Massachusetts, county records
Find the right office in Worcester County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.
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Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
Court records
Worcester County Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates, the office that issues these certificates, with the application, identification and fee rules it publishes.
Open official site Worcester County Birth, Death and Marriage CertificatesProperty records
Worcester District Registry of Deeds, the office that records deeds, mortgages and land documents, with its index and copy rules as published.
Open official site Worcester District Registry of DeedsPolice & jail
Worcester County Criminal Records, with the criminal case, warrant and offender information the agency publishes.
Open official site Worcester County Criminal RecordsVital records
The Worcester City Clerk keeps the city's birth, marriage and death records and issues certified copies, marriage licenses, business certificates and dog licenses.
Open official site Worcester City ClerkPolice & jail
Worcester County District Attorney Office: Criminal investigations, prosecution and victims services, on the official site of the office that keeps it.
Open official site Worcester County District Attorney OfficeState records
Worcester County Licenses: Division of professional licensure, on the official site of the office that keeps it.
Open official site Worcester County LicensesFederal
United States Census Bureau figures for Worcester County, Massachusetts, with population, housing, income and business counts from the latest estimates.
Open official site Worcester County CensusCourt records
Worcester Superior Civil and Criminal Courts, with the court location, contacts and the case records this office keeps.
Open official site Worcester Superior Civil and Criminal CourtsProperty records
Massachusetts Division of Local Services property tax data: tax rates for every city and town, total assessed values by class reported by local boards of assessors, parcel counts and tax levies.
Open official site Massachusetts Division of Local ServicesPolice & jail
Worcester County Jail and House of Correction, the custody facility for the county, with inmate information and visiting rules as the facility publishes them.
Open official site Worcester County Jail and House of CorrectionCity records
Worcester Public School District, with the district, school and program information it publishes.
Open official site Worcester Public School DistrictCourt records
District Courts Worcester Division, with the court location, contacts and the case records this office keeps.
Open official site District Courts Worcester DivisionEverything else, organized
6 more Worcester County sources not listed above.
Local record guide
County profile
Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Worcester County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order in Worcester County, particularly in the unincorporated areas.
Police Departments. Worcester County is served by multiple law enforcement agencies, including Worcester County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments such as the Worcester Police Department, Fitchburg Police Department, and Leominster Police Department.
Law Enforcement & Arrests. Worcester County Sheriff's Office operates the Jail and House of Correction at 5 Paul X. Tivnan Drive, West Boylston, MA 01583. Worcester County Jail & House of Correction holds pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates serving terms up to 2.5 years. Inmate lookup is available through the Sheriff's Office website inmate locator tool, which provides booking information, charges, bail status, and projected release dates. Municipal police departments serving Worcester County include Worcester Police Department, Fitchburg Police, Leominster Police, Shrewsbury Police, Auburn Police, Milford Police, Gardner Police, Southbridge Police, and police departments in each of Worcester County's 60 municipalities. Arrest records in Massachusetts are public records subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law (M.G.L. Chapter 66, Section 10). Massachusetts law requires agencies to respond within 10 business days.
Arrest Records. They are maintained by the arresting agency, primarily the County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.
Worcester District land records are kept at 90 Front Street, Suite C201, Worcester, MA 01608 (phone: 508-368-7000); Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lunenburg and Westminster use Worcester North District. Each of the 60 municipalities maintains birth, death, and marriage records for events occurring within their jurisdiction. For births and deaths occurring in Worcester, contact the Worcester City Clerk's Office, Room 206, City Hall, 455 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608 (phone: 508-799-1121). Worcester County is served by multiple trial courts within the Massachusetts Trial Court system. Worcester County Superior Court, Worcester, MA 01608 (phone: 508-831-2000), handles major criminal felonies and civil cases exceeding $50,000. Worcester County Probate and Family Court at 225 Main Street handles estates, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, and family law matters (phone: 508-831-2200). The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Elections Division (phone: 617-727-2828, www.sec.state.ma.us/ele) provides statewide oversight and resources. Death certificates are public records; access to a version showing the Social Security number is restricted to qualified requesters. The Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, located at 150 Mount Vernon Street, 1st Floor, Dorchester, MA 02125 (phone: 617-740-2600), maintains Massachusetts vital records from 1936 to the present; earlier records may be available through the State Archives or municipal clerks.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 167 named mine sites inside the county, 125 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 268 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; Iron; Granite.
