Where to Look in Massachusetts
The six most productive places to start a people search in Massachusetts. Each links directly to the official record source.
Official Massachusetts Sources
State-level databases and agency record portals.
Massachusetts Courts
Dockets, civil & criminal case filings, judgments.
Inmates & Offenders
State prison rosters, sex offender registries, jails.
Massachusetts FAQ
Laws, fees, turnaround, and common questions.
1Best Starting Points in Massachusetts
https://www.masscourts.org/
The official eAccess portal for the Trial Court of Massachusetts.
What it's useful for: Discovering statewide civil, criminal, and housing court dockets.
https://corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/
Secretary of the Commonwealth Business Entity Search.
What it's useful for: Linking individuals to corporate registrations and officer filings.
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-occupational-licensure
Division of Occupational Licensure verification.
What it's useful for: Confirming active professional credentials across the Commonwealth.
2Official State Sources
MA State Archives: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ArchivesSearch/ - A treasure trove for historical researchers.
MA Vital Records: https://www.mass.gov/topics/birth-death-marriage-certificates - Administered by the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS).
3Court Records
MA Trial Court: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-court-system
Massachusetts divides its courts heavily by jurisdiction (Superior, District, Housing, Probate and Family). Masscourts aggregates these, but researchers must often select the specific court department during their query. Major counties include Middlesex, Worcester, Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth, Hampden, Barnstable, Berkshire, Hampshire, and Franklin.
4Corrections & Inmate Records
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-department-of-correction
What it's useful for: Finding state prison custody status.
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/sex-offender-registry-board
What it's useful for: Searching Level 2 and Level 3 offenders in MA.
5Property & Tax Records
Massachusetts is one of the easiest states for property research. The Secretary of the Commonwealth runs MassLandRecords.com, a unified state portal that pulls together scanned deeds, mortgages, and other recorded documents from 21 registry districts covering nearly every county. Each district has an elected Register of Deeds, but the search experience is consistent.
For assessment data — owner name, lot size, assessed value, recent sales — the city or town Assessor maintains the records. Most cities and towns publish them online, and Mass.gov keeps a help page for finding the right local site. Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and Cambridge all run their own searchable portals.
https://www.masslandrecords.com/
Official Secretary of the Commonwealth portal indexing deeds, mortgages, and land documents from 21 registry districts.
What it's useful for: Owner-name searches, mortgage history, and viewing scanned deed images across most of Massachusetts in one place.https://www.mass.gov/news/finding-your-property-records
Mass.gov guide pointing to municipal assessor sites and explaining what each record source covers.
What it's useful for: Looking up a property's assessed value, owner of record, or sale history at the local level.https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/registry-of-deeds/registry-of-deeds.htm
Locator for individual Registry of Deeds offices, plus state-level guidance on recording and fees.
What it's useful for: Finding the right registry for a specific town and getting contact information for in-person research.8Vital Records
The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS), part of the Department of Public Health, holds Massachusetts vital records from 1936 to the present. Birth and marriage records are public unless restricted (for example, when a paternity affidavit is on file). Death records are public.
Records from 1841–1935 have been transferred to the Massachusetts State Archives. Pre-1936 birth and death records may also still be available at the city or town where the event occurred, and pre-1936 marriage records at the town where intentions were filed.
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/registry-of-vital-records-and-statistics
The state office that issues certified copies of Massachusetts birth, death, marriage, and divorce records from 1936 to the present.
What it's useful for: Ordering certified copies for legal, identity, estate, or genealogy purposes.https://www.mass.gov/ordering-a-certificate
Step-by-step instructions, fees, and acceptable IDs for requesting Massachusetts vital records by mail, online, or in person.
What it's useful for: Understanding eligibility, costs, and turnaround before submitting a request.https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/archives/collections/vital-records.htm
The State Archives' historical vital-records collection, covering births, marriages, and deaths from every MA town for 1841–1935.
What it's useful for: Genealogical research and pre-1936 lineage verification.More Massachusetts Record Tools
Combine a people search with Massachusetts-specific record searches for a complete profile. These companion directories are already live on PublicRecordCenter.com:
Search People in Other States
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Frequently Asked Questions — Massachusetts
Can I search Massachusetts birth certificates online?
Older vital records are public and held at the State Archives. Modern records are restricted and require an application through the RVRS or the city/town clerk where the event occurred.
How do I search Massachusetts court records?
Use the Massachusetts Trial Court eAccess portal at masscourts.org. It covers most Trial Court Departments — District, Superior, Probate and Family, Land, Housing, and Boston Municipal Court — with free public docket and case information.
Are Massachusetts property records online?
Yes. MassLandRecords.com is the statewide gateway to all 21 Registry of Deeds districts. You can search by owner name or address and view full scanned deed and mortgage images at no charge.
How do I find a Massachusetts inmate?
The Massachusetts Department of Correction publishes an Inmate Locator at mass.gov/orgs/department-of-correction. Sheriff-run county jails maintain their own separate inmate lookup tools.
What is Massachusetts's public records law?
The Massachusetts Public Records Law (M.G.L. c. 66, §10). It establishes a presumption of openness for records held by state and municipal agencies, with specific exemptions for personal privacy, ongoing investigations, and statutorily-restricted material.
Is the Massachusetts sex offender registry public?
Yes, with restrictions. The Sex Offender Registry Board publishes Level 2 and Level 3 offenders publicly at sorb.mass.gov. Level 1 offenders are not public.
Can I run a Massachusetts background check on a job applicant?
Through an FCRA-compliant Consumer Reporting Agency. Massachusetts also has its own state-level CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) system at mass.gov/cori for employer-initiated screens, with a separate compliance regime.
Final Takeaway: To research effectively in Massachusetts, prioritize Masscourts and the Registry of Deeds. Understanding the CORI law limitations will save you from hitting dead ends when searching for criminal backgrounds.
How do I search Massachusetts court records?
Use the Massachusetts Trial Court eAccess portal at masscourts.org. The free system covers Trial Court case dockets across most case types and lets you search by name or docket number.
What is the Massachusetts public records law?
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 66, Section 10 (M.G.L. c. 66, § 10) is the state public records law. It applies to records made or received by any Massachusetts agency or municipality, with response deadlines and a free Records Access Officer in every public body.
How do I look up a Massachusetts criminal record?
Massachusetts uses the iCORI system, run by the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services. Public access is limited; full criminal-history reports are available to the subject and to authorized employers under specific FCRA-compliant rules.
Where is the Massachusetts sex offender registry?
The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board operates a public registry at mass.gov/orgs/sex-offender-registry-board. Level 2 and Level 3 offenders are searchable by name or location.
How do I find Massachusetts inmates?
Through the Massachusetts Department of Correction inmate locator at mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-department-of-correction. County houses of correction are run by individual Sheriffs and have their own lookup tools.
Can I get an old Massachusetts birth or death certificate?
For events from 1936 to the present, contact the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. For 1841–1935, contact the Massachusetts State Archives. For pre-1841 records, check directly with the city or town where the event occurred.
Are Massachusetts business filings public?
Yes. The Secretary of the Commonwealth's Corporations Division publishes a free business entity search at corp.sec.state.ma.us — searchable by entity name, identification number, or registered agent.