Where Medford's records are kept. Medford has its own city government, police department, clerk's office and permit and planning office; county and state offices keep its other public records.
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Most requested Medford records
The cards below include Medford's own offices, along with State of Massachusetts offices; the Middlesex County offices are on our Middlesex County page. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
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Showing 17 official sources
Official
City records
City of Medford
City of Medford, Massachusetts website for City Hall at 85 George P. Hassett Drive, listing city departments from the assessor and building department to the city clerk, collector and treasurer, and elections.
Website of the Medford, Massachusetts Police Department, linked from the city site, with firearms licensing, police logs, parking, crash reports, a public records request page and department news.
How to request Medford Police records under the Massachusetts Public Records Law, which gives every person the right to inspect and get copies of public records unless an exemption applies.
The Medford City Clerk keeps the Code of Ordinances, City Council resolutions and other city records, along with birth, marriage and death certificates, dog licenses, business permits and board decisions.
The Medford Building Department inspects buildings and structures in the city and enforces the State Building Code, the plumbing, gas and electrical codes and the zoning rules.
The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board classifies sex offenders by risk and posts Level 3 offenders, plus Level 2 offenders classified after July 12, 2013, who live, work or study in the state.
FBI wanted posters, from the Ten Most Wanted list to fugitives, terrorism suspects, kidnapped and missing persons, bank robbers and seeking information cases; tips go to tips.fbi.gov.
The Massachusetts Department of Correction points to VINELink, an outside service online or by phone, to find someone in its prisons by full name or commitment number.
USAGov explains how to get certified copies of birth and death certificates, copies of marriage and divorce records, and replacements for lost or stolen government ID cards.
The federal judiciary's national index of district, bankruptcy and appellate court cases. Searching needs a free PACER account; pages cost $0.10, capped at $3 per document, with quarterly charges of $30 or less waived.
USAGov sends you to your state's unclaimed property office, which holds most unclaimed money, and to federal searches for back wages, pensions, IRS refunds, savings bonds and deposits from failed banks.
The Social Security Administration explains survivor benefits, monthly payments to eligible relatives of workers who paid Social Security taxes before death, including who qualifies, possible amounts and when to report a death.
U.S. Department of Justice search of public sex offender registries from every state, territory and many tribes by name or ZIP code; address radius searches cover only states that send coordinates.
USAGov explains checking your registration through Can I Vote, which opens your state's election website, and advises doing it before the state deadline, which can be up to 30 days before an election.
Federal judiciary guide to finding a case in PACER: search the court where it was filed for current data, or the nationwide PACER Case Locator, updated daily. A PACER account is required.
The Massachusetts Archives, under the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Boston, holds state vital records from 1841 to 1935, census copies, Port of Boston passenger lists and naturalization abstracts.
United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Massachusetts
The court has locations in Boston, Worcester and Springfield and posts its calendar, notices of sale, video and phone hearing details, local rules and forms, with PACER for case files.
Medford, a place of 59,659 people, is in Middlesex County, whose county seat is Cambridge. Deeds are recorded at the registry of deeds that serves Middlesex County, Medford's town clerk keeps copies of birth and death certificates, and court cases go through the Massachusetts Trial Court. Medford's own offices are in the cards above, and our Middlesex County page lists each county office.
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Medford public-records FAQs
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How do I register to vote in Medford, Massachusetts?
Voter registration in Massachusetts is run by the Massachusetts Elections Division and local election officials. Its site lists the registration deadline, online voter registration, polling places and the local election office for Medford.
How do I get a birth or death certificate in Medford, Massachusetts?
Certified birth and death certificates for events in Massachusetts come from the state vital records office, Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, and the town or city clerk can also issue copies. The state office's site lists who may order a copy, the fee and how to order.
How do I find business license records in Medford, Massachusetts?
Businesses that operate in Medford register with the Massachusetts Corporations Division, which runs the state business entity search. A local business license, where Medford requires one, comes from the town or Middlesex County.
Same county
Nearby Middlesex County cities
Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.