Rhode Island Concealed Carry Permits by Town

In Rhode Island your city or town's police chief issues carry permits, and a permit is good statewide. State law sets a $40 fee and the shooting test, then leaves judging whether you're suitable to each department, so the paperwork varies a lot. Cranston wants three notarized references, five medical records releases and a notarized letter giving your reason; Middletown just wants its own form and the $40.

Checked against each agency's own site on 2026-10-08. Rhode Island gun laws.

The same everywhere

• Who decides: Your city or town's police chief, or its board of police commissioners where it has one. In a town with no police chief, the town clerk issues permits on the town sergeant's recommendation. You can also apply to the Attorney General instead, but the AG requires a showing of need. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-2(10))
• Who can apply where: A town has to issue to anyone 21 or older who lives or has a business there, or who lives anywhere in the U.S. and holds another state's carry permit, if the town finds them suitable. The law still mentions a good reason to fear injury, but the Attorney General's guidance, citing a 2015 state Supreme Court decision, says a town can't require a showing of need. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-11(a))
• Why towns differ: Deciding who's suitable is up to each department, so each writes its own checklist: notarized references, medical records releases, a letter about your reasons or about handling the gun safely, sometimes an interview. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-11(a))
• The fee: The law sets $40 for four years. Some towns charge more anyway: Lincoln asks $75 of residents and $200 of everyone else, East Providence's 2019 packet lists $100, and Cranston and Woonsocket add $45 for fingerprints. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-12)
• Shooting qualification: You qualify with a gun at least the caliber you'll carry, certified by an NRA or police range instructor. Most towns want it done within the past year and a copy of the instructor's certification. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-15)

Every city or town

• Providence: A new concealed carry permit in Providence costs $40.
• Cranston: A new concealed carry permit in Cranston costs $85.
• East Providence: A new concealed carry permit in East Providence costs $100.
• Lincoln: A new concealed carry permit in Lincoln costs $75.
• Middletown: A new concealed carry permit in Middletown costs $40.
• North Kingstown: A new concealed carry permit in North Kingstown costs $40.
• Portsmouth: A new concealed carry permit in Portsmouth costs $40.
• Richmond: A new concealed carry permit in Richmond costs $40.
• South Kingstown: The South Kingstown Police Department doesn't post its concealed carry permit fees online, so call or check its site before you apply.
• Tiverton: The Tiverton Police Department doesn't post its concealed carry permit fees online, so call or check its site before you apply.
• Woonsocket: A new concealed carry permit in Woonsocket costs $85.

Other cities and towns

Ask the police department for its application packet. Exeter has no police department, so there the town clerk issues permits on the town sergeant's recommendation.

Barrington, Bristol, Burrillville, Central Falls, Charlestown, Coventry, Cumberland, East Greenwich, Exeter, Foster, Glocester, Hopkinton, Jamestown, Johnston, Little Compton, Narragansett, New Shoreham, Newport, North Providence, North Smithfield, Pawtucket, Scituate, Smithfield, Warren, Warwick, West Greenwich, West Warwick, Westerly

Not legal advice. Confirm fees with the agency before you pay.