Mass. General Laws c.46 § 1

Certificates of birth, marriage, death and acknowledgments and adjudications of paternity; contents; residence defined

This is an unofficial version of a Massachusetts General Law.

Updates

• Amended by St. 2024, c. 166, § 1, effective January 1, 2025
• Amended by St. 2025, c. 68, effective November 20, 2025, with last sentence of section 1 effective July 1, 2026

Section 1

Each local clerk shall obtain and record the following facts set forth in this section, as well as such additional information that may be required under federal statutes or contracts, regulations promulgated pursuant to section 4 of chapter 17 or as the commissioner of public health may require, relative to births, marriages, acknowledgments and adjudications of parentage and deaths which occurred in the town or city and for certificates of marriage issued by the town or city:

• In the record of births, name, date of birth, place of birth and sex of child; legal names, dates of birth, residences, places of birth and surname at birth or adoption of the parent or parents;
• In the record of birth of a child born to parents not married to each other, the name of and other facts relating to the other parent or parents shall not be recorded except as provided in section 2 of chapter 209C where parentage has been acknowledged or adjudicated under the laws of the commonwealth or under the laws of any other jurisdiction;
• In the record of marriages, date of record, date and place of marriage, name, residence and official station of the person by whom solemnized; for each of the parties to be married the name, date and place of birth, residence, age, number of the marriage and if previously married, whether widowed or divorced and the name at birth or adoption of the parties’ parents;
• In the record of death, date of death, name of deceased, including surname at birth or adoption, social security number, gender, race, marital status, education, name of spouse if ever married, supposed age, residence, occupation, place of death, place of birth, surname at birth or adoption and places of birth of the deceased’s parent or parents, disease or cause of death, defined so that it can be classified under the international classification of causes of death, and place and type of immediate disposition. As used in this section, the word “residence” shall include the name of the street and number, if any, of the house. 

Effective July 1, 2026:

For purposes of this section, the social security number in a record of death shall not be made available except upon request from a person with a legitimate need, as defined in regulations promulgated pursuant to section 4 of chapter 17.

Last updated:	November 20, 2025