Massachusetts Court Records Search by Name: Use MassCourts, Appellate Dockets, Archives & PACER Correctly
Massachusetts court records are split across Trial Court departments, appellate courts, historic archives and federal systems. This guide helps you choose the correct official route before you search by name, docket number, case type or citation number.
Public-Court-Records.us is independent. This website is not Mass.gov, MassCourts, the Massachusetts Court System, the Supreme Judicial Court, the Appeals Court, a Trial Court department, a clerk office, PACER, DCJIS, a law firm, a government agency or a Consumer Reporting Agency. This page provides general record-access information only.
Responsible-use warning: a matching name does not prove identity. A complaint, petition, charge, indictment, citation or docket event does not prove guilt, liability or final outcome. Court records may be incomplete, delayed, sealed, impounded, restricted, corrected later or available only at the courthouse.
Massachusetts court records start with the court department, not just the person’s name
The Massachusetts Trial Court has seven departments: District Court, Boston Municipal Court, Housing Court, Juvenile Court, Land Court, Probate and Family Court, and Superior Court. Public online docket information is accessed through MassCourts for many Trial Court case types, while the SJC, Appeals Court, Judicial Archives, U.S. District Court and U.S. Bankruptcy Court use separate routes.
The department controls the portal options and clerk office.
Name, Case Type, Case Number and Ticket/Citation Number.
MassCourts case-type search uses a limited filing-date range.
Federal PACER fees are scheduled to change on January 1, 2027.
Massachusetts court record route finder
Select the record type you are trying to locate. This tool runs in your browser, does not send information anywhere and does not ask for a name, date of birth, docket number or address.
For a general civil lawsuit, select the department that handled the case, such as District Court, Boston Municipal Court, Superior Court, Housing Court, Land Court, or Probate and Family Court. Use the Name tab when public civil name search is supported, then verify the docket number and party role.
Choose the correct Massachusetts court before searching
Massachusetts is not a one-search-fits-all state. The same person or business name can appear in different courts for different reasons, and some records are not remotely searchable by name.
| Need | Correct court or system | Best starting route |
|---|---|---|
| Civil lawsuit | District Court, Boston Municipal Court, Superior Court, Housing Court, Land Court, or Probate and Family Court | Use MassCourts. Choose the court department, division and location first, then use Name, Case Number or Case Type search as appropriate. |
| Criminal case | District Court, Boston Municipal Court or Superior Court | Use MassCourts when you have the docket number. Most public criminal cases are not broadly searchable online by name. |
| Small claims | District Court, Boston Municipal Court or Housing Court depending on case type and location | Use MassCourts and select the correct court department. Verify the plaintiff, defendant, case number, judgment and any later satisfaction or appeal activity. |
| Eviction / summary process | Housing Court, District Court or Boston Municipal Court | Use MassCourts and the correct court department. Do not use this page as a tenant-screening product. |
| Divorce, custody, support or family matter | Probate and Family Court | Use MassCourts for public case locating where available, then contact the county Probate and Family Court for certified records, restricted documents or copy requests. |
| Probate, estate, will, guardianship or name change | Probate and Family Court | Search MassCourts by department and county division. For copies, use the Probate and Family Court copy process or contact the division. |
| Registered land, tax lien or Land Court matter | Land Court | Use MassCourts or the Land Court docket page. Pay close attention to Land Court case-number formats and coverage dates. |
| State appeal | Massachusetts Appeals Court or Supreme Judicial Court | Use appellate docket resources linked from Mass.gov. Save both the appellate docket number and the lower-court docket number when available. |
| Historic case file | Court Archives or the original courthouse | Use Accessing Court Archives for older civil, criminal, divorce, probate, naturalization and name-change records. |
| Federal civil, criminal or bankruptcy case | U.S. District Court or U.S. Bankruptcy Court | Use PACER. Massachusetts state portals do not contain federal district or bankruptcy case files. |
How to use MassCourts without searching the wrong department
MassCourts public access can show party, event, docket and disposition details depending on the court department and case type. In some situations, documents may be visible; in other situations, the official public record and hard-copy documents must be obtained from the Clerk, Register or Recorder where the case was filed.
