Frequently Asked Questions

Taxes for Real Estate (includes Sewer Use Fees), Motor Vehicles, and Personal Property are billed annually, and the tax bills are mailed by mid-July.

The most common reasons a tax bill is not received are the following:

• The Town does not have a current/correct mailing address on file. (Update a mailing address)
• If the bill you did not receive was the Motor Vehicle bill, the reason could be due to the State of Rhode Island's Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Phase-Out legislation.

Note: Please contact the Tax Collector's office if you did not receive a tax bill. Failure to receive a tax bill does not exempt the taxpayer from paying what is due (see RIGL § 44-7-7).

The two most common reasons are the following:

• Motor Vehicle tax bills are billed in arrears. Tax bills are based on Rhode Island (RI) Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) records of vehicles registered for the period of the prior calendar year. Therefore, tax bills may not reflect the vehicles you currently own. Your tax bill will reflect the information provided by the RI DMV with the following information:
  • Plate Number
  • Number of Days
  • Date Range
  • Year
  • Make
  • Model
  • Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
  • Net Valuation
  • Tax Adjusted
  • Tax Due
• You did not cancel the registration after you sold, donated, disposed of, or traded in your vehicle. Motor Vehicle tax bills are assessed on vehicles that were registered according to RI DMV records. If you did not cancel the registration with the RI DMV, the Town does not know that you no longer own the vehicle.

To remove a vehicle from the tax roll, you must cancel the registration (turn in the license plates) at the Rhode Island (RI) Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or at any American Automobile Association (AAA) office (if you are a member). You should receive a cancellation receipt, which you should retain in your records, as proof of the cancellation. After you have cancelled the registration, the Town will be notified by the RI DMV in its annual reporting file.

No. However, you may request a copy of the current tax bill by contacting the Tax Collector's office at 401-247-1900, ext. 318).

You can access tax payment information online if you have an original tax bill (current or prior year). Using the account number and PIN (six letters) printed on your original tax bill, you will be able to log in to your account to get a record of your tax payments.

Note: Each account has its own unique PIN. If you have more than one account, you need an original bill with the account number and PIN combination for each of your accounts.

CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING TAX PAYMENT INFORMATION AND DATES