Hampden County Court Records

The proceedings of Hampden County courts such as the district, superior, probate and family, housing, and juvenile courts are stored, maintained, and archived into records that may be retrieved later. Court records can be used for legal research by students and reference for judicial reviews. They also inform the public about laws in the county. These records include:

• Court Transcripts
• Trial Proceedings
• Hearings
• Summonses
• Orders
• Dockets
• Affidavits
• Dispositions
• Decisions
• Published Court Opinions

Are Court Records Public in Hampden County?

Yes. According to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, court records are considered open to the general public. Hampden County gives the public the right to view records provided by government agencies except for records that are restricted by statutes or when access invades the privacy of another individual. Some court records are restricted from public access such as:

• Juvenile Delinquency Reports
• Grand Jury Minutes
• Domestic Violence Records
• Medical Records/Autopsy

Hampden County Court Records Search

Court clerks are the custodians of court records in Hampden County and the public may contact them to request these records. It is possible for anyone to view and/or request Hampden County court records:

• Online (public access terminals and remote access)
• By Mail
• By Electronic Mail
• By Phone
• Via Case Number
• By Name

Hampden County Court Records Search by Name

In Hampden County, only civil court records are searched by name. To search for these records, click on the Masscourt.org portal. On the name tab, complete the name field by first entering a last name, and then a first name. If a company is involved, enter the company’s name instead of the first and last names of a party.

Hampden County Courts

Hampden County courts include a superior court, five district courts, one housing court, one probate and family court, and three juvenile courts. The contact details are:

Hampden County Superior Court
Hampden County Hall of Justice
50 State Street
P.O. Box 559
Springfield, MA 01102
Phone: (413) 735-6016
Fax: (413) 737-1611

Chicopee District Court
30 Church Street
Chicopee, MA 01020
Phone: (413) 598-0099
Fax: (413) 594-6187

Holyoke District Court
20 Court Plaza
Holyoke, MA 01040
Phone: (413) 538-9710
Fax: (413) 533-7165

Palmer District Court
235 Sykes Street
Suite 3
Palmer, MA 01069
Phone: (413) 283-8916
Fax: (413) 283-6775

Springfield District Court
Hampden County Hall of Justice
50 State Street
P.O. Box 2421
Springfield, MA 01102
Phone: (413) 748-8600
Fax: (413) 747-4841 (Civil)
Fax: (413) 747-4842 (Criminal)

Westfield District Court
224 Elm Street
Westfield, MA 01085
Phone: (413) 568-8946
Fax: (413) 568-4863

Hampden Probate and Family Court
Hampden County Hall of Justice
50 State Street
P.O. Box 559
Springfield, MA 01102
Phone: (413) 748-7760
Fax: (413) 781-5605

Western Housing Court - Springfield Session
37 Elm Street
P.O. Box 559
Springfield, MA 01102
Phone: (413) 748-7838
Fax: (413) 732-4607

Holyoke Juvenile Court
121 Elm Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
Phone: (413) 322-6700

Palmer Juvenile Court
235 Sykes Street
Suite 3
Palmer, MA 01069
Phone: (413) 283-1057

Springfield Juvenile Court
80 State Street
Springfield, MA 01103
Phone: (413) 748-7860

Hampden County Superior Court

The Superior Court is the highest court of trial in Hampden County and hears both criminal and civil cases. The custody of record is vested with the superior court clerk. The superior court has expertise in the following cases:

• Administrative Civil Actions
• Actions involving the state/municipality
• Business Litigation
• Civil actions with incarcerated party
• Contract/Business Cases
• Equitable Remedies
• Miscellaneous Civil Actions
• All Felony Matters
• Medical Malpractice Tribunals
• Real Property
• Torts
• Family Law
• Probate Matters
• Civil Lawsuits involving an amount of $50,000 or more
• Workplace disputes where litigants seek injunctive relief
• Bail Petitions
• Criminal Complaints
• Indictments

The public can view courthouse locations on the website of the superior court. They can search for case information, view court dates, and oral arguments relating to cases decided in the superior court by visiting the office of the clerk of the superior court or:

• Log into the website of the superior court
• Click on search court dockets, case information, and calendars button
• Select access trial court dockets
• The Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access website will pop up
• Check the “I am not a robot” box
• Click search public records
• Then fill in the required fields
• View results

Alternatively, they can search by case number which is the easiest search option. All they need to do is click the case number search tab, complete the case number field, and click search.

