| Superior Court Clerk | Norfolk County Superior Court Clerk's Office |
|---|---|
| Register of Probate | Norfolk Probate and Family Court — Register of Probate |
| Clerk address | Superior Court Clerk: William D. Delahunt Courthouse, 650 High St, Dedham, MA 02026. Probate and Family Court Register: 35 Shawmut Rd, Canton, MA 02021 |
| Phone | Superior Court Clerk's Office: (781) 326-1600; Probate and Family Court: (781) 830-1200 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (Superior Court Clerk and Probate and Family Court Register) |
| Earliest records noted | 1793 |
| Plain copy fee | $0.05 per page for an unattested copy or printout of court documents, records, or other papers held by the clerk, register, or recorder |
| Certified copy fee | $2.50 per page for an attested (certified) copy of a document or docket sheet; $20.00 for a certificate of orders, decrees, rulings, or judgments |
Norfolk County's felony and larger civil cases are kept by the Norfolk County Superior Court Clerk's Office, based at the William D. Delahunt Courthouse, 650 High Street in Dedham. Smaller cases are split among the county's District Court divisions, organized as Northern Norfolk (held in Dedham, covering Dedham, Dover, Norwood, Westwood, Medfield, Wellesley, and Needham), East Norfolk (held in Quincy, covering Quincy, Braintree, Cohasset, Weymouth, Holbrook, Randolph, and Milton), and Southern Norfolk (held in Stoughton, covering Stoughton, Avon, Canton, and Sharon); the town of Wrentham is covered by Wrentham District Court.
Probate, estate, divorce, and custody matters go to the Norfolk Probate and Family Court in Canton, a separate office from the Superior Court clerk, run by an elected Register of Probate. Records there date back to the county's founding in 1793, and most probate files are open to anyone, not just parties to the case.
The common mistake in Norfolk County is contacting the Dedham courthouse for a case that is actually a District Court matter in Quincy or Stoughton — the Superior Court clerk in Dedham only has felony and larger civil files, not the district-level divisions.
Search Norfolk County court records online
Superior Court Clerk
Norfolk County Superior Court Clerk's Office
- Cost
- Free docket lookup on MassCourts; per-page fee for certified copies from the clerk
- Coverage
- Superior Court felony criminal cases and larger civil suits filed in Norfolk County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal
William D. Delahunt Courthouse, 650 High St, Dedham, MA 02026, (781) 326-1600. Address, phone, and hours confirmed on the court's Mass.gov location page on 2026-09-13.
Register of Probate
Norfolk Probate and Family Court — Register of Probate
- Cost
- Free docket lookup on MassCourts; per-page fee for certified copies from the registry
- Coverage
- Wills, estates, guardianship, divorce, custody, paternity, and adoption cases for Norfolk County
- Records
- Probate, Family
Located at 35 Shawmut Rd, Canton, MA 02021, (781) 830-1200. Records date back to 1793. Address, phone, and hours confirmed on the court's Mass.gov location page on 2026-09-13.
Other courts
MassCourts — District Court case search (Norfolk County divisions)
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Misdemeanor and smaller civil cases from the Northern Norfolk (Dedham), East Norfolk (Quincy), Southern Norfolk (Stoughton), and Wrentham District Court divisions
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Traffic
No individual division has its own online docket search; all are searched through the statewide MassCourts portal, filtered by court location.
What is available online
MassCourts covers docket entries for Superior Court, District Court, and Probate and Family Court cases entered electronically. Probate records date back to 1793 and most are open to the public without needing to show a connection to the case; older pre-electronic files still require an in-person or mail request to the Canton registry.
Which clerk has your record
In Massachusetts, 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 Massachusetts page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court | Felony criminal cases; Civil actions generally above $50,000; Medical malpractice and labor disputes | Superior Court Clerk's Office (Clerk of Courts) for the county |
| District Court | Misdemeanors and lower-level felonies; Civil claims up to $50,000; Restraining and harassment prevention orders | Clerk-Magistrate of the District Court division |
| Boston Municipal Court | Misdemeanors and lower-level felonies in Boston; Civil claims up to $50,000; Restraining orders | Clerk-Magistrate of the Boston Municipal Court division |
| Probate and Family Court | Divorce, custody, and child support; Paternity and adoption; Wills, estates, and guardianship | Register of Probate for the county |
| Housing Court | Eviction (summary process); Code enforcement; Small claims involving housing conditions | Clerk-Magistrate of the Housing Court division |
| Land Court | Title registration; Zoning and land use appeals; Foreclosure of mortgages (servicemembers) | Recorder of the Land Court |
| Juvenile Court | Delinquency; Child welfare (care and protection); Youthful offender cases | Clerk-Magistrate of the Juvenile Court division |
Request records in person or by mail
Norfolk County clerk offices
Superior Court Clerk: William D. Delahunt Courthouse, 650 High St, Dedham, MA 02026. Probate and Family Court Register: 35 Shawmut Rd, Canton, MA 02021
Phone: Superior Court Clerk's Office: (781) 326-1600; Probate and Family Court: (781) 830-1200
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (Superior Court Clerk and Probate and Family Court Register)
Superior Court (felony and larger civil) records. Contact the Superior Court Clerk's Office at 650 High St., Dedham, by mail, phone, or in person, with the case number or party names and year.