A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. No abandoned mine inventory is published; the survey's host does not answer this box, both urls are in the search index.
Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.
The Worcester District registry excludes Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lunenburg and Westminster, which belong to Worcester North. A county name alone therefore does not identify the correct deed database.
The land-search instructions distinguish documents recorded after January 1, 1960 from older material. Earlier searches use scanned grantor or grantee indexes to recover a book and page, then the Unindexed Property Search. If a Recorded Land search fails, check Registered Land before treating the document as absent.
The registry schedule prices deed recording at $155 and certified copies at $1 per page. Those are different transactions; recording tax can also apply.
Worcester birth copies cost $12 at the counter or $14 by mail or online. The Clerk asks uncertain applicants to confirm that the record is filed there before paying. Other municipalities set their own local service instructions.
The city death service provides an online index for deaths in Worcester and qualifying resident deaths elsewhere in Massachusetts after January 1, 1971. A missing online result can be referred to the Clerk; it does not establish that no record exists.
The Probate and Family Court serves the entire county for its assigned case types, including estates and family matters. It is distinct from either land registry.
The Sheriff public-records officer receives requests for records held by the correctional agency in West Boylston. Municipal incident reports belong with the police agency involved. The Massachusetts guide gives state-level routes.
Where to go
Each office below was read on its own site. A field the office does not publish is left out rather than filled in from a directory.
Land instruments for Worcester District; five named municipalities use Worcester North.
Office page: massrods.com
City-held birth, death and marriage certificates.
Office page: worcesterma.gov
Probate and family proceedings throughout the county.
Office page: mass.gov
Sheriff-held public records; designated RAO number differs from the general contact directory.
Office page: worcestercountysheriff.com
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Worcester County Sheriff or a city police department in Worcester County. Ask that agency for its record.
The Massachusetts criminal history record comes from the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS). A personal CORI request online through iCORI with a MyMassGov account, or on a paper CORI request form by mail for people who cannot use iCORI. Fee: $25 per personal CORI request ($0 with an indigent fee waiver).
Search the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Register with the local election office (town clerk, election commission or Board of Registrars) or through the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Elections Division. You can also register online with the state online registration. The deadline to register, update your registration or change your party is 10 days before any election or town meeting; there is no Election Day registration now, and Question 4 on the 2026 state ballot asks voters whether to add it.
Deeds and other recorded land documents in Worcester County are kept by the Registry of Deeds for the district. Property values are set by the city or town Board of Assessors, and tax bills come from the city or town collector. Source: official state page.
Certified birth and death certificates for Massachusetts come from the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS), Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Certificates can also be requested from the city or town clerk's office where the birth, marriage or death took place. Online or by phone through VitalChek, by mail with the mail order form and a check or money order payable to Commonwealth of Massachusetts to Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, 150 Mt. Vernon St., 1st Floor, Dorchester, MA 02125, or in person at the Registry counter. Fee: $20.00 per copy in person; $32.00 per copy by standard mail; $54.00 first copy online or by phone through VitalChek.
Business entity filings are searched with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division. You file a business certificate (DBA) in the city or town where your business is located, and you check with the licensing boards in your city or town to see if your business needs a license.
Fitchburg is in Worcester North, along with Ashburnham, Leominster, Lunenburg and Westminster, according to the district list for land records.
Use the pre-1960 grantor or grantee index to find its book and page, then open that entry through Unindexed Property Search.
The registry price list specifies $1 per page for certified copies. The deed recording charge is a separate fee.
The access directions identify 90 Front Street, Suite C201, but direct visitors through 100 Front Street at Mercantile Place.
The City Clerk service lists $12 for counter service and $14 for mail or online orders. This is a certificate-copy fee.
The Clerk contact block identifies Room 206, 455 Main Street, and telephone 508-799-1121.
The Sheriff contact page places the Jail and House of Correction at 5 Paul X. Tivnan Drive, West Boylston, MA 01583.
The state registry now identifies 1936 to the present. Earlier records may be with the Archives or the relevant municipal clerk.
Same county
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.