District Court: Get to know the case number format

Learn more about District Court case numbers and how they are formatted.

Table of Contents

Example of a case number format: 1448CV001026

See the case number broken out below.

Two Digit Year > Two Digit Court Code > Two Letter Code > Six Digit Sequence Number

A diagram explaining how District Court case numbers are formatted; details follow on page.

Two digit year

In case number 1448CV001026, "14" represents the year 2014.

Two digit court codes (A-L)

In case number 1448CV001026, "48" is the two digit court code, which stands for Ayer District Court.

CourtCode
Attleboro34
Ayer48
Barnstable25
Brockton15
Brookline9
Cambridge52
Chelsea14
Chicopee20
Clinton68
Concord47
Dedham54
Dudley64
East Brookfield69
Eastern Hampshire98
Edgartown35
Fall River32
Falmouth89
Fitchburg16
Framingham49
Gardner63
Gloucester39
Greenfield41
Haverhill38
Hingham58
Holyoke17
Ipswich40
Lawrence18
Leominster61
Lowell11
Lynn13

Two digit court codes (M-Z)

CourtCode
Malden50
Marlboro21
Milford66
Nantucket88
Natick87
New Bedford33
Newburyport22
Newton12
Northampton45
Northern Berkshire28
Orange42
Orleans26
Palmer43
Peabody86
Pittsfield27
Plymouth59
Quincy56
Salem36
Somerville10
Southern Berkshire29
Springfield23
Stoughton55
Taunton31
Uxbridge65
Waltham51
Wareham60
Westborough67
Westfield44
Winchendon70
Woburn53
Worcester62
Wrentham57

Two letter code

Following the two digit court code, you'll find the two letter code for case types. In case number 1448CV001026, "CV" is the case type.

Case TypeCode
Abuse Prevention OrderRO
Administrative AppealsCV
Administrative Search WarrantSW
AppealAD
Application for Criminal ComplaintAC
CivilCV
Civil Bicycle InfractionMV
Civil Motor VehicleMV
CriminalCR
Dog Control Civil InfractionCI
Environmental Civil InfractionCI
InquestIN
Interstate CompactIC
Marijuana/THC Possession InfractionsCI
Marriage WaiverCV
MBTA Smoking Civil InfractionCI
Mental HealthMH
Motorboat Civil InfractionCI
Municipal Ordinance/Bylaw InfractionCI
Non SupportCV
Pedestrian Civil InfractionCI
Rubbish Disposal Civil InfractionCI
Small ClaimsSC
State Building Code or Fire Code InfractionCI
State Park/Forest/Rec Area Civil InfractionCI
Summary Process (Eviction)SU
Supplementary ProcessSP

Six digit sequence number

Lastly, a six digit sequence number can be found in every District Court case number. In case number 1448CV001026, "001026" is the sequence number.

Additional Resources

Contact   for District Court: Get to know the case number format

Fax

(617) 788-8985

Address

Administrative Office
Edward W. Brooke Courthouse, 24 New Chardon St., 1st Floor, Boston, MA 02114

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