TickZone

Ticks in Rhode Island

Ticks are active in Rhode Island whenever the ground is not frozen, led by the Lyme-carrying deer tick. TickZone scores all 39 Rhode Island towns every morning, so risk stays local: pick your town for today's number, a 7-day outlook, and what's driving it.

Tick season in Rhode Island

Tick season in Rhode Island runs whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November, with two peaks. Nymph deer ticks, the poppy-seed-sized stage that causes most Lyme cases, peak from late May through July. Adult deer ticks make a second push in October and November, and on any winter day above about 40 F they can quest again. American dog ticks are busiest from April through July.

Generalized for the Northeast and Upper Midwest Lyme belt.
Life stageJFMAMJJASOND
Deer tick nymphs
Deer tick adults
American dog tick
Lone star tick
Peak Active
Generalized for the Northeast and Upper Midwest Lyme belt. Activity windows by life stage from TickEncounter (Univ. of Rhode Island) and the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. Any warm spell can wake ticks earlier than the calendar suggests.

Those are averages, and any single week can run hotter or colder than the calendar suggests. The daily score on every town page folds the season, the weather, and local habitat into one number each morning, so it is the safer way to time yard work, hikes, and pet prevention.

Highest-risk towns in Rhode Island (2026)

Rhode Island's highest structural tick risk concentrates in Washington County, which holds 7 of the state's top 10 towns (671 CDC-reported Lyme cases per 100k). The top 10 towns run 64 to 91 percent forest, ranked at peak season so the list stays stable.

  1. 1Exeter Washington CountyHigh at peak
  2. 2Hopkinton Washington CountyHigh at peak
  3. 3Tiverton Newport CountyHigh at peak
  4. 4Jamestown Newport CountyHigh at peak
  5. 5Charlestown Washington CountyHigh at peak
  6. 6Richmond Washington CountyHigh at peak
  7. 7South Kingstown Washington CountyHigh at peak
  8. 8North Kingstown Washington CountyHigh at peak
  9. 9Little Compton Newport CountyHigh at peak
  10. 10Westerly Washington CountyHigh at peak

See the riskiest towns in every state →

All Rhode Island towns, by county

Bristol County · 3 towns · 245/100k Lyme

Kent County · 5 towns · 222/100k Lyme

Newport County · 6 towns · 391/100k Lyme

Providence County · 16 towns · 134/100k Lyme

Washington County · 9 towns · 671/100k Lyme

Rhode Island tick questions

Are there ticks in Rhode Island?
Yes. Rhode Island has ticks in every county, led by the deer tick (blacklegged tick) that spreads Lyme disease, along with the American dog tick and the lone star tick. They are active whenever the ground is not frozen, and today 37 of the state's 39 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.
What types of ticks live in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease; the American dog tick; and the lone star tick, which is established in the state and causes alpha-gal syndrome. See the Rhode Island tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.
When does tick season start and end in Rhode Island?
In Rhode Island, ticks are active whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November. Nymph deer ticks peak in June and July and cause most Lyme cases, and adult ticks have a second peak in the fall. On any winter day above freezing, adult ticks can still bite.
When is flea and tick season?
Flea and tick season generally runs from early spring through late fall, peaking in the warm summer months. In Rhode Island, start prevention for pets and people in March and keep it up through November, since ticks can bite on any mild day.
Which tick carries Lyme disease in Rhode Island?
The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Rhode Island. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme.