How can I view a publicly available Probate and Family Court case information?
- By going to the courthouse and requesting to see the physical file.
- By going to the courthouse and using a public kiosk terminal.
- By going to the online court record at masscourts.org and searching by name, case number, or case type.
A list of Probate and Family Court locations can be found at: Find a courthouse serving you | Mass.gov
Additional Resources
What types of Probate and Family Court cases are available to the public?
Generally, unless a case is impounded it is considered a publicly available case. A list of case types available to the public are:
- Cases involving custody, support, and parenting time under G. L. c. 209C
- Divorces
- Equity Actions
- Estates and Administrations
- Guardianships
- Name Changes
- Conservatorships
- Paternity Actions after March 31, 1998 with a Judgment of Paternity
- Abuse Prevention actions where the parties are over the age of 18*
*These cases are available to the public at the courthouse but are not made available online at masscourts.org.
What if I am a party to a case that is impounded or not available to the public?
You may request to see your physical case file at the Court where the file is located. You will be required to show proof of your identity to the Court.
What do I do if I believe there is a reason to impound a case, document, or other case information from the public?
If you are a party to a case, you may use form Motion (CJD 400) to file a motion and affidavit to impound all or part of your case with the Court where the case is located. A judge will make a final determination about your motion and may allow or deny it.
Where would I go to find more information about impounded information?
Are documents and images available online at masscourts.org?
Yes, a scanned and printable copy of publicly available documents in a case are on masscourts.org. Some cases may have documents that are publicly available, but not on the online court record. For a list of documents that are not available online, see Probate and Family Court Document Images Restricted on Remote Public Access Portal.
How far back do the court cases on masscourts.org go?
All Probate and Family Court divisions will have cases online at masscourts.org going back to 2000. Some divisions will have historical cases available online also. All Probate and Family Court divisions will have documents and images online going back to 2009. If you are looking for older cases, you may contact the Probate and Family Court in the division where the case was filed.
Where would I go to find more information about what is available online?
You may find more information about what is available at www.mass.gov and Uniform Rules on Public Access to Court Records Rule 5: Remote access to electronic court records | Mass.gov.
How do I request a certified, attested, or exemplified copy of a document I can see on masscourts.org?
You can fill in and file a request for copy form found on mass.gov or contact the Court where the case file is located.
Reporting issues
If you believe there is a clerical error on the online case record or a public kiosk, you may use form Request for Correction of Clerical Error found on mass.gov and file it with the Court where the case is located.
If you believe that there is non-public information available on the online case record, please report to e.access@jud.state.ma.us.
Reminder
If you are filing a document that contains personal identifying information or impounded information, please provide a redacted copy to the Court with the original filing.
For more information on personal identifying information or impounded information, see: Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:24: Protection of Personal Identifying Information in Publicly Accessible Documents and Trial Court Rule VIII: Uniform Rules on Impoundment Procedure.
Contact for Probate and Family Court Access to Public Court Records: Frequently Asked Questions
Phone
Fax
Pleadings should be sent directly to the divisions, not to the Administrative Office.