Norfolk County Clerk Offices and Records

How Norfolk County Clerk Duties Are Split

Massachusetts organizes its Trial Court system into seven departments, each with its own clerk function. There is no single county clerk who handles all records the way some other states do. For Norfolk County users, the practical result is that you must first identify which department handled your case. A divorce is a Probate and Family Court matter. A felony or major civil lawsuit is a Superior Court matter. A misdemeanor, restraining order, small claim, or traffic ticket is a District Court matter. A juvenile case is a Juvenile Court matter. Land records are not a court matter at all; those live at the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds.

The split also means that fees, hours, contact numbers, and request methods vary by office. What works for a Superior Court copy request will not apply when you need a probate filing from Canton or a District Court docket from Quincy. Each office has its own rules, and the right person to call depends entirely on where the case was filed.

One rule applies across all departments: Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access (MassCourts) lets you look up case information online for free. But MassCourts is not a certified-copy system. If you need an official paper record, a certified judgment, a divorce decree, or a probate document for legal use, you must contact the clerk, register, or recorder at the court where the case was filed. The online portal does not replace that step.

The Massachusetts Court Service Centers offer free help navigating court forms and procedures. They provide legal information, not legal advice, and staff are not attorneys. They can still save time for someone who is not sure which court or form to use.

Court Service Centers operate both in-person at courthouses and virtually, which matters for Norfolk residents who cannot easily reach Dedham or Canton on a weekday morning.

Norfolk County Clerk Office Directory

The table below covers each clerk and register serving Norfolk County courts, based on official Massachusetts court location pages. This is the complete set of clerk offices for the county's Trial Court departments. Each row is a separate office with its own staff, jurisdiction, and contact information.

Note: Juvenile court records are restricted by statute under M.G.L. c.119, §60A. Contact the Juvenile Court Clerk-Magistrate only for case-specific guidance; most delinquency records are not open to the public.

Superior Court Clerk of Courts

The Norfolk County Superior Court Clerk of Courts is the central office for felony criminal cases, major civil actions, and equitable matters that span the whole county. Walter F. Timilty serves as Clerk of Courts. The office is located at 650 High Street in Dedham, inside the William D. Delahunt Courthouse. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The criminal clerk's fax is 781-320-9726, and the civil clerk's fax is 781-326-3871.

The Superior Court Clerk's Office files pleadings, issues summons and process, maintains the official criminal and civil dockets, collects filing fees, and produces certified copies of court records. Any case that reaches the Superior Court on indictment or transfer from a lower court will have its official record here. A person who was indicted before the Norfolk County grand jury, or whose civil case was transferred to Superior Court, should direct copy requests to this office.

Public parking is available in the paid lot behind the Registry of Deeds near the courthouse. Mass.gov marks the location as transit-friendly. The Superior Court campus also includes a separate jury pool address at 649 High Street, and the Superior Court Probation office is also at 649 High Street, phone 781-326-5190. ADA assistance at the Superior Court is available through coordinator Mary Hickey at 781-326-1600 extension 354 or mary.hickey@jud.state.ma.us.

The official Mass.gov page for the Norfolk County Superior Court lists current hours, parking details, ADA contacts, and staff. Check that page before visiting to confirm no schedule changes.

eFiling is available for some Massachusetts court departments and case types. The Probate and Family Court eFiling guide covers how to file probate and family matters electronically, which can reduce the need for in-person trips to Canton.

District Court Clerk-Magistrates in Norfolk County

Each of the five Norfolk District Court divisions has its own Clerk-Magistrate. The Clerk-Magistrate in a District Court handles misdemeanor and felony arraignments, clerk-magistrate hearings on criminal complaints, small claims filings, civil actions under the District Court's jurisdiction, traffic and non-criminal citation records, restraining order filings, and the daily docket management for that location. Because each division has its own Clerk-Magistrate, the right contact depends on which city or town the case arose in.

• Dedham District Court serves Dedham, Dover, Medfield, Needham, Norwood, Wellesley, and Westwood. Clerk-Magistrate: Salvatore Paterna, 781-329-4777.
• Brookline District Court serves the Town of Brookline. Clerk-Magistrate: Edward F. Savage, 617-232-4660.
• Quincy District Court serves Braintree, Cohasset, Holbrook, Milton, Quincy, Randolph, and Weymouth. Clerk-Magistrate: Arthur H. Tobin, 617-471-1650. This location also runs an Adult Drug Court and a Mental Health Court.
• Stoughton District Court serves Avon, Canton, Sharon, and Stoughton. Acting Clerk-Magistrate: Monica S. Collins, 781-344-2131.
• Wrentham District Court serves Foxborough, Franklin, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Plainville, Walpole, and Wrentham. Phone: 508-384-3106.

