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Registry of Deeds

The Registry of Deeds is a county office of record where the public may register deeds, mortgages and other land records. Copies of these records and others such as easements, mortgage discharges, liens and plans of land, many of them dating back to the early days of the colonies, are to be found at the Registries across the state.

A visit to the Registry is an important part of "due diligence" for home buyers and can be used to determine property ownership, to research land titles and to acquire copies of recorded documents and plans. Statutory fees are collected for recordings, excise tax stamps, copies, and other Registry services. Land Records are divided into an index of grantors (those who grant or sell) and an index of grantees (those who receive or buy) in alphabetical order by time period. The "book and page" are referenced where a copy of the document can be found. A Plan Index lists plan names, plan owners' names and street names by town with a reference to the book and page the document can be found.

Massachusetts is privileged to have a trend-setting Registry of Deeds in Essex County www.salemdeeds.com. They converted their computerized database of deeds for the 30 communities in their jurisdiction to an open system of document images for the public on the Web using Windows NT. Their future plans include the addition of mapping, zoning, etc. For history buffs, the first record books at the Essex County Registry, dating back to 1639, are on the Web for viewing. Their registry was nominated for the prestigious Computerworld Smithsonian Award which recognizes innovative uses of technology that benefit society.

The other Registry of Deeds contact information, by county, are as follows:

Barnstable

Established 2 June 1685 from Plymouth County

Registry of Deeds
3195 Main Street
Route 6A
Barnstable, MA 02630
(508) 362-7733
(508) 362-5065 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 4PM

Berkshire

Established 21 April 1761 from Hampshire County

Register of Deeds (Northern District)
65 Park Street
Adams, MA 01220
(413) 743-0035
(413) 743-1003 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM

The Northern District includes the towns of Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, Lanesboro, New Ashford, North Adams, Savoy, Williamstown and Windsor.

Register of Deeds (Middle District)
44 Bank Row
Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 443-7438
(413) 448-6025 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM

The Middle District includes the towns of Becket, Dalton, Hinsdale, Lee, Lenox, Otis, Peru, Pittsfield, Richmond, Stockbridge, Tyringham and Washington.

Register of Deeds (Southern District)
334 Main Street
Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-0146
(413) 528-6878 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM

The Southern District includes the towns of Alford, Egremont, Great Barrington, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Sandisfield, Sheffield and West Stockbridge.

Bristol

Established 2 June 1685 from Plymouth County

Registry of Deeds (Northern District)
11 Court Street
1st Floor
Taunton, MA 02780
(508) 822-0502
(508) 880-4975 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM

The Northern District includes the towns of Attleboro, Berkley, Dighton, Easton, Mansfield, North Attleboro, Norton, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk and Taunton.

Registry of Deeds (Southern District)
25 North 6th Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 993-2603
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 5:00PM

The Southern District includes the towns of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, New Bedford and Westport.

Registry of Deeds (Fall River District)
441 North Main Street
Fall River, MA 02720
(508) 673-1651
(508) 673-2910 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 5:00PM

The Fall River District includes the towns of Fall River, Freetown, Somerset and Swansea.

Dukes

Established 1 November 1683 by New York and 22 June 1695 by Massachusetts

Registry of Deeds
81 Main Street
PO Box 5231
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508) 627-4025
(508) 627-7821 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM

Essex

Established 10 May 1643

Registry of Deeds (Southern District)

32 Federal Street
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 741-0200
(978) 744-5865 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 3PM

The Southern District includes the towns of Amesbury, Beverly, Boxford, Danvers, Essex, Georgetown, Gloucester, Groveland, Hamilton, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lynn, Lynnfield, Manchester, Marblehead, Merrimac, Middleton, Nahant, Newbury, Newburyport, Peabody, Rockport, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wenham, and West Newbury.

Registry of Deeds (Northern District)
381 Common Street
Lawrence, MA 01840
(978) 683-2745
(978) 688-4679 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 4:30PM

The Northern District includes the towns of Andover, Lawrence, Methuen and North Andover.

Franklin

Established 24 June 1811 from Hampshire County

Franklin Regional Council of Governments
Registry of Deeds
425 Main Street
P.O. Box 1495
Greenfield, MA 01301
(413) 772-0239
(413) 774-7150 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 9AM - 3PM

Hampden

Established 25 February 1812 from Hampshire County

Hall of Justice
Registry of Deeds
50 State Street
PO Box 559
Springfield, MA 01102-0559
(413) 748-8611
(413) 731-8190 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 4:30PM

Hampshire

Established 1 May 1662 from Middlesex County

Registry of Deeds
33 King Avenue
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 584-3637
(413) 584-4136 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 9AM - 3PM

Middlesex

Established 10 May 1643

Registry of Deeds (Southern District)
208 Cambridge Street
East Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 494-4500
(617) 494-9083 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 4PM

The Southern District includes the towns of Acton, Arlington, Ashby, Ashland, Ayer, Bedford, Belmont, Boxborough, Burlington, Cambridge, Concord, Everett, Framingham, Groton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Malden, Marlboro, Maynard, Medford, Melrose, Natick, Newton, North Reading, Pepperell, Reading, Sherborn, Shirley, Somerville, Stoneham, Stow, Sudbury, Townsend, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Weston, Winchester and Woburn.

Registry of Deeds (Northern District)
360 Gorham Street
Lowell, MA 01854
(978) 458-8474
(978) 458-7765 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 4PM

The Northern District includes the towns of Billerica, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Lowell, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Westford and Wilmington.

Nantucket

Established 22 June 1695 from Dukes County

Registry of Deeds
Town and County Building
16 Broad Street
Nantucket, MA 02554
(508) 228-7250
(508) 325-5331
Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 4PM

Norfolk

Original county established 10 May 1643 - disbanded 4 February 1680. Current county established 26 March 1793 from Suffolk County.

Registry of Deeds
649 High Street
PO Box 310
Dedham, MA 02026
(781) 461-6122
(781) 326-4742 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM

Plymouth

Established 2 June 1685 from Plymouth Colony.

Registry of Deeds
11 South Russell Street
Plymouth, MA 02360
(508) 830-9200
(508) 830-9280 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 4PM

Suffolk

Established 10 May 1643

Registry of Deeds
24 New Chardon Street
1st Floor
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 788-8575
Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 4:30PM

The registry of deeds and probate court are in the same building. It's just a few steps from North Station, Haymarket Square and the Fleet Center.

Worcester

Established 2 April 1731 from Middlesex, Suffolk and Hampshire counties.

Registry of Deeds (Worcester District)
2 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01608
(508) 798-7717
(508) 798-7746 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4PM

The Worcester District includes the towns of Athol, Auburn, Barre, Berlin, Blackstone, Bolton, Brookfield, Charlton, Clinton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Gardner, Grafton, Hardwick, Harvard, Holden, Hopedale, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leicester, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Northboro, Northbridge, Oakham, Oxford, Paxton, Petersham, Phillipstown, Princeton, Royalston, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Southboro, Southbridge, Spencer, Sterling, Sturbridge, Sutton, Templeton, Upton, Uxbridge, Warren, Webster, Westboro, West Boylston, West Brookfield, Winchedon and Worcester.

Registry of Deeds (Northern District)
84 Elm Street
Fitchburg, MA 01420
(978) 342-2132
(978) 345-2865 (FAX)
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4PM

The Northern District includes the towns of Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lunenburg and Westminster.