District Court (misdemeanor and smaller civil) records. Contact the clerk-magistrate's office of the specific division that heard the case — Northern Norfolk in Dedham, East Norfolk in Quincy, Southern Norfolk in Stoughton, or Wrentham District Court — since each keeps its own file.
Probate, estate, divorce, and custody records. Contact the Register of Probate at 35 Shawmut Rd., Canton. You do not need to be a party to the case to request a copy of most probate files; some family-law filings can be impounded.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | $0.05 per page for an unattested copy or printout of court documents, records, or other papers held by the clerk, register, or recorder |
| Certified copy | $2.50 per page for an attested (certified) copy of a document or docket sheet; $20.00 for a certificate of orders, decrees, rulings, or judgments |
Fees are set in the Trial Court's Uniform Schedule of Fees under General Laws Chapter 262, Section 4B, and apply in every Trial Court department; the schedule was last amended effective November 1, 2016. Other listed items include $50.00 for a transcript of judgment, $5.00 for a PDF or other electronic copy of a document (plus $4.00 if a CD is mailed), and $10.00 per case per day for electronic access to an audio recording of a hearing. Confirm accepted payment methods with the specific clerk's office or registry before mailing a request. Figures confirmed on the Mass.gov Uniform Schedule of Fees page on 2026-09-13.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Most Massachusetts trial-court case records are presumptively open, but several categories are removed from public view:
The Massachusetts 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
Where is the Norfolk County Superior Court Clerk's Office?
At the William D. Delahunt Courthouse, 650 High St., Dedham. It holds felony criminal cases and larger civil suits filed anywhere in Norfolk County.
Which District Court covers Quincy or Braintree?
East Norfolk District Court, held in Quincy, which also covers Braintree, Cohasset, Weymouth, Holbrook, Randolph, and Milton.
Who keeps Norfolk County probate and estate records?
The Norfolk Probate and Family Court in Canton, run by the elected Register of Probate. Records go back to the county's founding in 1793 and most are open to the public.
Do I need to be related to someone to see their Norfolk County probate file?
No. Most probate and estate records are public and can be requested by anyone at the Register of Probate's office in Canton, though some sensitive family-court filings can be sealed.
Sources
- Norfolk County Superior Court — Mass.gov location page — https://www.mass.gov/locations/norfolk-county-superior-court
- Norfolk Probate and Family Court — Mass.gov location page — https://www.mass.gov/locations/norfolk-probate-and-family-court
- MassCourts / eAccess Public Portal — https://www.masscourts.org/eservices/home.page
- Mass.gov — Massachusetts law about state courts — https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-state-courts
- Mass.gov — Search Court Dockets, Calendars and Case Information — https://www.mass.gov/search-court-dockets-calendars-and-case-information
- Massachusetts Appellate Courts Public Case Search — https://www.ma-appellatecourts.org/
- iCORI (DCJIS) — https://icori.chs.state.ma.us/
- Mass.gov — Request CORI as an individual — https://www.mass.gov/how-to/request-cori-as-an-individual
- General Laws, Chapter 6, Section 172 — Availability of criminal offender record information — https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section172
- General Laws, Chapter 276, Section 100A — Sealing of criminal records — https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleII/Chapter276/Section100A
- General Laws, Chapter 276, Section 100E — Expungement of criminal records — https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleII/Chapter276/Section100E
- General Laws, Chapter 262, Section 4B — Uniform Schedule of Fees — https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleVI/Chapter262/Section4B
- Mass.gov — Trial Court Uniform Schedule of Fees — https://www.mass.gov/info-details/uniform-schedule-of-fees
- United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts — https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/
See also: all Massachusetts counties.