For more detail on each District Court division, its address, service area, and specialty court sessions, see the District Court page. The Dedham District Court also hosts a Veterans Treatment Court, which coordinates with court supervision and treatment services for eligible veterans with criminal cases.

Traffic citations are handled by the District Court division serving the city or town where the stop occurred. If you are not sure which division that is, check the ticket itself for the court name and location, or search MassCourts by ticket number after selecting the correct division.

Probate and Family Court Register

The Norfolk Probate and Family Court Register's Office is in Canton, not Dedham. Register Colleen Brierley leads the office. The Register handles official copies of all Probate and Family Court records: divorce decrees, estate probate files, wills, guardianship orders, conservatorship records, name changes, and trust matters filed in Norfolk County. Divorce filings in particular are a common reason people contact this office, since MassCourts can show the docket but will not produce a certified divorce decree.

The Register's Office also offers a Virtual Registry, open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Zoom Meeting ID is 1617846497 and the call-in number is 1-646-828-7666. Staff answer questions about filings, forms, case status, and procedures during those hours. This is useful for anyone who cannot travel to Canton during business hours.

Free parking is available in front of and behind the building. Public transit is limited; the Providence and Stoughton commuter rail line stops about 1.5 miles from the courthouse. For probate records including estate filings, wills, and guardianship orders, the Register's Office is the place to request official copies.

How to Request a Certified Copy

Certified copies carry the clerk's or register's official stamp and signature. Courts, agencies, and attorneys often require certified copies for legal proceedings, insurance claims, estate administration, immigration matters, and financial transactions. An uncertified printout from MassCourts does not serve the same purpose. The steps below apply generally across Norfolk County court departments, though each office may have its own forms and payment methods.

1. Identify the court department and location where the case was filed. Use the table above or search MassCourts to find the docket number and confirm the filing court.
2. Contact the clerk, register, or recorder at that office to ask about its specific request form and accepted payment methods. Some offices have downloadable request forms; others require a written letter or in-person request.
3. Prepare your request with the case number or docket number, party names, case type, the specific document you want (for example: certified divorce decree, judgment, or docket summary), and the number of copies needed.
4. Submit the request with the applicable fee. Accepted payment types vary by office; confirm before mailing a check. Some offices accept in-person cash, money order, or check. Mail or bring the request to the correct office.
5. Allow processing time. Mailed requests take longer than in-person pickup. If the record is old or archived, ask the clerk about retrieval time before assuming same-day service.
6. Pick up in person or wait for mail delivery. Confirm the mailing address with the office if you want the copy sent to you.

For court filing fees and general payment information, the official Massachusetts court filing fees and payment page provides department-specific fee guidance. Copy fees are separate from filing fees and vary by document type and department.

Records Request Form Fields

When you write to or email a clerk's office for court records, include enough detail that staff can find the file without guessing. Missing information is the most common reason requests are delayed or returned. The fields below reflect what Massachusetts clerk offices typically need to process a records request. Some offices use a standard form; others accept a written letter if it covers the same ground.

If you are requesting a record that may be sealed, impounded, or otherwise restricted, note that the clerk cannot release it without a court order. Sealed criminal records, adoption files, and juvenile records have statutory restrictions. Sending a request does not guarantee access.

Norfolk County Clerk Fees

Massachusetts court fees are set by the Trial Court and differ by department and document type. The figures below come from official Mass.gov sources and the Norfolk Registry of Deeds fee schedule. Always confirm current fees with the specific office before submitting payment, since fee schedules can change.

Land records fees from the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds are separate from Trial Court fees. The Registry is not a court clerk; it handles deeds, mortgages, and recorded instruments, not case records. If you need a land document rather than a court record, the Registry on High Street in Dedham is the right office.

Note: Filing fees for probate estate administration can run several hundred dollars depending on the estate size and case type. Confirm the current Probate and Family Court fee schedule through the Register's Office before filing.

MassCourts Online Access and Its Limits

The Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access portal is free and available to the public. It lets you look up party names, case events, docket entries, and disposition details for Superior, District, Probate and Family, Housing, Land, and Boston Municipal Court cases. For Norfolk County, you can search by selecting the court department, then the Norfolk division or location, then using the Name, Case Number, Case Type, or Ticket/Citation Number tab. Case-number searches require exact formatting, including capital letters, spacing, and leading zeros.

The portal has real limits. The Name tab works for civil cases only, not criminal cases. Criminal case searches are best done by case number. Records that are sealed, expunged, impounded, or under juvenile confidentiality rules will not appear in public results. If a search returns nothing, that does not always mean the record does not exist; it may be filed under a different department, or access may be restricted.