This reduces the risk of landing on an unofficial aggregator or an outdated portal link.
The home page says “Welcome to Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access” and asks users to verify they are not a robot before searching public records.
Choose the department that handled the case, such as District Court, Boston Municipal Court, Housing Court, Land Court, Probate and Family Court, or Superior Court.
Some searches fail because the wrong division or location is selected. Use the courthouse locator if you are not sure which court serves the city or town.
MassCourts uses Name, Case Type, Case Number and Ticket/Citation Number tabs. The Case Number tab is usually the most precise route.
Official Mass.gov guidance says case-number searches require the exact match, including correct capitalization, spacing and leading zeros.
The Name tab is for civil cases when supported. Enter names using the portal’s formatting guidance and compare results before assuming identity.
Look for party role, docket entries, event dates, disposition, judge, document availability and whether there was an appeal.
Use the Clerk, Register or Recorder where the case was filed for certified records, restricted files, corrections or documents not shown remotely.
What Massachusetts makes available online, in person and through restricted routes
Massachusetts distinguishes remote internet access from courthouse access. A case may be publicly viewable at a courthouse terminal but not fully available through the public internet portal. Some documents and case types may be impounded, sealed or restricted.
- Public civil information may be searchable by party name, case number or other criteria set by the Trial Court.
- Public criminal information is generally searchable by case number on the public internet portal.
- Remote access does not create a right to every court record or every document image.
- Some Land Court and Superior Court docket images may be available depending on case type and imaging status.
- Publicly available records can be requested from the Clerk at the courthouse.
- Courthouse public terminals provide electronic docket access without a fee to view.
- The Clerk may set reasonable limits on time, location, volume and manner of access.
- Copy or reproduction fees can apply when you request copies.
Massachusetts court records search by name: what works and what does not
For search intent like “Massachusetts court records by name,” the most important limitation is that MassCourts public name search is not a universal criminal-background search. Official guidance describes the Name tab for civil cases. For most public criminal case searching on the internet portal, you should use the exact docket number.
| Search tab | Best use | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Civil case searching by person or company name where the selected court department supports it. | Do not assume it searches all criminal, juvenile, sealed, impounded, archived, appellate or federal records. |
| Case Number | Exact docket-number searching. This is usually the most reliable route. | Spacing, capitalization and leading zeros can matter. Enter the number exactly as shown on official paperwork. |
| Case Type | Finding cases initiated within a specific date window and case type. | The date range cannot exceed one month, so broad research may require multiple searches. |
| Ticket / Citation Number | Traffic or citation-related searches when the court and citation number are known. | Do not submit sensitive information to non-official websites. Use the official court payment or docket route only. |
Official Massachusetts court-record links and what to do after opening each one
Each official link below includes next steps so the page is more useful than a plain directory.
Use this as the safest entry point for Trial Court, SJC, Appeals Court, calendar, docket, archive and payment routes.
- Confirm the page is on Mass.gov.
- Choose Trial Court, SJC and Appeals Court, calendar, or archive resources.
- Read case-number format guidance before searching.
- Use the courthouse locator if you do not know the correct court location.
Use this for public Trial Court docket information and some online payments.
- Check the “I’m not a robot” box.
- Click the public records search button.
- Select the court department, division and location.
- Choose Name, Case Type, Case Number or Ticket/Citation Number.
- Remember that MassCourts says it is not the official court record.
Use this official guide before searching if you do not understand MassCourts fields.
- Review the portal screenshots and field names.
- Read the case-number examples.
- Note the Name tab limitation for civil cases.
- Use the error-correction instructions if case data appears wrong.
Use this to avoid expecting remote access to case types the portal does not provide.
- Review the department list.
- Check whether your case type is listed.
- Pay special attention to criminal, juvenile, family and impounded limits.
- Use courthouse access if online access is insufficient.
Use this when you know the city or town but not the court that serves it.
- Use “Find a courthouse serving you.”
- Search by city, town or county.
- Identify the court department and courthouse.
- Call before visiting to confirm hours, security rules and copy procedures.
