Where a Cranston case was heard
A motion to expunge is filed in the court that entered the conviction, so the first thing to establish is which court that was. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-8-2(a)(2), Cranston sits in the Third Division of the District Court, which sits at the Noel Judicial Complex, 222 Quaker Lane, Warwick. Appeals and transfers from that division go to Kent County Superior Court.
There is no District Court sitting in Cranston. If you have been looking for your file in a Cranston courthouse, that is why you have not found it — the case was heard in Warwick.
Felony cases are prosecuted in the Superior Court rather than the District Court, so which building your case ended in depends on how it was charged as well as where it happened. The public portal will tell you both, free, in about ten minutes — and reading your own file is the only way to answer the eligibility questions accurately.
Who has to be given ten days' notice
This is the step pro-se motions fail on. Notice of the hearing must go to the Attorney General and to the police department that made the arrest, at least ten days before the date.
For a Cranston arrest that is usually the Cranston Police Department, 5 Garfield Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920. Not always, though: State Police, campus police and neighbouring departments all make arrests inside Cranston, and the notice follows the department named on your paperwork rather than the city you happened to be standing in.
Which path applies to your record
Rhode Island does not have one expungement statute. Which one governs you depends on how the case ended and what else is on your record, not on how serious the charge sounded:
- First offender expungement: five years, or ten — one conviction and nothing before it
- Two to five misdemeanors: the path most people don't know exists — more than one misdemeanor
- Two to four felonies can now be expunged. That changed in June 2026. — two to four felonies, since June 2026
- If you were not convicted, you are looking at sealing — and it is easier — a case that ended without a conviction
- Traffic Tribunal violations clear themselves — and almost nobody knows — a Traffic Tribunal violation
- Marijuana possession records: automatic, free, and it overrides almost everything — marijuana possession
The eligibility checker walks the statute with you in about two minutes and names the section behind every answer.
You do not have to go to Warwick
The firm drafts, files, and argues the motion for you. Attorney Thomasian appears in court on your behalf, so you don't have to — which matters more than usual here, because the courthouse is not in Cranston.
The court charges no filing fee for a motion to expunge, and the certified copy of the order is free. Clients rate the firm 4.9 out of 5 across 186 Google reviews.
Common questions
Which court hears an expungement motion for a Cranston case?
A motion to expunge is filed in the court that entered the conviction. For a Cranston District Court case that is the Third Division, which sits at the Noel Judicial Complex, 222 Quaker Lane, Warwick. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-8-2(a)(2) the Third Division sends its appeals and transfers to Kent County Superior Court.
My case was in Cranston. Why is the courthouse in Warwick?
There is no District Court sitting in Cranston. R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-8-2(a)(2) places Cranston in the Third Division, which sits in Warwick at 222 Quaker Lane, Warwick. The arrest and the police report stayed in Cranston; the case did not.
Who has to be given ten days' notice?
The Attorney General and the police department that made the arrest. For a Cranston arrest that is usually the Cranston Police Department at 5 Garfield Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920 — but not always. State Police, campus police and neighbouring departments all make arrests in Cranston, and the notice follows the department named on your paperwork rather than the city you were in.
Do I have to travel to Warwick for the hearing?
Not if the firm handles it. The motion is drafted, filed and argued for you, and Attorney Thomasian appears at the hearing on your behalf.
