Massachusetts, court records

Massachusetts Court Records

Search Massachusetts Trial Court dockets free at masscourts.org, and Supreme Judicial Court and Appeals Court dockets through the court system's docket page. Federal cases are in PACER.

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Official Massachusetts court record sources

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record.

Showing 4 official sources

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Court records

Massachusetts Court System

Massachusetts Court System at the John Adams Courthouse, Boston: courthouse finder, court contacts, self-help and the Supreme Judicial Court, Appeals Court and Trial Court.

Court recordsmass.gov
Open official site Massachusetts Court System
Official

Court records

PACER Case Locator

Nationwide index of federal district, bankruptcy and appeals court cases, searched by party name or case number. Needs a PACER account; $0.10 per page.

Court recordspcl.uscourts.gov
Open official site PACER Case Locator
Official

Court records

Search Massachusetts court dockets

Free access to basic case information and scheduled court dates for the Supreme Judicial Court, Appeals Court and Trial Court, with a how to video.

Court recordsmass.gov
Open official site Search Massachusetts court dockets

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More official Massachusetts record sources

1 more Massachusetts source not listed above.

More Massachusetts sources

Guide

Divorce files in Massachusetts: contents and access

Divorce in Massachusetts is a Probate and Family Court case, kept at the Registry of Probate of the county division. Unless the case is impounded it is public, and the court lists divorces among publicly available case types. One exception is the Financial Statement that Supplemental Rule 401 requires of each party, on the Short Form CJD 301S or the Long Form CJD 301L: under Rule 401(d) it is impounded, kept separate from the other papers and not available for public inspection. The judgment of divorce, the separation agreement and alimony and property orders are public unless a judge impounds them under the Uniform Rules on Impoundment Procedure, for good cause after a hearing, while QDROs and guardian ad litem reports are impounded by Probate and Family Court Standing Orders 3-08 and 2-08.

masscourts.org, the Trial Court's electronic case access, shows Probate and Family Court dockets and scanned images of publicly available documents, except a list of restricted image types that are still public at the courthouse, where a non-party may ask for the physical file or use a public kiosk. The Massachusetts asset search page explains what the public documents still reveal.

Record guide

About Massachusetts court record sources

At a glance

Massachusetts Court Records

State
Massachusetts
Official sources
5
Court records
5
Links checked
Sep. 22, 2026

Using these court record sources

The Massachusetts court system gives free access to basic case information and court dates: Trial Court dockets at masscourts.org, and separate docket searches for the Supreme Judicial Court and Appeals Court.

More Massachusetts records on this site: Massachusetts public records, Free Background Checks.

Straight answers

Massachusetts court record questions

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Are court records free?

State court records are usually free to view at the courthouse and often free online, with per-page fees for certified copies. PACER charges $0.10 per page (capped at $3.00 per document), waived under $30 per quarter.

Do sealed cases show up?

No. A sealed case is hidden from the public docket index by court order. Its existence may still be confirmable by number, but documents are not accessible.

What's the difference between civil and criminal court records?

Civil cases involve disputes between parties (contracts, torts, family). Criminal cases are brought by the government. Both are indexed by the same court clerks but tracked in separate sub-dockets.

Can I search every court at once?

Not in one search. PACER covers all federal courts. Most states have a statewide judiciary portal that covers their state courts, but a few require per-county lookups. This page links to Massachusetts's official portal.