Use this to understand why some public records are not fully available online.
- Review the civil and criminal remote-access sections.
- Check exemptions and department-specific restrictions.
- Do not assume remote access equals complete public access.
- Use Rule 2 courthouse access when appropriate.
Use this for certified divorce decrees and divorce-record copy requests.
- Find the docket number.
- Identify the county Probate and Family Court.
- Complete the Request for Copies form when required.
- Mail or bring the form and payment to the correct courthouse.
Use this for records such as decrees, orders, letters of appointment, docket pages and attested copies.
- Confirm the record type and docket number.
- Check whether the requested record is listed.
- Use the Request for Copies form when applicable.
- Contact the court if the document is not listed or not public.
Use this for registration, subsequent, tax lien, servicemember and miscellaneous Land Court dockets.
- Review the case-type coverage dates.
- Use MassCourts for docket access.
- Enter Land Court case numbers exactly.
- Contact the Recorder’s Office for records or copy questions.
Use this for historic criminal, civil, divorce, probate, naturalization and name-change records.
- Identify the record type and approximate year.
- Check whether the record is historic or still held by a courthouse.
- Use the archives information request route when appropriate.
- Call or verify before visiting because older records may be off-site.
Use this for appellate docket entries, oral argument calendars and decisions.
- Search by docket number if known.
- Otherwise search by party, attorney appearance, lower court or lower-court judge when available.
- Remember fully impounded cases are excluded from online search.
- Contact the clerk for official file inspection questions.
Use this for U.S. District Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court and federal appellate records.
- Use PACER Case Locator if you do not know the federal court.
- Use a specific court search for real-time docket access.
- Review PACER pricing before searching.
- Do not search state MassCourts for federal cases.
How to obtain a certified Massachusetts court record
MassCourts access is not the same as receiving the official public record. For the official record, certified copy, attested copy, divorce decree, probate record or Land Court copy, contact the office that maintains the original case file.
| Record needed | Likely custodian | What to provide |
|---|---|---|
| Civil, criminal, small claims or summary process docket record | Clerk-Magistrate or Clerk’s Office for the court where the case was filed | Court department, court location, docket number, party names, document title and copy type requested. |
| Divorce decree, custody order, guardianship order or probate decree | Register’s Office in the Probate and Family Court division | County division, docket number, party names, record type and whether you need a certified or attested copy. |
| Will or estate file | Probate and Family Court division where the estate case was filed | Decedent name, docket number, county division and specific document requested. |
| Land Court docket or document | Land Court Recorder’s Office | Exact Land Court case number, case type, property details if relevant and document name. |
| Appeals Court document or docket file | Appeals Court Clerk’s Office | Appellate docket number, party names, lower-court docket number if known and document requested. |
| SJC full-bench record | SJC Clerk’s Office for the Commonwealth | SJC docket number, case name, lower-court information and exact document needed. |
- Certificate of divorce absolute: $20 each.
- Certified copy of judgment of divorce nisi: $20 each.
- Certified copy of divorce separation agreement: $20 first page plus $0.05 for each additional page.
- Attested copy of Probate and Family Court documents: $2.50 per page.
- Unattested copy of Probate and Family Court documents: $0.05 per page.
- Confirm the docket number and court division.
- Ask whether the record is public, impounded, sealed or restricted.
- Ask whether plain, attested, certified or exemplified copy is required.
- Confirm payment method, mailing address and processing time with the court.
- Keep seals, certification pages and staples intact for official use.
Massachusetts court-by-court record guide
Handles a broad range of criminal, civil, small claims, ordinance, by-law, mental health and other matters. Use MassCourts, but remember that many public criminal searches require the exact docket number.
Handles many Boston-area criminal, civil, small claims and summary process matters. Select the correct BMC division before searching in MassCourts.
Handles major civil and serious criminal matters. MassCourts may provide civil and criminal case information depending on public-access rules and case type.
Handles housing, summary process, small claims and related civil matters. Use MassCourts and verify whether the case belongs in Housing Court, District Court or BMC.
Handles divorce, custody, support, paternity, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, wills and name changes. Certified records are requested from the division that docketed the case.
