Massachusetts Divorce Records
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Are Massachusetts Divorce Records Public Records?"In Massachusetts, almost all divorce records, sometimes referred to as divorce dockets, divorce case files or divorce decrees, are considered public records and open to anyone for public inspection." Financial information, however, beyond specifics laid out in a separation agreement, is open only to the parties named in the divorce or to their lawyer or other designated legal representative. A small percentage of divorce records are NOT public because the court impounded them. These records are accessible only by the parties named on the divorce petition or their legal representative. Why Would a Massachusetts Divorce Record be Impounded?Courts usually impound divorce records when famous individuals are involved or when there is a possibility of emotional or physical abuse, and one of the parties wants to keep their location confidential. The presiding judge could also impound the file for almost any reason. Whether a divorce is restricted is entirely at a judge's discretion. Photo IDs are needed to access impounded records and are usually only done in person, face to face, at the court. Other more recent restrictions on divorce records, i.e., say, post the year 2000, including restricting access to Qualified Domestic Orders (QDROs) for retirement funds to only the parties named on the record or their legal representative. Where are Massachusetts Divorce Records Located?As with other state vital records, such as birth, marriage, and death records, changes have occurred over the years regarding the current location of divorce file records. Since 1922 and up through 2023, Massachusetts divorce records have been filed, processed, and heard at the county probate court where one of the parties filed. Couples must file divorce records in the county where they last lived together as a married couple rather than where they individually reside during the divorce proceedings. For instance, if Party "A" and Party "B" lived together in Boston but separated, and Party "A" moved to Framingham, they should have filed for divorce in Boston, Suffolk County, not in Framingham, Middlesex County. However, if both parties moved out of the county where they last lived as a married couple, the person filing for divorce in Massachusetts must file in the county where they reside. Keep this crucial factor in mind when searching for divorce records. What if My Divorce was in the 1980s? Is the Original Record Still at the Probate Court?With few exceptions, most county courts have archived divorce files before the mid 1980's to off-site storage facilities. These older divorce files must be ordered and returned to the courthouse for processing. Lead time is about three weeks. It is important to note that the years listed below represent the filing dates rather than when the divorce became final. For instance, if a divorce were filed in Bristol County in 1985 but not finalized until 1990, the original docket would be based on the 1985 filing date and stored off-site. 
Bristol Probate and Family Court, Taunton, MA2000 - 2023: Records are complete and are onsite at the courthouse. 1992 - 1999: Records are in local storage in Fall River. Two-day turnaround back to Taunton. 1922 - 1991: Records are in a state archive facility. Three-week turnaround back to Taunton.
Middlesex Probate and Family Court, Woburn, MA (formerly Cambridge, MA):1990 - 2023 records are complete. Onsite at the courthouse. 1922 - 1989 records in state archive facility. Three- week turnaround.
Norfolk Probate and Family Court, Canton, MA1922 - 2023 divorce records are complete. Onsite at the courthouse.
Suffolk Probate and Family Court, Boston, MA1922 - 2023 divorce records are complete. Onsite at the courthouse. How are Massachusetts Divorce Records Indexed?If the county of divorce is unknown, a statewide index from 1952 to 2018 is available at the Massachusetts Department of Health's Registry of Vital Records in Boston. This index is not available online. You can only access it in person at the Registry of Vital Records research room. Also, as valuable as this index is, the index is known to contain numerous errors and omissions. It is an index containing party names, the year filed, the divorce county, and (usually) the docket number. The actual divorce file is still and always will be located at the county probate court or, if archived, in one of the archive facilities off-site from the court. In addition to the statewide index at the Registry of Vital Records, each county probate court maintains a county-wide index of divorce records from 1922 - 2023. Each county probate court runs slightly differently regarding how divorce records are indexed. Therefore, below is only a list of indexes to the docket numbers. Visiting the courthouses in person is necessary to obtain actual case files since you cannot access case files online.
Bristol Probate and Family Court, Taunton, MAFrom 1922 to 1970, divorce indexes are alphabetically in book form. These books are only available at the courthouse. From 1971 to 2023, divorce indexes are in a free computer database accessible onsite at any state probate court and online through the Bristol County Probate Court database.
Middlesex Probate and Family Court, Woburn, MA (Formerly in Cambridge)1922 to 1974 divorce indexes are alphabetical in book form. Unfortunately, these books are only available at the courthouse. 1975 to 1990 divorce indexes are alphabetical on 3x5 index cards stored in filing cabinets at the courthouse. 1991 to 2023 divorce indexes are in a free computer database accessible onsite at any state probate court and online through the Middlesex County Probate Court database.
Norfolk Probate and Family Court, Canton, MA1922 to 1950 divorce indexes are alphabetical in book form. Unfortunately, these books are only available at the courthouse. From 1950 to 2023, divorce indexes are in a free computer database accessible onsite at any state probate court and online through the Norfolk County Probate Court database.
Suffolk Probate and Family Court, Boston, MA1922 to 1972 indexes are alphabetical in book form. Unfortunately, these books are only available at the courthouse. From 1973 to 2023, indexes are in a free computer database accessible onsite at any state probate court and online through the Suffolk County Probate Court database. There is also a combination of book form indexes from 1973 to the early 2000s. Unfortunately, these books are only available at the courthouse. I'm Researching Family History. How Do I Find my Great Grandparent's Divorce Records? They Divorced Before 1922.From 1887 until 1922, the different Superior Courts throughout Massachusetts, such as Suffolk County Superior Court and Middlesex County Superior Court, handled divorce cases The Massachusetts Court and Judicial Archives, located in the same building as the Massachusetts Archives in Boston, across the street from the JFK Library, and behind the UMass Boston campus, on Boston Harbor, has some docket books which index divorces for Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Worcester counties. Divorce files are usually available at the county Superior Court where they were initially filed or stored in off-site storage facilities. Retrieving these records can take several weeks due to the time required for retrieval. Again, the state archives have only the index - not the actual case files. The Supreme Judicial Court handled divorce cases before 1887 and as far back as 1786. Law dockets index these records. The Judicial Archives holds the indexes and the files at the Massachusetts Archives. Various courts within the state heard records before 1786 and as early as 1639. In most cases, the Massachusetts State Archives hold the originals. We provide divorce file service from 1922 - 2023 for Bristol, Norfolk, Middlesex, and Suffolk counties. If you would like us to process a divorce file request, please visit our Massachusetts divorce file request form. We generally deliver divorce records by USPS Priority Mail within 10 - 14 business days or less. Expedited service is also available for non-archived case files. Alternatively, a person can request scanned and digitized plain copies be emailed as PDFs.
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