Hampden County District Court

The district courts in Hampden County handle similar types of cases ranging from civil, criminal, mental health commitment, juvenile, and housing cases. There are specialty courts in Hampden county such as the Adult Drug Court, Family Treatment Court, Mental Health Court, and Emerging Adult Court of Hope (E.A.C.H). These courts help to reform individuals found guilty of crimes and to rehabilitate them before they are released into society. The types of cases heard in the county’s district courts are:

• Certain types of felonies
• Misdemeanors
• Violations of city and town ordinances
• Small Claims
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
• Contract Disputes
• Speeding Violations
• Juvenile Dependency
• Juvenile Delinquency
• Reckless Driving
• Driving under the influence (DUI)
• Driving without a valid license
• Civil Infractions

The office of the clerk of the district court is, by statute, the keeper of case records heard in the district courts. Attorneys, the public, and litigants are at liberty to request records of court proceedings from the district court clerk.

Hampden County Criminal Records

Criminal records are public and sourced from different departments in Hampden County. The Hampden County sheriff’s office houses a list of inmates and has on its record Hampden County arrest and conviction information for the county. The public can also view such records remotely by requesting criminal records online from the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS).

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has an iCORI portal where criminal history information can be viewed. You can obtain a copy of your own criminal history by contacting DCJIS as it manages the crime record system statewide including Hampden County. You can reach them at:

200 Arlington Street
Suite 2200
Chelsea, MA 02150
Phone: (617) 660-4600
Fax: (617) 660-4613

You may also contact the Primary Records Access Officer at (617) 660-4600 or by email at dcjis.rao@state.ma.us. Additionally, the Public Information Officer of the Hampden County Sheriff's Department can be reached at robert.rizzuto@SDH.state.ma.us or (413) 858-0022 to obtain records.

Hampden County Criminal Court Case Lookup

Criminal court records are proceedings generated from criminal cases held at courts of jurisdiction in the county. The public can inspect or copy such criminal records by sending written requests to the district or superior court clerk in charge of the criminal case. Alternatively, they can request these records in person at the respective courthouses. Criminal records can also be requested by email sent to Hampden.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us

Hampden County Civil Court Records

Civil court records are documentations of non-criminal cases usually involving compensation in the form of money for damages between the parties involved. Civil records are files containing the adjudication of the following cases:

• Bankruptcies
• Foreclosures
• Medical Malpractices
• Adoptions
• Child Support
• Breach of Warranty
• Small Claims
• Evictions
• Protective Orders

Historic civil court records can be accessed via court archives. The public can also conduct online searches for civil records when they visit district and superior courthouses. Public computers running the Massachusetts eAccess application are available in the courthouses.

Hampden County Family Court Records

Family court records are documentations such as motions, briefs, and final judgment that are produced during family law cases. They most involve domestic relations matters. These records include:

• Marriage Records
• Divorce Records
• Legal Custody
• Visitation Schedules for Child(ren)
• Adoptions
• Wills
• Juvenile Cases
• Child Support
• Dissolution of Domestic Partnership
• Protection Orders Against Domestic Violence

Family court records are generally available to the public. However, some family law documents are confidential such as those generated during ongoing, active cases involving the issuing of restraining orders for domestic violence. To obtain family court records, the public can find information about cases and dockets through the Hampden County Probate and Family Court Virtual Registry. The Virtual Registry is available from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m from Monday to Friday. If you have any enquiry about accessing the virtual registry call the Hampden Probate and Family Court at (413) 748-7760. In addition, the Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access website offers electronic access to records pertaining to those in the probate and family court. If you are an attorney, you can view the records in the probate and family court by following these steps.

Hampden County Dissolution of Marriage

In Hampden county, dissolution of marriage is the same as a divorce proceeding. One of the two parties involved can file for a divorce. When they fill out the necessary paperwork, a court summons will be mailed to their spouse. As part of the process, a separation agreement must be written and court hearings conducted to receive a judgment to complete the divorce. There are two types of divorce: 1A/no-fault divorce takes 120 days to become effective after judgement and 1b/fault divorce takes 90 days after judgement. The public can view historic divorce records depending on the location of the records. Divorcees and the public can access court divorce decrees by going directly to the probate and family courthouse at:

50 State Street
P.O. Box 559
Springfield, MA 01102
(413) 748-7760

Or its satellite office at:

Chicopee City Hall
274 Front Street
Chicopee, MA 01013

Hampden County Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriage records are documents issued by government agencies that establish the marital union between partners. Some information included on marriage records are the names of the spouses, witnesses, date and location of a marriage, and place of residence. Divorce records officially document the end of a marriage. Most marriage records can be viewed by both the public and the couple whose names are on the record. The general public can view marriage records at the office of the county clerk. Divorce records are kept by the clerk of probate and family court and can be obtained from the office of this clerk. The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS) office will only provide you with the docket number or probate court location of a divorce record. But if you do not know the docket number, you should fill and mail back an application of divorce inquiry. However, only the probate and family court in Hampden is able to provide the public with divorce dockets.