Handles registered land, tax lien, servicemember, registration and other land-related matters. Land Court docket coverage and case-number format are unusually important.
Juvenile matters are often restricted. Do not assume public remote access. Authorized parties should contact the correct court directly.
State appeals use separate appellate docket resources. Trial Court MassCourts does not replace the appellate docket.
Federal District Court and Bankruptcy Court records use PACER, not MassCourts. Use PACER Case Locator when the exact federal court is unknown.
Land Court docket coverage and case-number traps
Land Court research is different from ordinary civil-name searching because property-related cases can use special case types and strict numbering formats. Official Land Court guidance lists different online docket start points by case type.
| Land Court case type | Case code | Officially listed online coverage note |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | REG | Case #42205 and later, dating back to November 10, 1987. |
| Subsequent | SBQ | Dates back to July 13, 1987; the SBQ case-number format is unique. |
| Tax lien | TL | Case #70973 and later, dating back to January 1, 1984. |
| Servicemember | MISC or SM | Case #121256 and later, dating back to October 15, 1986. |
| Miscellaneous | MISC | Case #127402 and later, dating back to March 29, 1988. |
Massachusetts Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court records
Trial Court docket information and appellate docket information are separate. If a case was appealed, save both the Trial Court docket number and the appellate docket number.
Appeals Court docket entries, except fully impounded cases, may be searched online. Searches may be available by docket number, involved party, attorney appearance, lower court or lower-court judge. Official case documents that are public information are inspected at the clerk’s office.
The Supreme Judicial Court is Massachusetts’ highest appellate court. Full-bench matters are handled by the SJC Clerk’s Office for the Commonwealth, while some county-specific single-justice matters may use a separate clerk route.
Older Massachusetts court records and archives
Older records may not appear in MassCourts. Massachusetts Court Archives include historic criminal and civil case files, plus historic divorce, naturalization, probate and name-change records from courts throughout the Commonwealth.
Historic divorce, probate, naturalization, name-change, civil and criminal files may have different custody paths.
Recent records may still be held by a current courthouse, while older files may be with Court Archives or off-site storage.
Provide names, approximate years, case type, county or courthouse and any docket number or related details.
Older records can require retrieval, appointment planning, special handling or archive staff guidance.
What to do if your Massachusetts court-record search returns no result
- Wrong court department selected.
- Wrong division or courthouse selected.
- Wrong case-number spacing, capitalization or leading zeros.
- Name entered with different spelling, suffix, maiden name, business punctuation or company ending.
- Case Type search date range too narrow or outside the one-month window.
- Criminal case needs docket number instead of name search.
- Case is sealed, impounded or restricted from remote access.
- Case is historic or not in the online system.
- Case is appellate and belongs in Appeals Court or SJC resources.
- Case is federal and belongs in PACER.
Massachusetts federal court records use PACER, not MassCourts
Federal court records are separate from Massachusetts state court records. Use the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts for federal civil and criminal matters, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for bankruptcy matters, and PACER for online docket and document access.
- Confirm whether the case is federal rather than state.
- Use PACER or the court’s CM/ECF route for dockets and documents.
- Use the division information for Boston, Worcester or Springfield when relevant.
- Contact the clerk for official copy and in-person access questions.
- Use this route for Chapter 7, 11, 12, 13 and adversary bankruptcy matters.
- Use PACER for online bankruptcy docket and document access.
- Use MCVCIS for limited voice case information when appropriate.
- Contact the clerk for copy, archive and claims-register questions.
- Use the nationwide index if you do not know the court.
- Search a specific court for the most current docket access.
- Save the court, case number and party details.
- Check PACER billing before opening documents or broad search results.
Current PACER access is $0.10 per page, with a $3 cap for many single documents and case-specific reports. The cap does not apply to name search results, non-case-specific reports or transcripts. Current quarterly fees are waived at $30 or less. A temporary change is scheduled for January 1, 2027, increasing the per-page charge to $0.12 and the quarterly waiver threshold to $40.
PACER cost estimator
This browser-only estimator is for planning. PACER’s official receipt controls the actual charge.
