Guide
Massachusetts Expungement Research Resources
Massachusetts offers sealing, by request to the Commissioner of Probation or by petition to the court, and in some cases expungement, which destroys the record. The official Massachusetts sources are listed below.
- Mass.gov, Request to Seal Your Criminal RecordHow to file a petition to seal and what to include
- Mass.gov, Expunge Your Criminal RecordWho qualifies to have a record permanently destroyed
- General Laws Chapter 276, Section 100ARequests to the Commissioner of Probation to seal files
This directory is for informational and research use only. Expungement eligibility, waiting periods, filing fees, notice rules, and the effect on background checks can differ significantly depending on the state, offense level, case outcome, and later law changes.
Guide
Sealing a divorce or civil file in Massachusetts
Massachusetts impounds a few divorce documents automatically, chiefly the Financial Statement, guardian ad litem reports and qualified domestic relations orders, and everything else on motion. Supplemental Probate and Family Court Rule 401(d) makes each party's Financial Statement impounded, kept separate from the other papers in the case and unavailable for public inspection, open only to the court, counsel of record, the parties, the registers, probation and the Department of Revenue. The case itself stays public.
For any other document or the file as a whole, the route is a motion for impoundment under Trial Court Rule VIII, the Uniform Rules on Impoundment Procedure. The court decides after a hearing under Rule 7 and may impound only for good cause shown and in accordance with applicable law, considering the nature of the parties and the controversy, the type of information and the privacy interests involved, the extent of community interest, constitutional rights, and the reasons for the request; the rule states that agreement of the parties alone is not good cause. Rule 7 is at mass.gov.
Guide
Research Notes
- Start with the court and the originating agency. Expungement or sealing requests are often handled through the court that heard the case, sometimes with supporting records from police, prosecutors, or corrections agencies.
- Terminology differs by state. Some jurisdictions use terms such as sealing, set-aside, vacatur, dismissal relief, or nondisclosure instead of expungement.
- Verify current law. Eligibility rules can change through legislation or court decisions, so always confirm the current process before relying on older instructions or third-party summaries.
- Understand downstream effects. Even after record relief, treatment of court, police, private-background check, and federal records may differ depending on the system involved.
By state