Criminal Records
The Bristol County Sheriff's Office serves as the county's main law enforcement agency and the primary custodian of records and reports pertaining to criminal activity within county limits. However, requests for criminal records are processed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Services, which is the state central repository of criminal history information.
How to Get Criminal Records
The Massachusetts iCori Service provides access to name-based, statewide criminal offender record information. To access Bristol County criminal records using the service, interested persons are required to register for an individual or organization account on the platform, which will require sufficient information regarding the requestor's relationship with the subject of the record, as well as a valid email address.
Subsequent to registration, requestors may retrieve their assigned login information with which a name-based record search can be conducted on the portal. The requesting party will be required to provide the subject's full name, date of birth, gender, and social security number in order to ensure accuracy. Requestors will also be required to make a credit card payment in order to cover the fees applicable to the search conducted.
Fingerprint-based criminal record information can be obtained from the Massachusetts Statewide Applicant Fingerprint Identification Services (SAFIS). The records available through this service include statewide arrest records, as well as confidential criminal history information, which may not be accessible via name-based searches. In compliance with state laws, access to the service is restricted to users authorized by the state Department of Criminal Justice Information Services.
How to Find Sex Offender Information
The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board is tasked with maintaining and publishing public information regarding all registered sex offenders resident in Bristol and other Massachusetts counties. Interested persons may retrieve sex offender related information by searching the SORB public website. Offenders may be searched by first or last name, registration status, zip code, city, specific street names or by their proximity to specific address radius. Alternatively, information regarding sex offenders may be obtained by querying the Bristol County Sheriffs Office at (508) 995-6400 or by contacting the Registry Board at (978) 740-6400
Where and How to get Inmate and Jail Information
The Bristol County Sheriff's Office is charged with overseeing the affairs of the Bristol County House of Correction, which houses all persons incarcerated within county limits. All inmate and jail information is disseminated by the Jail Division of the Sheriff's office. Interested persons may query the division for information regarding inmate welfare, primary charges, visiting schedules and mail or phone contact. This information may also be obtained from the Jail Information Page of the Sheriff's website which also features downloadable Visitation Request Forms
Bristol County Court Records
Where and How to Get Court Records
The Bristol County Superior Court serves all residents of the county and its encompassing cities. The court hears and retains records of all court cases filed within county limits and the office of the Clerk of Court processes requests for copies of non-confidential records.
Interested persons may obtain copies of Bristol County Court Records by querying the Clerk's Office via mail or in person. The requesting party will be required to provide information regarding the court record of interest, including the name of the plaintiff, defendant and/or litigant, the case file number of the record as well as the date on which the record was filed. Record requests may be made to:
Office of the Clerk of Courts
Bristol County Superior Court
9 Court St.,
Taunton, MA 02780
(508) 823-6588
Location of all Courts in the County
Listed below are the addresses and contact information of all the courthouses in Bristol County, Massachusetts:
Bristol County Superior Court - Fall River
186 South Main Street,
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 491-3300
Bristol County Superior Court - New Bedford
441 County Street,
1st Floor,
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 996-2051
Bristol County Superior Court - Taunton
9 Court Street,
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 823-6588
Attleboro District Court
88 North Main Street,
Attleboro, MA 02703
Phone: (508) 222-5900
Fall River District Court
186 South Main Street,
5th floor,
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 491-3200
Fax: (508) 491-3492 (Civil)
Fax: (508) 646-3596 (Criminal)
New Bedford District Court
75 North 6th Street,
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 999-9700
Fax: (508) 990-8094 (Civil/Criminal)
Fax: (508) 990-9332 (Small Claims)
Taunton District Court
40 Broadway,
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 977-6000
Fax: (508) 824-2282
Bristol Probate and Family Court - Taunton
40 Broadway,
Suite 240,
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 977-6040
Fall River Probate and Family Court
289 Rock Street,
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 672-1751
Fax: (508) 673-7068
New Bedford Probate and Family Court
505 Pleasant Street,
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 999-5249
Fax: (508) 999-1211
Southeast Housing Court - Fall River Session
289 Rock Street,
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 677-1505
Fax: (508) 672-9621
Southeast Housing Court - New Bedford Session
139 Hathaway Road,
New Bedford, MA 02746
Phone: (508) 994-0156
Fax: (508) 994-7538
Southeast Housing Court - Taunton Session
40 Broadway,
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 977-4950
Fax: (508) 977-0485
Attleboro Juvenile Court
88 North Main Street,
Attleboro, MA 02703
Phone: (508) 222-5350
Fall River Juvenile Court
289 Rock Street,
4th Floor,
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 676-0090
New Bedford Juvenile Court
75 North 6th Street,
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 999-9700
Taunton Juvenile Court
40 Broadway,
Suite 1521,
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 977-4910
Where and How to Get Property Records
The Bristol County Registry of Deeds records and maintains documents pertaining to land and real property ownership in Bristol. County residents may obtain copies of deeds, liens, land records and related documents by querying the Registry via mail or in person. Requestors will be required to provide information regarding the property including the grantor/grantee name, the document/recording/page number, the address of the property and the date of the recording.
All requests for property records may be made to:
Northern Bristol County
Registry of Deeds
11 Court Street
Taunton, MA 02780
(508) 822-0502
registry@tauntondeeds.com
landcourt@tauntondeeds.com
Vital Records
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health administers and issues records of vital events that occurred within state limits, including Bristol County. Interested persons may access birth records, death records, marriage nd divorce records by querying the Department. At the county level, divorce records may be obtained from the Register of Bristol Probate and Family Court. However, no other vital records can be accessed locally, thus all requests may be directed to the state department.
Where and How to get Divorce Records
The Bristol Probate and Family Court hears divorce cases and maintains records of divorces granted within county limits. Interested persons may request copies of divorce records by querying the office of the Register of Bristol Probate and Family Court in person or via mail. The requesting party will be required to provide information regarding the divorce such as the names of the spouses, the date and place of the divorce as well as the case file number of the record.
Record requests may be directed to:
Bristol Probate and Family Court - Taunton
40 Broadway,
Suite 240,
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 977-6040
Where and How to get Marriage Records, Birth Records and Death Records
All records of vital events that occurred in Bristol County can be obtained from the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics of the Massachusetts Department of Health. To obtain any record, the requesting party will be required to provide the name of the subject of the record, the date and the place of the event as well as a government-issued ID. Requestors will also be charged a fee of $32 for mail requests and $20 for in-person requests.
In-person requests can be made at the registry counter from Mondays through Fridays at 8:45 a.m.–4:45 p.m. To make mail-in requests, the requesting party is required to complete an Application for Vital Record, which should be notarized and sent along with a stamped, self-addressed, business-letter-sized envelope, proof of identification and the indicated fees to:
Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Department of Public Health
150 Mount Vernon Street, 1st Floor
Dorchester, MA 02125-3105
(617) 740-2600
In addition to government agencies, county public records may also be obtained from third-party websites. These non-government platforms come with intuitive tools that allow for expansive searches. Record seekers may either opt to use these tools to search for a specific record or multiple records. Users are able to search third-party websites remotely for multiple records at a time with just the name of the record subject and their last known location, including the city, county, or state. Third-party sites are not sponsored by government agencies. Because of this, record availability and results may vary.
