse box checked, the command sections completed to mirror your foreign terms, the Rule 30(b)(6) designation language where an organization is the target, and the § 9-18.1-3(c) contact block in full: names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of every counsel of record and unrepresented party.
Our representative files with the Superior Court clerk and pays the exact cost from the Judiciary’s published schedule: $160.00 under § 9-29-18 plus the $17.50 case-processing fee and $3.25 technology surcharge. The clerk shall promptly issue; a civil action file number is assigned; we report it back the day it issues.
For medical and healthcare records, § 5-37.3-6.1 runs first: we serve the patient with a copy of the subpoena and notice of the right to challenge — or document by affidavit that the patient cannot be located in the jurisdiction — hold the twenty-day challenge window, then deliver the written certification to the custodian. Documents-only commands to any witness also carry Rule 45’s 14-day objection window and Rule 5(b) prior notice to every party.
Service under Rule 45(b) by our Rhode Island servers — nonparty adults, anywhere in the state — with the § 9-29-7 tender at the door when attendance is commanded: $10.00 for the day plus 10¢ per mile. The proof of service goes back on the form’s own block, notarized as Rhode Island requires of any server who is not a sheriff, deputy, or constable — and you receive the filing-ready affidavit (PDF). Any protective order or motion to quash lands in the Superior Court for the discovery county under § 9-18.1-6.
Before July 15, 2019, an out-of-state subpoena had no force in Rhode Island — discovery meant a commission, local counsel, and a miscellaneous action in Superior Court.
The complete framework — the twin acts, the dual channel, the fee statutes, Rule 45 service, and the healthcare-records machine — each linked from the sections above.
| Authority | Subject | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|
| P.L. 2019, ch. 190 + ch. 241 | Adoption | Identical twin acts adding chapter 9-18.1; § 9-18.1-8 writes the effective date into the statute — the chapter applies to requests for discovery in cases pending on July 15, 2019 |
| G.L. § 9-18.1-2 | Definitions | A subpoena is a document, however denominated, commanding testimony, production of documents, records, or electronically stored information, or inspection of premises; “state” covers DC, Puerto Rico, the USVI, and territories — federally recognized tribes are not included |
| G.L. § 9-18.1-3(a) | Two Channels | Submit the foreign subpoena to a clerk of the Superior Court in the county where discovery is sought — or to a lawyer who is a member in good standing of the Rhode Island bar; the request is not an appearance |
| G.L. § 9-18.1-3(b)–(c) | Issuance + Contents | The clerk shall promptly issue; the lawyer may issue; the subpoena incorporates the foreign terms and contains or is accompanied by the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of all counsel of record and any unrepresented party, in a form complying with Rhode Island law |
| G.L. § 9-18.1-4 + -5 | Service + Practice | Service and all deposition, production, and inspection practice under subpoenas issued through § 9-18.1-3 are governed by the Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure |
| Super. R. Civ. P. 45(a) | Issuance Generally | Every subpoena issues from the clerk of court, a notary public, or another officer authorized by statute, and must set out the text of the rule's protections — which the official form prints in full |
| Super. R. Civ. P. 45(b) | Service + Tender | Service by a sheriff, deputy, constable, or any nonparty at least 18 years old, anywhere in the state, by delivering a copy — and, when attendance is commanded, tendering the fees for one day's attendance and the mileage allowed by law; production commands require prior notice to each party under Rule 5(b) |
| Super. R. Civ. P. 45(c) | Protections + Quash | A 14-day written-objection window on inspection and copying commands; mandatory quash or modification for inadequate compliance time, privileged matter, or undue burden; conditional protection for trade secrets and unretained experts; sanctions — including lost earnings and attorney's fees — for undue burden |
| Super. R. Civ. P. 45(d)–(e) | Duties + Contempt | Production as kept in the usual course of business or organized and labeled to the demand; privilege claims made expressly with a supporting description; disobedience without adequate excuse punishable as contempt |
| G.L. § 9-29-18 + § 8-15-11 | Filing Cost | $160.00 for entry of every civil action or petition, statewide — $10 of it to Rhode Island Legal Services — plus the technology surcharge authorized up to $25 and set at $3.25, and the schedule's $17.50 case-processing fee |
| G.L. § 9-29-7 | Witness Fees | $10.00 for every day's attendance — including depositions — plus 10 cents per mile of travel; experts and interpreters paid as the court deems just and reasonable |
| G.L. § 5-37.3-6.1 | Healthcare Records | Custodians may disclose on a subpoena only with written certification that the patient was served with the subpoena and a challenge notice and twenty days passed without challenge — or on court order; the court shall grant a timely motion to quash unless need clearly outweighs privacy on the statute's five-factor test |
Rhode Island operates one unified, statewide Superior Court sitting in four courthouses for five counties — Bristol County matters are heard at the Licht Judicial Complex in Providence — and the filing figures above come from § 9-29-18 and the Judiciary's published fee schedule as of its stated revision date. Fees are subject to change by the Judiciary; we confirm the current amounts before every filing.
A dedicated form with a certification trap, a fee competitors invent numbers for, a patient-notice machine on medical records, and a notarized-return rule — every failure below is live on a competitor page or built into the system.