Remote access through MassCourts is also narrower than in-person access at the courthouse. Under the Trial Court's Uniform Rules on Public Access to Court Records Rule 5, some information that can be viewed in person at the clerk's office may not be accessible through the online portal. If MassCourts does not show what you need, an in-person visit to the relevant clerk's office is the next step.

Public-access terminals are also available at designated computers inside District, Probate and Family, Superior, Housing, and Land Court locations and County Registry of Deeds sites. Those terminals may offer the same portal access in a courthouse setting.

The official state guide to the MassCourts docket search covers the tabs, field instructions, and result behavior in detail. If a search goes wrong, that guide is the best troubleshooting reference.

Juvenile Court sessions for Norfolk County are held at multiple locations, including Quincy and Stoughton, in addition to the main Dedham Juvenile Court. The Quincy and Stoughton Juvenile Court locations page gives session details for those divisions.

Registry of Deeds and City/Town Clerks

Land records for Norfolk County are not part of the Trial Court system. They are held by the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, located at 649 High Street in Dedham, near the Superior Court campus. The Registry handles deeds, mortgages, discharge documents, homestead declarations, plans, and registered land instruments. If you need a copy of a deed, a mortgage discharge, or a recorded real-estate document, contact the Registry, not the court clerk.

The Registry offers both in-person and online research. Its online research guide and application form are available on the Registry's website. Printing official (non-watermarked) images costs $1 per page through the online system. Mail copies cost $1 per page plus $1 postage per document. The Registry is a separate government office with its own fee schedule, hours, and staff.

Marriage licenses are handled by Massachusetts city and town clerks, not by a Norfolk County clerk or court. If you need a certified marriage certificate, contact the city or town clerk in the municipality where the marriage license was issued. There is no county office for this. Divorce records, by contrast, are court records held by the Norfolk Probate and Family Court Register in Canton.

Legal Help for Norfolk County Court Users

Getting a record from a clerk's office is not always straightforward, especially when a case involves sealed files, impoundment, juvenile records, or complex probate materials. Several free and low-cost resources serve Norfolk County residents who need help with court matters.

The Massachusetts legal assistance page links to Court Service Centers, Volunteer Lawyers at your Court, the Civil Appeals Clinic, and limited assistance representation programs. Limited Assistance Representation (LAR) lets a client and attorney agree on which parts of a case the client handles and which parts the attorney handles, which can make legal help more affordable.

The Mass.gov legal assistance page connects Norfolk County residents with both state-level programs and referrals to local legal help, including the resources below.

The Mass.gov finding-a-lawyer guide references the Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder and the Norfolk County Bar Association as starting points for lawyer referrals. Not every court matter requires a full-service attorney, but for record sealing, probate disputes, juvenile court access, or any case involving incarceration, professional legal advice can prevent costly mistakes.

The finding-a-lawyer guide covers both paid referrals and free legal help options, which is useful for Norfolk County residents who are not sure whether they need an attorney for a records request or a court appearance.

For indigent defendants in criminal cases, Massachusetts uses the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) rather than a county public defender office. CPCS coordinates salaried public counsel, bar advocates, and assigned attorneys. Ask the court about appointed counsel at arraignment or when first required to respond in a criminal matter.

CPCS covers criminal defense for qualifying individuals and also has divisions for youth advocacy, mental health litigation, and appellate matters. Contact the court directly to initiate the appointment process.

For civil legal problems, Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) helps low-income families and individuals with housing, family, consumer, and reentry matters. GBLS phone intake is available at 617-371-1234, Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with walk-in hours Monday and Thursday from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. Staff speak multiple languages and use interpreters for others.

Note: If you have an attorney on a case, Court Service Centers cannot assist you with that specific case. Reach out to your attorney instead.

Related Norfolk County Records

The clerk offices described above handle specific case types. For a broader view of what records exist and how to find them, these pages cover the full picture for Norfolk County.

• Court records covers the MassCourts portal in detail, record types, and what is restricted.
• Court dockets explains how docket entries work and how to read a Norfolk County case docket.
• Probate Records covers estate filings, wills, guardianship, and how to use the Norfolk Probate and Family Court Register.
• District Court profiles all five Norfolk District Court divisions with addresses, service areas, and specialty court sessions.
• Public records covers Massachusetts public-records law and how to request records from government agencies beyond the courts.

Marriage records and vital certificates are issued by city and town clerks throughout Norfolk County. Divorce records are a Probate and Family Court matter. Land records are at the Registry of Deeds. Each record type has a different office and a different process.