Massachusetts court records are presumed open to the public, and most civil and criminal filings across the state’s seven Trial Court departments can be searched online through MassCourts.org or inspected in person at the clerk’s office of the court where the case was filed. Juvenile, adoption, mental health, and judge-impounded records are the main exceptions. The rules governing access sit in the Trial Court’s Uniform Rules on Public Access to Court Records, not in the state’s general Public Records Law.
What You Can See
The Uniform Rules state that court records “shall be available to any member of the public for inspection and/or copying during the regular business hours of the court,” whether the record is on paper, electronic, or in another format.1Mass.gov. Uniform Rules on Public Access to Court Records Rule 1: Scope and Definitions Administrative records of the Trial Court fall outside the rules, but nearly everything filed in a case is covered.
The Trial Court has seven departments: Superior Court, District Court, Boston Municipal Court, Housing Court, Juvenile Court, Land Court, and Probate and Family Court.2Mass.gov. Courts, Court Offices, and Court Departments Contact Information In most civil and criminal matters across these departments, complaints, indictments, docket entries, motions, and judgments are open. The presumption of access means a document is public unless a statute, court rule, standing order, or judge’s order says otherwise.
One boundary worth knowing before you start: court records are not available through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s public records request process. That office handles executive-branch records under G.L. c. 66 and directs court record requests back to the clerk’s office of the relevant court.3Mass.gov. Exemptions Filing a public records request with the wrong office just adds weeks.
What’s Confidential
Several case types are closed to the public by statute. Juvenile Court records and proceedings are confidential under G.L. c. 119, §§ 38 and 65.4Mass.gov. Disclosure of Confidential Information Quick Reference Guide Adoption cases are protected under G.L. c. 210, § 5C. Mental health records are governed by G.L. c. 123, § 36.5Mass.gov. Massachusetts Law About Medical Privacy In Probate and Family Court, paternity cases become confidential once an alleged father is found not to be the father, and abuse prevention cases are confidential when either party is a minor.
Even in cases that are otherwise open, individual documents are pulled from the public file. In Probate and Family Court, these are confidential by statute, rule, or standing order: affidavits of indigency, financial statements, guardian ad litem reports, personal medical information, medical certificates and clinical team reports, qualified domestic relations orders, and a plaintiff’s residential address, phone number, and workplace information in abuse prevention (209A) cases.6Mass.gov. Guide on the Disclosure of Confidential Information: Court Information – Probate and Family Court The affidavit of indigency is not even available to the other parties in the case.
Impoundment
Beyond the categories that are automatically closed, a judge can impound any specific record or document. The process is governed by Trial Court Rule VIII, the Uniform Rules on Impoundment Procedure.7Mass.gov. Trial Court Rule VIII – Uniform Rules on Impoundment Procedure Massachusetts courts treat impoundment as “always the exception to the rule,” and the power to deny public access is strictly construed in favor of transparency.8Mass.gov. Uniform Rules on Impoundment Procedure Rule 1: Applicability and Definitions
To get a record impounded, a party has to show good cause, balancing privacy interests against the public’s right of access. In criminal cases the court also weighs a defendant’s right to a fair trial against the risk of prejudicial publicity. Once a document is impounded, seeing it requires a court order. If a MassCourts entry notes an impounded document, that notation is all you’ll see.
Searching MassCourts Online
The main online tool is MassCourts, at masscourts.org. It’s free and provides case information and scheduled court dates.9Mass.gov. Search Court Dockets, Calendars and Case Information
Go to the site, complete the CAPTCHA, and click the button to search public records. Select a court department and division before searching. Four search tabs are available.10Mass.gov. How to Search Court Dockets
- Name search takes a party’s last and first name. It works only for civil cases. The system needs at least two characters in the last name and one in the first.
- Case number search needs the exact docket number, with correct capitalization, spacing, and leading zeros. One wrong character returns nothing.
- Case type search runs within a date range of up to one month, for a particular category of case.
- Ticket or citation number search takes a specific citation number.
Results show party information, events, docket entries, and disposition details. Depending on the department and case type, actual case documents may also be viewable. In practice, availability varies: many civil case documents come up, but criminal case documents are more limited. The system flags impounded or restricted documents with a notation. MassCourts is not the official record of the court and may not reflect the most recent filings.
Getting Records at the Courthouse or by Mail
When something isn’t online, or when you need a certified copy, the clerk’s office at the courthouse where the case sits is the next stop. Walk-in visitors can use public access terminals to view non-impounded electronic or physical case files. Bring the case name and docket number if you have them.
For mail requests, complete the court’s Request for Copies form and send it with payment to the court division where the case is docketed.11Mass.gov. Get a Copy of a Probate and Family Court Record The request has to clearly identify the case and the specific documents you want.
The Trial Court’s Uniform Schedule of Fees sets the copy rates.12Mass.gov. Uniform Schedule of Fees
- Unattested copy: $0.05 per page.
- Attested copy: $2.50 per page. These carry the court seal and the clerk’s certification.
- Certificate of orders, decrees, or judgments: $20.00 each. This covers standardized documents like a Certificate of Divorce Absolute.
The gap between $0.05 and $2.50 per page matters for large files. If you don’t actually need a certified copy with the court seal, the unattested version contains the same content for a fraction of the cost. Attested copies are typically required only when you need to present the document to another court, a government agency, or in a formal legal proceeding.
If You’re Really Looking for a Criminal Record
People searching for “court records” often actually want a criminal background check, and the correct tool for that is a CORI report. CORI stands for Criminal Offender Record Information: name-based court arraignment records created and maintained by the Massachusetts courts.13Mass.gov. Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) A CORI check searches by name and date of birth against Massachusetts court records to find arraignments. It covers only Massachusetts and isn’t fingerprint-based, so out-of-state records won’t appear.
Access operates on multiple levels. The general public sees less information than law enforcement or certain employers. Individuals can check their own CORI through the iCORI system by registering online with a valid Massachusetts driver’s license or state-issued ID.14Mass.gov. Request CORI As An Individual The fee for a personal request is $25, or free with an affidavit of indigency. Results can take up to 10 business days.
Checking your own CORI is worth doing before any major application for employment, housing, or licensing. Errors happen, and you want to know what an employer or landlord will see before they do.