Suffolk County
Suffolk County is located in eastern Massachusetts. It was founded in May 1643 as one of the state's initial three counties and named for Suffolk, England. The state's capital - Boston, is Suffolk's County seat. Suffolk County covers 58.3 square miles of land area and is populated by more than 790,000 residents.
Suffolk County's trial court system comprises 6 court types; municipal courts, juvenile courts, housing court, probate and family court, district court, and a superior court.
The municipal courts handle violations of local ordinances, landlord-tenant cases, abuse prevention, mental health cases, enforcement of money judgments, and cases involving appeals from administrative agency decisions. Juvenile courts hear cases involving child protection, juvenile delinquency, adoption, termination of parental rights, and guardianships.
Housing courts in the county handle cases arising from violations of building codes, and other regulations related to the safety, health, and welfare of occupants and owners of real property. The probate and family courts hear matters relating to abuse prevention, probate of wills, child support, paternity, adoption, and administration of estates and name changes.
District courts hear criminal cases including felonies punishable by up to five-year imprisonment. Civil cases heard by the district court include general civil claims for amounts of up to $25,000. The superior court is the apex court in the county as it typically handles cases beyond the jurisdiction of the lower courts. It generally hears criminal cases where offenses are punishable by more than five years imprisonment.
The clerk of court in the courthouses in Suffolk County maintains records of court proceedings in the county. You can use a public access terminal at any of the courthouses to search, view, and print non-confidential court records. By making a formal request to the office of the clerk, you may be able to obtain certified court records.
Furthermore, using the eAccess search resource provided by Massachusetts courts, the public can view case information for trial courts in Suffolk County.
