Find Background Check Records in Suffolk County

Suffolk County is home to Boston and is the most densely populated county in Massachusetts. A background check in Suffolk County involves a unique court structure found nowhere else in the state: the Boston Municipal Court system, which operates eight divisions across the city. On top of that, Suffolk County has its own Superior Court, a District Court in Chelsea, and the full CORI system managed by the state. This page covers where to find background check records in Suffolk County and how to access them.

Suffolk County Sheriff's Office

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office is located at 20 Bradston Street, Boston, MA 02118. The main phone number is (617) 635-1000. You can also reach the office by email at info@scsdma.org. The Sheriff operates two main custody facilities: the Nashua Street Jail and the South Bay House of Correction, both in Boston. These facilities house people who are awaiting trial or serving shorter sentences after conviction in Suffolk County.

The Sheriff's Records Department handles requests tied to custody history and civil process in Suffolk County. The office also operates a Custody Assessment Division, a Field Supervision Unit, and a Records Department that can be relevant when you are looking into background check data for someone who has had contact with the Suffolk County corrections system. Civil process records, which log the service of legal papers across the county, are also kept by the Sheriff's Office and can be part of a broader background check search in Suffolk County.

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department website is the main public portal for department news and resources. The screenshot below shows the department's site.

A second view of the Suffolk Sheriff's site is shown here, captured from www.scsdma.org, which is an alternate URL for the same department.

For records requests or questions about a specific facility, call the main line and ask to be directed to the Records Department.

Suffolk County Superior Court Background Check

The Suffolk County Superior Court sits at 3 Pemberton Square, Boston, MA 02108. This court handles felony criminal cases and civil matters over $50,000 in Suffolk County. It is one of the most active Superior Courts in Massachusetts. The Criminal Clerk can be reached at (617) 788-8160 and the Civil Clerk at (617) 788-8175. Probation records from Superior Court are available through (617) 788-7255. For a background check in Suffolk County that involves felony charges or major civil judgments, this is the primary court source.

Superior Court records in Suffolk County are searchable through the Massachusetts Trial Court's free online portal at masscourts.org. You can search by name or docket number. The portal shows case type, charges, court, and current status. For certified copies of case documents, you must contact the clerk's office directly. Walk-in access is available during business hours at 3 Pemberton Square. Mail requests are accepted with the proper fee included.

The page below is the official state listing for the Suffolk County Superior Court, sourced from mass.gov.

Most criminal cases in Suffolk County that reach Superior Court involve serious charges. If you are looking into a felony background check, this is where to start after running a statewide CORI search.

Boston Municipal Court Background Check Records

The Boston Municipal Court (BMC) is a court department found only in Suffolk County. It handles misdemeanor criminal cases, some civil matters, and arraignments across eight divisions in Boston. BMC headquarters is at 24 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA 02114, phone (617) 788-8400. The eight divisions are: Central, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Roxbury, South Boston, and West Roxbury. Each division covers a specific neighborhood and keeps its own docket of cases, which are part of any thorough background check search in Suffolk County.

BMC records are available through the state's Trial Court online system at masscourts.org. You can search across all eight BMC divisions from that one portal. BMC handles the bulk of misdemeanor criminal cases in Boston. Because of this, BMC records are often the most relevant source when running a background check in Suffolk County for someone who has lived in or around Boston. More information on the BMC is available at the Boston Municipal Court department page.

The BMC's eight-division structure means a background check in Suffolk County may involve records from more than one division. If someone lived in South Boston before moving to Roxbury, for instance, cases from both neighborhoods would be in different BMC divisions. The state portal searches all divisions at once, which makes it more efficient than going division by division.

Chelsea District Court

Chelsea District Court serves the city of Chelsea, which falls within Suffolk County. The court is at 120 Broadway, Chelsea, MA 02150, phone (617) 660-9200. Chelsea District Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases and civil matters for the Chelsea area. Background check records for people with cases in Chelsea come from this court, not from the BMC. When running a background check for someone who lived in Chelsea, this is the district court to search.

