News and information on actions Massachusetts state courts are taking to respond to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. For court closure announcements, you can also follow the courts on Twitter @macourtclosings.
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Resource Court system response to COVID-19
Organization: | Massachusetts Court System |
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Date published: | August 21, 2020 |
Last updated: | December 21, 2022 |
COVID-19 and the Courts
Effective March 23, 2022, wearing a mask to court is encouraged but no longer required for court staff and users. There will no longer be health screening and temperature checks at the door. All courts remain open for in-person business. Court operations, including the use of remote hearings, are governed by standing orders issued by individual court departments.
There are certain circumstances under which users should not come to court. Please see the section Going to court for more information.
Temporary court closures and expiring orders
You can find information about temporary court closures on this page: Temporary court closures due to COVID-19.
Any order that is set to expire while a courthouse is closed will automatically be extended until the court can address the matter.
Going to court
You may not enter a courthouse if you:
- Have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 5 days
- Are waiting for COVID-19 test results after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
- Have been directed to isolate or quarantine
- Currently have COVID-19 symptoms
- Are not up to date on vaccinations and have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 within the past 5 days
Be sure to check the page Courthouse closures due to COVID-19 to make sure your court is open before going in.
Contacting the court
You can contact the courts by phone. You can also share COVID-19 concerns with the court using this form: Notify the Trial Court of Concerns During COVID-19.
Checking the status of your court case
You can find public case information on MassCourts.org. Please see how to search court dockets online and which types of cases are available to the public online for more information.
If you aren’t sure when your case will be heard or whether your case will be heard in person or virtually, please call your court. You can look up your court’s phone number using the Courthouse Locator.
How to pay court fees
For information on court fees, please see Court Filing Fees & Payment Information.
If you are eFiling, you can pay court fees through eFileMA. Please see Learn about eFiling in the Trial Court for more information.
Jury trials and jury service
Jury trials resumed in Massachusetts state courts on Monday, February 14.
Eviction
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium on evictions is no longer in effect as of August 26, 2021 as the result of a United States Supreme Court opinion. Certain protections in non-payment eviction cases are still in effect in Massachusetts. See St. 2020, c. 257, as amended by St. 2021, c. 20, as amended by St. 2022, c.42. Resources about eviction are available online.
Tenants and small landlords can get legal help and information from the Eviction Diversion Initiative. Please see COVID-19 eviction information to learn more.
Table of Contents
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- Supreme Judicial Court sixth order regarding access to state courthouses & cour…
- Second amendment to Supreme Judicial Court seventh updated order regarding cour…
- Supreme Judicial Court seventh updated order regarding court operations under t…
- Supreme Judicial Court updated order regarding remote depositions
- Supreme Judicial Court Supplemental order regarding virtual proceedings and adm…
- Supreme Judicial Court updated order authorizing use of electronic signatures b…
- Supreme Judicial Court second temporary emergency order re: Supreme Judicial Co…
- Supreme Judicial Court Order regarding transfer of certain single justice matte…
- Supreme Judicial Court Temporary Emergency Order re: Supreme Judicial Court Rul…
- Supreme Judicial Court Order concerning email service in cases under Rule 5(b) …
- Supreme Judicial Court Order concerning electronic signatures of judges and cle…
- Supreme Judicial Court Order concerning the imposition of global positioning sy…
- Supreme Judicial Court Order for the administering of oaths at depositions via …
- Repealed SJC Orders in re: COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic
- Appeals Court Administrative Order 21-1 - August 1, 2021
- Amended Appeals Court Administrative Order 20-3 - August 1, 2021
- Appeals Court Administrative Order 20-6 - November 30, 2020
- Appeals Court Administrative Order 20-5 - November 20, 2020
- Trial Court Emergency Administrative Order 22-2: Temporary alternative procedur…
- Trial Court Omnibus Order of rescission of certain Trial Court Emergency Admini…
- Trial Court Administrative Order 21-2: Trial Court order suspending certain pro…
- Trial Court Administrative Order 21-1: Order concerning Trial Court policy on p…
- Rescinded Trial Court Emergency Administrative Orders
- Boston Municipal Court Third Revised[1] Standing Order 11-20: Continuation of t…
- Boston Municipal Court Standing Order 5-20: COVID-19 Designated Session
- District Court Standing Order 1-21: Inventory and prioritization of jury trial-…
- District Court Standing Order 11-20: Jury trials under the exigent circumstance…
- District Court Third Amended Standing Order 10-20: Court operations for the adj…
- District Court Standing Order 4-20: Protocol Governing Requests for Release fro…
- Third amended Housing Court Standing Order 6-20: Continuation of temporary modi…
- Juvenile Court Standing Order 2-21: Jury trials under the exigent circumstances…
- Juvenile Court Standing Order 5-20: Protocol Governing Requests for Release fro…
- Land Court Standing Order 1-20: Videoconferencing of court events
- Probate and Family Court Standing Order 1-21: Court operations
- Probate and Family Court Standing Order 4-20: Order concerning email service in…
- Probate and Family Court Standing Order 3-20: Guardian ad litem evaluations, in…
- Security Department Memorandum: Revision of COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Cance…
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- Frequently Asked Questions About the SJC during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Trial Court FAQs Related to COVID-19
- Court expiration dates and deadlines during COVID-19 pandemic
- Temporary changes to service of process, signatures, depositions, oaths and aff…
- Boston Municipal Court FAQs Related to COVID-19
- Revised Appellate Division guidelines regarding COVID-19 internal operating pro…
- District Court FAQs Related to COVID-19
- Housing Court frequently asked questions in reference to COVID-19
- Waiver of signature requirement for affidavit of indigency for appeals under G…
- Land Court Memo: Procedures for the processing of subsequent cases, condominium…
- Memo re: Chapter 71 of the Acts of 2020: An Act Providing for Virtual Notarizat…
- Probate & Family Court division protocols for court operations
- Superior Court frequently asked questions concerning COVID-19
- Alternative options for resolving civil cases in the Superior Court during the …
- Superior Court Clerks’ policies on filing papers during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Protocol for requesting a teleconference or videoconference hearing in Superior…
- Tips for attorneys and self-represented litigants appearing in remote civil hea…
- Well-being and technical assistance for lawyers during COVID-19
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- معلومات عن ""كوفد 19"" (كورونا فايروس) باللغة العربية
- COVID-19 Informason na Kabuverdianu / COVID-19 information in Cape Verdean Creo…
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- Enfòmasyon sou COVID – 19 an Kreyol Ayisyen
- ព័ត៌មានអំពីកូវីដ-19 ជាភាសាខ្មែរ
- Vara de Locações: perguntas frequentes sobre a COVID-19
- Juízo Municipal de Boston – Perguntas frequentes relacionadas à COVID-19
- Juízo de Comarca – Perguntas Frequentes relacionadas à COVID-19
- Informações em português acerca de COVID-19 (Probate & Family Court)
- Varas Penal e Cível – Perguntas frequentes sobre a COVID-19
- Информация о COVID-19 на русском
- Preguntas Frecuentes del Tribunal Municipal de Boston ante el COVID-19
- Preguntas Frecuentes del Tribunal de Distrito en cuanto al COVID–19
- Preguntas Frecuentes del Tribunal de Vivienda ante la pandemia de COVID-19
- Información sobre el coronavirus (COVID-19) en español (Probate & Family Court)
- Thông tin đại dịch COVID-19 bằng tiếng Việt