Why We Built This Site
Massachusetts gives the public broad access to court records under M.G.L. c. 66, ยง 10 and the Trial Court's Uniform Rules on Public Access. The hard part is figuring out which Trial Court department holds the file you want. The Superior Court Clerk of Courts handles felony and major civil cases. District Court Clerk-Magistrates in Attleboro, Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton keep most criminal, small claims, and lower civil records. The Probate and Family Court Register handles divorce, estates, and guardianship. Housing Court has its own Clerk-Magistrate and Housing Specialist Department. The Bristol County Sheriff's Office runs the jail. Land records are kept by the Registry of Deeds, separate from the courts. We pull the right portals, addresses, phones, and request steps for each of these offices into one place.
The site centers on Bristol County: Taunton (the county seat), Fall River, New Bedford, and Attleboro all host Trial Court divisions, and each holds a different slice of the records people search for. The Bristol County Superior Court page covers the higher trial court, while the Clerk of Courts page lists every clerk and register office that holds records.
What You Will Find Here
- Records pages by type: court records, criminal records, inmate records, warrant records, marriage and divorce, probate, and more
- Office contacts: direct contact info for the Clerk of Courts, superior courts, and major facilities
- Search walkthroughs: step-by-step guides for the Bristol County records portal and statewide databases
- Public records help: how to file an open records request and what to expect for response time
What We Cannot Do
This is a privately run reference site. We have no connection to any Massachusetts court, clerk's office, sheriff's office, or state agency. There are real limits to what we can help with:
- We cannot file paperwork or send records requests on your behalf
- We cannot issue certified copies of any court document or vital record
- We cannot give legal advice or explain how a specific case applies to you
- We cannot guarantee that every phone number, fee, or address listed on this site is current right now
Only the issuing court or government office can provide a certified copy with an official seal. We can point you to the right office, but the document has to come from them.
Search Partners
Some pages on this site include search boxes powered by third-party providers. Those companies set their own pricing and run their own services. When you use one of those tools and it leads to a paid signup, we may earn a referral fee. That revenue helps keep this site free for visitors. We do not control what those tools charge or what shows up in their results.
Keeping Information Current
Clerk offices move. Hours change. Phone numbers get reassigned. We update pages as we hear about changes, but gaps happen. Before you drive to a courthouse, call ahead first.
See something wrong? Visit our Contact page and let us know.
Get in Touch
Questions, fixes, or feedback? Drop a note via our Contact page.