Washington County, Rhode Island

Redeemable Deed130,333 residents

County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.

Sale typestate default

Redeemable Deed

Redemption periodstate default

1 year from sale

Investor returnstate default

10% penalty in year one, plus 1% per month after, plus costs

Governing statutestate default

Rhode Island General Laws Ch. 44-9

Notes

Rhode Island municipal redeemable-deed tax sales (R.I. Gen. Laws Ch. 44-9) — no active county government tax auction. Each city/town collector sells tax titles at public auction; 1-year redemption with 10% year-one penalty class plus monthly interest thereafter. Washington County (South County) towns include Westerly, South Kingstown, North Kingstown, Narragansett, Charlestown, Hopatcong-class peers Hopkinton, Richmond, Exeter. RI Tax Collectors Association lists staggered 2026 municipal sales (e.g. Westerly 4/7/2026; Union Fire District of South Kingstown 5/22/2026; Narragansett 10/15/2026). Track the specific town, not the county label.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person municipal collector's sales (format set by each town)

Frequency

Set by each municipality (often spring–fall annually when delinquencies exist); see RI Tax Collectors Association calendar

Platform

Municipal tax collectors (examples: Westerly, South Kingstown, Narragansett) ↗

Deposit rules

Confirm deposit and payment (typically cash or certified funds day of sale) with the town collector and the published sale notice. Expect tax title subject to 1-year redemption. Budget quiet title for marketable title after redemption expires. Coastal flood, CRMC, and septic constraints are critical South County DD items.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Subject to 1-year redemption. After redemption expires, many private liens are cut off; federal and some municipal liens can survive. Fire-district and water-district charges are common add-ons in South County.

Quiet title

Often required for marketable title after a Rhode Island tax sale deed.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Municipal tax collectors (Westerly / South Kingstown / Narragansett examples) ↗

Clerk of court

Washington County (RI) land evidence records via town clerks / Superior Court ↗

Property appraiser

Municipal assessors (town-by-town) ↗

GIS / parcel map

Municipal GIS / RIGIS parcel resources ↗

Areas trending up

Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.

Westerly / Watch Hill fringe (selective)

Coastal tourism and second-home demand with very constrained inventory — high entry prices and flood DD

South Kingstown / Wakefield–Peace Dale

URI-adjacent employment and year-round housing demand with relative depth versus barrier beaches

North Kingstown / Quonset corridor

Industrial park and Navy-related employment supporting workforce SF and rental absorption