Court records are not the same as a Massachusetts CORI background check
A MassCourts docket search is not the same as a CORI report. Massachusetts CORI/iCORI is handled through the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services and has its own eligibility, identity, fee and access rules.
- Case docket information.
- Court events and entries.
- Civil, family, probate, housing, land and appellate case locating.
- Certified copies from the official court custodian.
- Massachusetts criminal offender record information.
- Personal CORI requests.
- Open-access CORI requests when legally available.
- Correction, sealing or expungement questions through the proper official route.
Use Massachusetts court records responsibly
- A filing is not proof the allegation is true.
- A charge is not a conviction.
- A judgment may not show whether it was paid, appealed, vacated or satisfied.
- A docket event may not show the whole procedural history.
- Do not harass, threaten or shame people named in records.
- Do not publish unnecessary addresses, children’s names or sensitive family details.
- Do not bypass impoundment, sealing or confidentiality rules.
- Contact the official custodian for corrections, sealing, expungement or certified copies.
Frequently asked questions about Massachusetts court records
How do I search Massachusetts court records by name?
Start with the official Mass.gov docket page, then open MassCourts for Trial Court records. In MassCourts, choose the correct court department, division and location. Use the Name tab for public civil case searching when supported. Most public criminal case searches on the internet portal require the exact docket number rather than a broad name search.
Is MassCourts the official Massachusetts court case search?
MassCourts is the Massachusetts Trial Court electronic case access portal for public docket information and some online payments. The portal warns that its information is not the official court record and may not include the most recent court activity. For the official public record, contact the Clerk, Register, or Recorder’s office where the case was filed.
Which Massachusetts Trial Court departments appear in MassCourts?
MassCourts provides public access for Trial Court departments such as District Court, Boston Municipal Court, Housing Court, Land Court, Probate and Family Court, Superior Court, and some Juvenile Court information depending on case type and access limits.
Can I search Massachusetts criminal court records by name online?
Usually not through the public internet portal. Massachusetts public guidance says most criminal cases are only available online by docket number. Criminal-history background checks are handled through CORI/iCORI, which is separate from ordinary public court-docket searching.
How do I get a certified Massachusetts divorce record?
Request the certified divorce record from the Probate and Family Court in the county where the divorce was filed. You generally need the docket number. If you do not know it, search MassCourts, call the Probate and Family Court, use the Virtual Registry, or request divorce information through the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.
Where do I search Massachusetts probate, estate or will records?
Use MassCourts and choose Probate and Family Court, then select the applicable county division. For wills, search by the decedent’s name and review the docket for the case number, personal representative, attorney, judge and docket entries. Contact the Probate and Family Court division for copies and fees.
Where do I search Massachusetts appellate court records?
Use the Massachusetts appellate docket resources linked from Mass.gov. Appeals Court docket entries may be searched online by docket number, party, attorney appearance, lower court or lower-court judge, except for fully impounded cases. SJC matters use SJC docket and clerk resources.
Where do I search Massachusetts federal court records?
Use PACER for federal district, bankruptcy and federal appellate records. Massachusetts state court portals do not contain U.S. District Court or U.S. Bankruptcy Court records. Use PACER Case Locator if you do not know the specific federal court.
Why might a Massachusetts case not appear online?
A case may be in the wrong court department, wrong division, wrong location, wrong filing year, wrong name spelling, or a separate appellate, archive, federal or CORI system. It may also be sealed, impounded, restricted from remote access, too recent to appear, too old for the online system, or available only at a courthouse public terminal.
Can I use this page for employment, housing, credit or insurance screening?
No. Public-Court-Records.us is not a Consumer Reporting Agency, and this article is not an FCRA-regulated background-check product. Do not use this page to make employment, tenant, credit, insurance or eligibility decisions.
Publication review checklist
This guide was reviewed for official-source accuracy, court routing, MassCourts search limits, appellate and federal separation, copy procedures, archive routes, responsible-use warnings, mobile layout, accessibility, Yoast-safe schema and low-value-content risk. Verification date: August 31, 2026.