Bristol County Court Records
Per Uniform Rules on Public Access to Court Records Rule 1, a court record refers to all or any portion of court documents, dockets, papers, orders, recordings, exhibits, and other records created or filed with the Clerk concerning a case or proceeding. The custodian of court records in Bristol County, Massachusetts, is the Clerk of the Trial Courts. The Clerk's Office maintains these records in compliance with the Massachusetts Rules of Court and manages the dissemination of all Bristol County Public Records, including court records, in its possession.
Are Court Records Public in Bristol County?
Yes. The Massachusetts Public Records Law allows dissemination of court records to the public unless exempted by law. Therefore, anyone can inspect or obtain copies of court records from any court in Bristol County. However, some court records are exempt from public disclosure in Bristol County. Confidential court records include juvenile, mental health, adoption, and attorney-client privilege records. Additionally, court records about ongoing investigations or prosecutions relating to rape, domestic violence, and sexual assault are not public.
What Do Bristol County Court Records Contain?
A typical Bristol County court record contains the following information:
- Case information (case type, number, status, file date, DCM track, initiating action, name of case judge, status date, and subsequent event)
- Party information (party/company name, party type, an alias)
- Party attorney (attorney's name, bar code, address, and phone number)
- Event (date, session, location, type, event judge, and result)
- Ticklers (tickler, start date, due date, days due, and completed date)
- Docket information (docket date, text, file reference number, and image)
- Disposition (disposition, date, and case judge)
Where to Conduct a Bristol County Case Lookup
Individuals can conduct a court case lookup through the following record custodians:
- Bristol County District Courts (Attleboro District Court, Fall River District Court, New Bedford District Court, and Taunton District Court)
- Bristol County Housing Courts (Southeast Housing Court - Fall River Session, Southeast Housing Court - New Bedford Session, and Southeast Housing Court - Taunton Session)
- Bristol County Juvenile Courts (Fall River Juvenile Court, Attleboro Juvenile Court, New Bedford Juvenile Court, and Taunton Juvenile Court)
- Bristol County Probate and Family Courts (Fall River Probate and Family Court, New Bedford Probate and Family Court, and Bristol Probate and Family Court)
- Bristol County Superior Court
- Bristol County Superior Court-New Bedford
- Bristol County Superior Court-Fall River
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC)
- Massachusetts Appeals Court
How to Conduct a Bristol County Case Records Search
Bristol County case records can be ordered online through the Massachusetts Trial Court Electronic Case Access portal. The search parameters include name, case type, case number, or ticket/citation #. Alternatively, individuals can use the public access terminals in the courthouses to retrieve scanned or efiled documents for certain case types. Most courthouses are open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. In-person requesters must provide a case party name or case number to facilitate the search.
Bristol County Civil Court Case Records
A civil case record is a document that contains information on non-criminal cases concerning the claim of one private individual or entity against another private individual or entity. All civil cases are handled in compliance with the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure. Civil case records can be retrieved online or in person through the public terminal computers available at the courthouses. In-person requesters can access the following civil case types at the Bristol County Superior courts:
- Torts
- Legacy SDP
- Real property
- Business Litigation
- Equitable remedies
- Contract/business cases
- Miscellaneous civil actions
- Administrative civil actions
- Civil actions with incarcerated party
- Actions involving the state/municipality
Bristol County Criminal Court Case Records
A criminal court case record is a legal document that reveals a lawsuit or prosecution brought by the Commonwealth against a person/entity when criminal law is violated. All criminal cases in Bristol County are handled in compliance with the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure. Criminal case records can be retrieved online or in person through the public terminal computers available at the courthouses. In-person requesters can access the following criminal case types at the Bristol County Superior courts:
- Bail petitions
- Criminal complaints
- Indictments
- Probation transfers
How to Get Court Records Online for Free
Per Uniform Rules on Public Access to Court Records Rule 5, public civil and criminal case information is remotely accessible to the public. Here is how to get Bristol County court records online:
- Go to the Massachusetts Trial Court Electronic Case Access home page.
- Read the important notice about eAccess and Check the I'm not a Robot Box
- Click the button to search public records
- In the Court Department box, select a court department.
- In the Court Division box, select Bristol County
- The computer will automatically fill the Court Location box
- After completing the Court fields, the search tabs appear. Each tab offers different search options.
- Conduct a search by name, case type, case number, or ticket/citation #
- Click the search button to find court records information
Courts in Bristol County
Below are the addresses of all the courts in Bristol County:
Attleboro District Court
88 North Main Street
Attleboro, MA 02703
Phone: (508) 222-5900
Email: cmattleborodc@jud.state.ma.us
Fall River District Court
186 S. Main St., 5th Floor
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 491-3200
Email: cmfallriverdc@jud.state.ma.us
Bedford District Court
75 N. Sixth Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 999-9700
Fax: (508) 990-8094, (508) 990-9332
Email: cmnewbedforddc@jud.state.ma.us
Taunton District Court
40 broadway
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 977-6000
Email: cmtauntondc@jud.state.ma.us
Fax: (508) 824-2282, (508) 823-1103
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
Fall River Juvenile Court
289 Rock St., 4th Floor,
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 676-0090
Email: bristol-jccallctr@jud.state.ma.us
Attleboro Juvenile Court
88 North Main Street
Attleboro, MA 02703
Phone: (508) 222-5350, (508) 222-8761
Email: bristol-jccallctr@jud.state.ma.us
New Bedford Juvenile Court
75 N. Sixth Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 999-9700
Email: bristol-jccallctr@jud.state.ma.us
Taunton Juvenile Court
40 Broadway, Suite 1521
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 977-4910
Email: bristol-jccallctr@jud.state.ma.us
Fall River Probate and Family Court
289 Rock Street
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 672-1751
Fax: (508) 673-7068
Email: bristolprobate@jud.state.ma.us
New Bedford Probate and Family Court
505 Pleasant Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 999-5249
Fax: (508) 999-1211
Email: bristolprobate@jud.state.ma.us
Bristol Probate and Family Court
40 Broadway, Suite 240
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 977-6040
Fax: (508) 977-6088
Email: bristolprobate@jud.state.ma.us
Bristol County Superior Court
9 Court Street
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 823-6588
Fax: (508) 821-9563
Email: Bristol.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us
Bristol County Superior Court-New Bedford
441 County St., 1st Floor
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 996-2051
Email: Bristol.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us
Bristol County Superior Court-Fall River
186 S. Main Street
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 491-3300
Fax: (508) 821-9563
Email: Bristol.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us