Chelsea District Court records are also available through masscourts.org. You can search by name or case number. For older records not yet digitized, contact the clerk's office directly. Chelsea is notable for being in Suffolk County while being served by a district court rather than the BMC. Keep this in mind when you review background check results for Suffolk County, as Chelsea cases will show a different court than Boston cases.

How to Request a Background Check in Suffolk County

The fastest way to get a background check in Suffolk County is through the Massachusetts CORI system. CORI, which stands for Criminal Offender Record Information, pulls from all Massachusetts courts at once. It is managed by the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) at 200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea, MA 02150. The DCJIS phone is (617) 660-4600 and the CORI unit is at (617) 660-4640, available Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.

To request your own CORI online, visit the personal CORI request page or go directly to the iCORI portal. You need a valid Massachusetts driver's license or state ID. The fee is $25 and results come back right away. If you do not have a Massachusetts ID, download the paper form, have it notarized, and mail it with a $25 money order to DCJIS. Allow two to three weeks for a mail request. Under M.G.L. c. 6, § 172, access to CORI beyond personal requests is regulated and requires registration with DCJIS.

For court records directly from Suffolk County courts, go in person to the clerk's office at the relevant court. Bring the full name and, if possible, a case number or approximate year of the case. Basic case lookups are free at the public terminals. Certified copies cost a per-page fee set by the clerk. Written requests by mail are accepted but take longer. Call the specific court before mailing to confirm current fees and the mailing address for record requests.

Under M.G.L. c. 276, § 100A, records that have been sealed will not appear in most background check results. If you expect a record to appear but it does not, it may have been sealed. M.G.L. c. 66, § 10 gives the public the right to inspect open court records. Most criminal case records in Suffolk County are public unless they have been sealed or involve certain juvenile matters.

Suffolk County Court Records Access

Court records in Suffolk County are among the most accessible in Massachusetts simply because of the volume of courts and the digitization efforts tied to the Boston area. The state Trial Court portal at masscourts.org covers all seven trial court departments, including the BMC divisions unique to Suffolk County. A single name search can pull results from Superior Court, all eight BMC divisions, and Chelsea District Court at the same time.

For older or paper-only records, you must contact the clerk at the specific court. Each court maintains its own archive for cases that predate the electronic system. The Suffolk County Superior Court clerk's office at 3 Pemberton Square is the primary contact for Superior Court archives. For BMC archives, contact BMC headquarters at 24 New Chardon Street. Allow extra time for archived record requests.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, located at 1 Bulfinch Place, Boston, MA 02114, also handles some public records requests. The DA's office public records contact is SCDAOPRR@state.ma.us and the phone is (617) 619-4000. For background check purposes, the DA's office is useful if you need case disposition information or related prosecutorial records not available through the courts.

Sex Offender Registry in Suffolk County

Sex offender records are a separate data source from CORI and court records. The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB) maintains the statewide registry. Level 2 and Level 3 registrants are publicly searchable. Level 1 registrants are not listed publicly. For background check research in Suffolk County, SORB data can reveal information about registered sex offenders that may not show up in a standard CORI search depending on the access level. Contact SORB at (978) 740-6400, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, or visit the Sex Offender Registry Board page.

Cities in Suffolk County

Suffolk County includes Boston and several nearby cities. Background check records for residents across the county are held at the relevant Suffolk County courts or through the state CORI system. The cities below have their own background check pages on this site.

Suffolk County also includes Chelsea and Winthrop. These communities do not have separate pages on this site, but their background check records are accessible through the Chelsea District Court and the Suffolk County court system. Chelsea District Court at 120 Broadway handles cases from Chelsea. Winthrop cases are generally handled through the East Boston BMC division.

Nearby Counties

Suffolk County is bordered by Middlesex and Norfolk Counties. If you are not sure which county holds the records you need, check the city or town of the address at the time the case was filed. Background check records are kept at the court with jurisdiction over that location.