Massachusetts Courts, Laws and Public Records: Where to Find Them
The short version
- The Massachusetts General Laws, the state's statutes, are published in full by the Legislature.
- Springfield hosts a session of the Western Housing Court and a seat of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
- The Public Records Division explains how to request government records and appeal a denial; the Open Meeting Law sets the rules for public bodies' meetings.
- Massachusetts Land Records offers a free public search of recorded deeds, mortgages, liens and plans, including Hampden County.
Sooner or later most people need an official source: the text of a law, which court hears a case, a government record, or what is recorded against a house. These are the official places to look. The City of Springfield Law Department lists most of them on its Legal Resources page, and they are all on our community resources page.
The law itself
- Massachusetts General Laws: the full text of the state's statutes, published by the Massachusetts Legislature.
- Mass.gov: the Commonwealth's official website, covering state agencies, services and forms.
- USA.gov: the federal government's official guide to its agencies and services.
The state courts
- The Massachusetts court system: how the state courts are organized, from the Supreme Judicial Court and the Appeals Court to the seven Trial Court departments.
- Western Housing Court, Springfield Session: the Housing Court session in Springfield, which hears housing cases including landlord-tenant matters.
- Appellate Tax Board: hears appeals of state and local tax decisions, including property-tax abatements denied by local assessors.
The federal courts
- U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts: the federal trial court for Massachusetts, which sits in Boston, Worcester and Springfield.
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit: the federal appeals court whose circuit includes Massachusetts.
- Supreme Court of the United States: the highest federal court.
Government records and meetings
- Public Records Law: the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Public Records Division explains how to request government records, and how to appeal a denial.
- Open Meeting Law: the rules for meetings of state and local public bodies, and how to raise a concern about one.
What is recorded against a property
Massachusetts Land Records is a free public search of recorded deeds, mortgages, liens and plans at the Massachusetts registries of deeds, including Hampden County.
It is useful before a closing, or to see what is recorded against a property. A search shows what is on record. Reading it, and finding what a title examination turns up that a quick search does not, is part of the work a closing attorney does. See our guide to how a Massachusetts closing works.
The full list is on our community resources page, last reviewed on June 22, 2026.
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