A national guide prices Rhode Island at fees that “vary by court, on average $185.00 according to § 9-29-18.” The cited statute says $160.00, flat, statewide — and Rhode Island has one unified Superior Court, so there is nothing for the fee to vary between. The real total is $180.75 from the Judiciary’s own schedule. We front the exact figure, itemized.
One national provider’s 50-state page still lists Rhode Island among the states that “don’t recognize the UIDDA” — while its own Rhode Island page explains § 9-18.1-3 and sells the service. Rhode Island’s act has been in force since July 15, 2019. We cite the chapter, the twin acts, and the official form — dated and linked.
The official Superior-70 form says it plainly: “a certified subpoena from a foreign jurisdiction shall be attached to this form.” A plain copy stalls at the counter. We confirm certification at intake — and walk you through getting it from your issuing court when it’s missing.
A healthcare-records subpoena served straight on the custodian skips § 5-37.3-6.1 — which requires the patient to be served with the subpoena and a challenge notice, twenty days to pass without challenge, and a written certification in the custodian’s hands before disclosure is lawful. We run the machine in order: patient, clock, certification, custodian.
Attendance commanded means the $10.00 day’s fee and 10¢-per-mile mileage are tendered at service under Rule 45(b) — and the form’s proof block warns that a return signed by anyone other than a sheriff, deputy, or constable must be notarized. We tender at the door and return a notarized affidavit, every time.
Five counties, four courthouses — and Bristol County has none: its matters run through the Licht Judicial Complex in Providence. Venue is the county where discovery is sought, and the form makes you pick the box. We map the witness’s town to the right courthouse before anything is filed.
End-to-end handling of the smallest state's most specific system — the official form, the right courthouse, the exact fee, the machine run on time.
The official Foreign Subpoena – Civil form completed in full — certified foreign subpoena attached, the correct courthouse box checked, the 30(b)(6) designation language where an organization is the target.
$160.00 statutory filing plus the schedule's $17.50 and $3.25 add-ons — fronted, itemized on your invoice, and never an invented average.
Licht, Noel, McGrath, Murray — the witness's town mapped to the correct county and courthouse, including Bristol County's shared seat in Providence.
Healthcare-records subpoenas run § 5-37.3-6.1 in order — patient served with the challenge notice, twenty days calendared, written certification delivered to the custodian.
Rule 45(b) service by Rhode Island nonparty adults with the $10-and-mileage tender at the door — and the notarized return the form demands of private servers.
Civil action file number reported on issuance, the objection windows tracked, and a notarized, filing-ready affidavit of service (PDF) for your originating court.
Every discovery subpoena the chapter reaches — a document however denominated — issued through the right channel and served by the rule.
Records and ESI — with Rule 45's 14-day objection window, Rule 5(b) prior notice to the parties, and usual-course production duties handled.
Testimony anywhere in the state — served with the $10-and-mileage tender, on the form that carries the deposition command and 30(b)(6) language.
Combined commands mirrored from your foreign subpoena onto Superior-70 — one instrument, both commands, the contact block complete.
Hospitals, practices, and insurers — served only after the § 5-37.3-6.1 patient-notice machine has run and the written certification is in hand.
Out-of-state counsel and the teams behind them — anyone who needs a Rhode Island witness without learning four courthouses, two channels, and a patient-notice statute.
Out-of-state litigators reaching Rhode Island witnesses and custodians — the channel routed, the form prepared, the fee fronted exactly.
Records from Rhode Island's hospital systems and insurers — the § 5-37.3-6.1 machine calendared and certified, every time.
Discovery from the banks, employers, and institutions clustered from Providence to Westerly — served with the tender the rule demands.
Boston, Hartford, and New York firms with one witness across the line — a single vendor for the certified copy, the filing, and the notarized return.
One vendor for the chain — certification check, channel, courthouse, filing, machine, service, affidavit — with the file number reported back.
Agencies reselling Rhode Island coverage — we run the Superior-70 filings and Rule 45 service under your brand's timeline.
We file and serve everywhere in the state — Providence to Block Island, every city and town, every courthouse.
That’s all 39 — every city and town in the state. Rhode Island’s five counties exist only as judicial map lines — they have no county governments — and the one statewide Superior Court sits in four courthouses: Licht in Providence for Providence and Bristol counties, Noel in Warwick for Kent, McGrath in Wakefield for Washington, and Murray in Newport for Newport County. Venue is the county where discovery is sought; we map the witness’s town to the right courthouse — including New Shoreham, where service on Block Island is a boat ride we’ve already scheduled.
Straight answers on domesticating and serving an out-of-state subpoena in Rhode Island under G.L. chapter 9-18.1.
Send the originating state court, the Rhode Island city or town where the witness or records sit, and a certified copy of your subpoena. We prepare the official Superior-70 package, file at the correct courthouse with the exact fee fronted, run the patient-notice machine on healthcare records, serve with the tender at the door, and return a notarized, filing-ready affidavit — all 39 cities and towns.
Served 123 LLC is a process service and litigation-support company, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. Superior Court filings and service are performed administratively at the direction of the client and its counsel; attorney-channel issuance under G.L. § 9-18.1-3(a)(2) is performed only by the client's Rhode Island-licensed counsel, with whom we coordinate. Filing figures are cited from G.L. § 9-29-18 and the Rhode Island Judiciary's published fee schedule as of its stated revision date and are subject to change; we confirm current amounts before every filing.
