| Superior Court Clerk | Cumberland County Superior Court — Clerk's Office |
|---|---|
| Register of Probate | Cumberland County Probate Court — Register of Probate |
| Clerk address | Superior Court & Portland District Court (Ground Floor): 205 Newbury Street, Portland, ME 04101. Probate Court: 142 Federal Street, Suite 125, Portland, ME 04101 |
| Phone | Superior Court and Portland District Court (207) 822-4200; Probate Court (207) 871-8382 |
| Hours | Superior Court and District Court: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., except court holidays, administrative weeks, and storm closings. Probate Court: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. (closed noon–1:00 p.m. daily since October 27, 2025). |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | $2.00 for the first page, $1.00 for each additional page (Superior and District Court) |
| Certified copy fee | $5.00 attestation fee per document, in addition to the copy fee (Superior and District Court) |
Cumberland County, Maine's most populous county, keeps its trial-court records with two separate Judicial Branch offices in Portland. The Cumberland County Superior Court clerk holds felony criminal cases, larger civil suits, and divorce and custody matters, while the Portland District Court — in the same building — handles misdemeanors, small claims, protection orders, and Family Division matters. A third, entirely separate office, the Cumberland County Probate Court, keeps wills, estates, guardianships, and adoptions under its own elected Register of Probate a few blocks away.
Cumberland County is the last of Maine's larger counties to convert to the Judicial Branch's eCourts system: online eFiling and the free public re:SearchMaine portal are scheduled to go live here on September 28, 2026. Until that conversion, Superior and District Court case information in Cumberland County is not searchable online the way it is in counties that have already converted, so a phone call or an in-person visit to the clerk's office is usually necessary. Probate filings, by contrast, are already indexed at the statewide maineprobate.net site regardless of the Superior Court's eCourts status.
Search Cumberland County court records online
Superior Court Clerk
Cumberland County Superior Court — Clerk's Office
- Coverage
- Felony criminal, civil, and family cases filed in Cumberland County Superior Court
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Cumberland County is scheduled to convert to Maine eCourts and re:SearchMaine on September 28, 2026; until then, case information is not available through a public online search and must be requested from the clerk directly.
Register of Probate
Cumberland County Probate Court — Register of Probate
- Cost
- Free to search the docket at maineprobate.net; fees apply for copies
- Coverage
- Wills, estate administration, guardianship, conservatorship, and adoption records dating back to 1908
- Records
- Probate
A county office headed by an elected Register of Probate, separate from the Judicial Branch's Superior and District Courts. Adoption records after August 8, 1953 are confidential.
Other courts
Portland District Court
- Coverage
- Misdemeanor criminal cases, small claims, protection from abuse/harassment, Family Division matters, and traffic infractions for the Portland area
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Traffic
Located on the ground floor of the same 205 Newbury Street building as the Superior Court; (207) 822-4200; also converts to eCourts on September 28, 2026.
What is available online
Until the September 28, 2026 eCourts conversion, Cumberland County Superior Court and Portland District Court case information is available only by contacting the clerk's office directly; there is no public online docket search for these courts yet. Probate filings are a separate system: Cumberland County participates in the statewide Maine Probate EZ-File program, and case dockets can be searched for free at maineprobate.net, with a fee to view or print documents.
Which clerk has your record
In Maine, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Maine page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court (one per county, 17 sittings across 16 counties) | Felony criminal cases; Civil actions of any dollar amount; Divorce, custody, and other family matters | Clerk of the Superior Court for the county |
| District Court (44 locations statewide) | Misdemeanor criminal cases; Small claims and civil actions up to the statutory limit; Family Division matters (divorce, parental rights, protection from abuse) | Clerk of the District Court |
| Probate Court (one per county) | Wills and estate administration; Guardianship and conservatorship of adults and minors; Adoption, name changes, and termination of parental rights tied to adoption | Register of Probate for the county |
Request records in person or by mail
Cumberland County clerk offices
Superior Court & Portland District Court (Ground Floor): 205 Newbury Street, Portland, ME 04101. Probate Court: 142 Federal Street, Suite 125, Portland, ME 04101
Phone: Superior Court and Portland District Court (207) 822-4200; Probate Court (207) 871-8382
Hours: Superior Court and District Court: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., except court holidays, administrative weeks, and storm closings. Probate Court: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. (closed noon–1:00 p.m. daily since October 27, 2025).
