Removes the five (5) year waiting period for filing a motion to seal an eviction court file. It also deletes the numerical limitation on filing seal requests.

Plain-English Summary

This Rhode Island bill makes it easier for tenants to seal their eviction court records by removing two current restrictions. Right now, a person who has had an eviction case filed against them must wait five years before they can ask a court to seal that record. This bill would eliminate that waiting period entirely, meaning someone could request to have their eviction record sealed much sooner — potentially right after their case is resolved.

The bill also removes a limit on how many times a person can file a request to seal an eviction record. Under current law, there is a cap on the number of sealing requests a person can make, but this bill would do away with that restriction, giving people more flexibility to pursue sealing their records.

This change would primarily affect renters who have had eviction cases filed against them in court, even in situations where the case was dismissed or the tenant won. Eviction records are often visible to future landlords during background checks, which can make it very difficult for people to find housing even if the eviction never actually resulted in them being removed from their home. By making it easier and faster to seal these records, the bill aims to reduce that barrier to housing.

The bill has been introduced and sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review, where it will be debated before any further action is taken.