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.

Massachusetts County Registry of Deeds

Barnstable    Berkshire    Bristol    Dukes    Essex    Franklin    Hampden    Hampshire   Middlesex    Nantucket    Norfolk    Plymouth    Suffolk    Worcester

REGISTRIES WE USE MOST

Essex 

Established 10 May 1643

Registry of Deeds (Southern District)

Shetland Park
45 Congress St.
Suite 4100
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 741-0201
(978) 744-5865 (FAX) 
Recording Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4PM

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)  
Recording Hours: Monday - Friday 8AM - 4:00PM

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

Middlesex

Established 10 May 1643
 

Registry of Deeds (Southern District)
208 Cambridge Street
PO Box 68
East Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 679-6310
(617) 494-9083 (FAX) 
Recording 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) 322-9000
(978) 322-9001 (FAX) 
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:15PM


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

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 69
Dedham, MA 02026-0069
(781) 461-6122
(781) 326-4742 (FAX) 

Suffolk 

Established 10 May 1643

Registry of Deeds
24 New Chardon Street
Boston, MA 02114-9660
(617) 788-8575 
(617) 720-4163 (FAX)
Recording Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:15PM

Search online records from 1978 to the present.

Downloadable Forms From the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds:

(The Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view and print these forms. If you have not already, download the Adobe Acrobat Reader and then download the forms.)

Declaration of Homestead Application (If under 62 years of age.)

Special Homestead Protection for Elderly or Disabled Persons (If age 62 or older or disabled.)

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) 
Recording Hours: Monday - Friday 9AM - 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)

166 Boulder Drive
Suite 202
Fitchburg, MA 01420
(978) 342-2637
(978) 345-2865 (FAX) 
Recording Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4PM
 

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