Marriage records can be obtained via the RVRS portal. To receive copies of divorce records, you need to complete a Request for copies form. Mail or bring the form to the courthouse with payment for the copies of the records. To view divorce records in Hampden County:

• Visit the Masscourt.org website
• Click the button “search public records”
• Pick the court department as “probate and family court”
• Select the court division and location
• Then search by case type or case number

Hampden County Birth and Death Records

Birth and death records are used to track mortality rates. Health professionals use them to epidemiological studies and monitor the progress of public health initiatives. The RVRS is the government organization responsible for managing and tracking vital statistics in Hampden County. There are no laws in Hampden County that restrict the public from viewing vital records. The RVRS keeps records from 1931 to the present. The office attends to requests for viewing death and birth records. You can request to see these records by visiting the office, by submitting a mail request, and online. The address is:

150 Mount Vernon Street
1st Floor, Dorchester
MA 02125

You can also request these vital records by mail sent to a city or town clerk in Hampden County. You will need to provide details such as the full names, birth date, and other useful information for a verified search. Note that the certificate fee costs $5.

To view these genealogical records you can visit on Mondays from 1:00 p:m - 4:00 p:m, you can also see other visiting/business hours. The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts also provides public access to birth and death records on its website. Adopted persons must place their orders for birth certificates in the state office that they were born in and not the one they were adopted in. If you are an adoptee, you will be required to fill a form entering your current legal name, your full name as it appears on the adoptive certificate (as filed on the court order), The full names of both adoptive parents (not your birth parents), the state, county, and city of your birth (you should use the state capital for the city if you do not have the name of the exact city).

Hampden County Probate Court Records

These are documentations of cases heard in the probate and family court in Hampden county. Probate court records are generated during the following matters brought before the county’s probate and family court:

• Issuing of Restraining Orders
• Establishment of Parenthood
• Separation
• Divorce
• Guardianship of Minors
• Distribution of Assets
• Adoptions
• Conservatorships
• Termination of Parental Rights
• Equity Petitions
• Estate Administration and Wills

The public can access official court records (hardcopies) of the probate and family court by visiting the register’s office at:

50 State Street
P.O. Box 559
Springfield, MA 01102
(413) 748-7760

The courthouse is open on Monday - Friday from 8:00 a:m - 4:00 p:m, while the satellite courthouse opens from 9:00 a:m - 5:00 p:m. You can request historic probate court records, not available online, from the judicial archivist for records by filling this form. If you do not know your docket number, you can search the court dockets for public case information. Furthermore, you can search for records of estate cases from 2009 till 2021 on Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access. If you can't find the record you are looking for, contact the probate and family court.

Hampden County Property Records

These are public records that establish the legality and ownership of properties located in the county. The Registry of Deeds maintains the county’s property records from 1636 till date. Hampden County residents can visit the Registry of Deeds in order to access the following property records:

• Plats
• Liens
• Deeds
• Court Judgments
• Mortgage Information
• Property Interests (including possessory and non-possessory interests)
• Ownership Details
• Tax Record

Members of the public can search for Hampden County deeds online. For records before 1948, requesters are required to know the book and page containing their records before conducting their search. Accessing property records requires that interested persons visit the Springfield office where they can view these records on the public computer terminals at:

436 Dwight Street
Room B042
Springfield, MA 01103 (Springfield State Office Building)
Phone: (413) 755-1722

OR

Westfield Satellite Office
Room 104
59 Court Street
Westfield, MA 01085 (Westfield City Hall)

Hampden County Court Records Online

Anyone can view the county’s court records by searching for them on the massachusettscourtrecords.us. The third-party resource provides access to felony, bankruptcy, small claims, and many other cases though the information provided may not be up-to-date. The public should be aware that although it is more convenient and often faster to view records on third-party websites, governmental websites usually host the most complete set of court records.