Superior Court and Portland District Court records. Call or visit the clerk's office at 205 Newbury Street. Because online search is not yet available, have the case number ready if you have it, or the parties' names and the approximate year the case was filed. Copy requests can also be mailed to the Judicial Branch Service Center, P.O. Box 266, Lewiston, ME 04240 (207-753-2901); include what you need and whether you want a certified (attested) copy.
Probate records. Contact the Cumberland County Register of Probate at 142 Federal Street, Suite 125, or search the docket first at maineprobate.net. The office can quote its current copy and certification fees before you request documents by mail.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Maine |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | $2.00 for the first page, $1.00 for each additional page (Superior and District Court) |
| Certified copy | $5.00 attestation fee per document, in addition to the copy fee (Superior and District Court) |
Set statewide by Supreme Judicial Court Administrative Order JB-05-26 (effective March 9, 2026) for Superior and District Court records. Probate Courts are exempt from that statewide fee schedule and set their own copy and certification fees; confirm the current amount with the specific county's Register of Probate before sending payment.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Maine court records are generally open, but the Judicial Branch's Rules of Electronic Court Systems (MRECS) and Administrative Order JB-20-03 (Public Access and Confidentiality) draw a distinction between "public court information," "confidential" information restricted to parties or courthouse viewing, and records that are fully sealed or impounded by statute, rule, or court order. Maine's Freedom of Access Act does not apply to the judiciary — court records are governed by these Judicial Branch rules, not a public-records request.
The Maine guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Can I search Cumberland County Superior Court cases online?
Not yet as of this writing. Cumberland County is scheduled to convert to Maine eCourts and the free re:SearchMaine public search on September 28, 2026. Until then, contact the clerk's office directly by phone or in person.
Where do I find a Cumberland County will or estate record?
Contact the Cumberland County Probate Court, a separate office from the Superior Court, located at 142 Federal Street in Portland. Its docket is also searchable for free at maineprobate.net.
Are Portland District Court and Cumberland County Superior Court the same office?
No. They are in the same building at 205 Newbury Street but are separate courts with separate clerks: the Superior Court handles felonies and larger civil and family cases, while the District Court handles misdemeanors, small claims, and protection orders.
How do I get a certified copy of a Cumberland County court record?
Request it from the clerk of the court that heard the case — the Superior Court, District Court, or Probate Court, depending on the case type — in person or by mail. Superior and District Court copies follow the statewide fee schedule; Probate Court sets its own fees.
Sources
- Cumberland County Superior Court — https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/superior/cumberland-sc.html
- Portland District Court — https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/district/portland-dc.html
- Cumberland County Probate Court — https://www.cumberlandcountyme.gov/departments/probate_court/index.php
- Cumberland County official website — https://www.cumberlandcountyme.gov/
- Maine eCourts rollout schedule — https://www.courts.maine.gov/ecourts/
- Maine Judicial Branch — Courts overview — https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/index.html
- Accessing Electronic Court Records (re:SearchMaine) — https://www.courts.maine.gov/ecourts/access.html
- re:SearchMaine public search — https://researchmaine.tylerhost.net/CourtRecordsSearch
- Maine State Police State Bureau of Identification — https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/about/sbi
- Maine Criminal History Record Request — https://apps1.web.maine.gov/online/pcr/
- Supreme Judicial Court Published Opinions — https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/sjc/opinions.html
- Court Records — how to get copies — https://www.courts.maine.gov/help/records.html
- Maine Judicial Branch — eCourts implementation schedule (news release) — https://www.courts.maine.gov/news/article.html?id=13350582
- Administrative Order JB-05-26 — Court Fees Schedule — https://www.courts.maine.gov/adminorders/jb-05-26.pdf
- Administrative Order JB-20-03 — Public Access and Confidentiality — https://www.courts.maine.gov/adminorders/jb-20-03.pdf
- Title 15 M.R.S. §3308-C — Sealing of juvenile case records — https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/15/title15sec3308-C.html
See also: all Maine counties.