Essex County
Bordered to the east by the Atlantic Ocean and New Hampshire to the North, Essex County is located in the northeastern part of the State of Massachusetts. The county was named for the English county of England and was founded in 1643. The Essex County seat is Salem. The county's estimated population is 809,000 according to the 2020 Decennial Census.
The Essex County court structure comprises superior courts, district courts, probate and family courts, housing courts, and juvenile courts.
The juvenile courts handle cases of child protection, juvenile delinquency, select criminal cases relating to minors, adoption, and parental rights or guardianship termination decisions. Housing courts in the county have limited jurisdiction mostly related to the health and safety of residences, real property, and goods and services connected to real property.
Essex County probate and family courts also are limited in their jurisdiction. Their jurisdiction is restricted to certain cases, such as domestic relations, probate matters, adoption, abuse prevention, and guardianship. The district courts in Essex County suffer from a more limited jurisdiction regarding criminal and civil cases. Criminal cases may be felonies that result in imprisonment for as many as five years, certain other felonies, preliminary hearings covering each of the felonies, most misdemeanors, and traffic offenses. Civil cases include claims under $25,000 and landlord-tenant disputes with no monetary limit.
The Essex County superior courts maintain jurisdiction that covers criminal and civil cases, but specifically when cases are outside the scope of different court systems. They primarily deal with serious felonies that carry potential sentences of more than five years. They also handle equitable relief, real estate disputes, claims against the State, and certain cases brought by the State. The Superior Court's jurisdiction overlaps with other courts on some criminal, real estate, and abuse prevention cases.
In Essex County, court records are primarily maintained by the clerk's offices of the various courts. To access court records, you may contact the clerk's office where the case was heard. Alternatively, you may search court records online through the Massachusetts Trial Court Electronic Case Access system.
