R.I. Gen. Laws
Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 15-5-13 (2026)

Venue

✓ text as last checked Sept. 2026 (this copy records no edition or section history)
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(a) All complaints for divorce from the bond of marriage and from bed and board and complaints for relief without commencement of divorce proceedings shall be filed in the county in which the plaintiff is residing, unless the complaint is based upon the residence of the defendant, in which case the complaint shall be filed in Providence County or in the county in which the defendant resides.

(b) All complaints for divorce from the bond of marriage and from bed and board and complaints for relief without commencement of divorce proceedings may be tried and heard in the county in which the plaintiff resides, unless the complaint is based upon the residence of the defendant, in which case the complaint may be heard and tried in Providence County or in the county in which the defendant resides. In the interest of convenience, the court may, with the consent of the chief judge of the family court or any associate justice designated by him or her and the parties, order any such actions transferred to another county.

(c) The chief judge of the family court, or his or her designee, in accordance with the provisions of the Family Court Act, § 8-10-14, may order any complaint for divorce from the bond of marriage and from bed and board and complaints for relief without commencement of divorce proceedings to be transferred to Providence County for trial on the merits should it be determined by the trial judge in the county in which the action was originally brought that the trial would require a minimum of three (3) court days for testimony. Any complaint, which is transferred under this section, shall have priority on the trial calendar in Providence County.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 1 case, 1977–1977 · leading case: Cavanagh v. Cavanagh, 375 A.2d 911 (R.I. 1977).
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Cavanagh v. Cavanagh, 375 A.2d 911 (R.I. 1977). · cites it 5× “1956 (1969 Reenactment) §15-5-13, as amended by P.L. 1969, oh. 65, §1 on changing venue in divorce actions were not complied with.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.