Hampden County
Hampden County is located in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. Approximately one-third of Hampden County lives in the City of Springfield, which is its county seat. Named after John Hampden, a U.S Parliamentarian, Hampden County was founded on August 1, 1812. It has a population of 465,825 inhabitants according to the 2020 decennial census and its land area measures 634 square miles.
Juvenile Courts, District Courts, Probate and Family Court, Superior Court, and Western Housing Court make up the court system in Hampden County. The county's Superior Court has exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving medical malpractices and original jurisdiction over first degree murder cases. Juvenile Courts ( Holyoke, Palmer, and Springfield) have vested authority over juvenile delinquency while the District Courts in Westfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, Palmer, and Springfield cities have jurisdiction over criminal, housing, juvenile, and civil cases.
The Probate and Family Court handles family matters (domestic relation and paternity), general equity, guardianship, conservatorship, and Probate of Wills cases. The Western Housing Court Springfield, serves several cities such as Montgomery, Granville, Springfield, Chester and many other cities. It focuses on legal matters involving eviction, discrimination, breach of contract, and small claims.
The Clerk of Hampden Superior Court holds access to court records in Hamilton County. The Clerk assists judges, attorneys, and the public by providing access to court records and case information. In addition, the Clerk oversees jury selection and ensures jurors are properly informed of their duties.
The following types of public court records are available to anyone in Hampden County:
- Civil records
- Criminal records
- Family law records
- Land records
- Probate records
You may access court records remotely on the Official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The website provides free access to case information when you search for them by case number, name (civil cases only), and case type. You can also request copies of these records from the site. In addition, you may use the Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access website when searching court records in Hampden County. For cases heard and filed in the Superior Court, use the Hampden County Superior Court website or email the Superior Court Clerk at Hampden.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us.
To obtain copies of case files in Hampden County, visit the Office of the Clerk in the courthouse where such cases were filed or use the public computer terminals available at the location.
