Bristol County Public Records

Bristol County public records include property deeds, land court documents, court case filings, and government documents for 20 municipalities in southeastern Massachusetts. The county is unusual in having three separate Registry of Deeds offices: one in Fall River, one in New Bedford, and one in Taunton. This page explains which office serves each town, how to search Bristol County public records online, and how to request documents from the right registry.

Bristol County: Three Registry of Deeds Offices

Bristol County is one of only a few Massachusetts counties with three separate Registry of Deeds offices. The Fall River Registry (also called the South Bristol Registry) serves the largest set of towns, covering 13 municipalities in the southern part of the county. The New Bedford Registry covers five municipalities in the southeastern section. The Taunton Registry covers the northern part of the county, including Attleboro and Taunton. Before you search for any Bristol County deed or mortgage document, you need to confirm which district covers the town in question.

All three registries hold their records separately. A deed recorded in Fall River will not appear in a New Bedford search. Getting the district wrong means your search comes up empty. The three offices each have their own phone numbers, staff, and hours, though they share the same statewide fee schedule for recording costs.

Bristol County government was abolished along with most other Massachusetts county governments in the late 1990s. The three Registry offices now operate under the Secretary of the Commonwealth's oversight.

Fall River Registry of Deeds (South Bristol)

The Fall River Registry of Deeds is at 441 N Main Street, Fall River, MA 02720. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1603, Fall River, MA 02722. Phone: (508) 677-9763. Email: fallriverregistry@sec.state.ma.us. The website is fallriverdeeds.com. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The RAO is Barry A. Amaral.

The Fall River Registry serves 13 municipalities: Fall River, Assonet, Berkley, Dighton, Easton, Freetown, Mansfield, North Attleboro, Norton, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, and Swansea. Records from 1905 to the present are available online through the Fall River Registry website. For older documents, you would need to contact the office directly about microfilm or paper records.

The Fall River Registry website shown below at fallriverdeeds.com provides access to deed images, mortgage documents, discharge records, and other land instruments for South Bristol County municipalities. The image is from that portal.

Free document viewing is available online. Certified copies cost $1 per page. The office does not have e-recording but does accept documents by mail.

New Bedford Registry of Deeds

The New Bedford Registry is at 25 N 6th Street, Room 211, New Bedford, MA 02740. Mailing: P.O. Box 1428, New Bedford, MA 02741. Phone: (508) 993-2600. Fax: (508) 999-4183. Email: NewBedfordDeeds@sec.state.ma.us. Online records are available at fallriverdeeds.com/NewBedford. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The RAO is Craig Scanlon.

The New Bedford Registry covers five municipalities: New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, and Westport. Online records are available from approximately 1974 to the present. For older documents, contact the office directly. The New Bedford area has a significant Portuguese-speaking population, and registry staff can often assist in multiple languages.

Taunton Registry of Deeds (North Bristol)

The Taunton Registry of Deeds handles North Bristol County and is at 11 Court Street, Taunton, MA 02780. Mailing: P.O. Box 1729, Taunton, MA 02780. Phone: (508) 822-0502. Fax: (508) 822-0509. Email: tauntonregistry@sec.state.ma.us. The website is tauntondeeds.com. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The RAO is William O. Murphy.

The Taunton Registry serves Attleboro, Taunton, and Rehoboth. Online records are available from approximately 1990 to the present. The Taunton Registry covers a smaller geographic area than the other two Bristol districts but handles significant document volume due to the size of Attleboro and Taunton. The registry website shown in the image below is at tauntondeeds.com.

Online searching is free. The Taunton Registry site provides access to deeds, mortgages, discharges, liens, and plan images for the North Bristol district municipalities.

Bristol County Recording Fees

All three Bristol County Registry offices charge the same statewide fees. Standard recording fees: Deed $155, Mortgage $205, Discharge of Mortgage $105, Homestead Declaration $35, Declaration of Trust $255, UCC Filing $75, Federal Tax Lien $5, Plans $105 per sheet, Municipal Lien Certificate $80, Certified Copies $1 per page. Excise tax on deeds is $4.56 per $1,000 of the sale price and is due at recording. These fees are set statewide and do not vary by registry district.

Bristol County Court and Public Records

Court records for Bristol County are part of the Massachusetts Trial Court system. The Bristol County Superior Court handles major civil and criminal cases. The Probate and Family Court handles estates, guardianships, and family law matters. District Courts serve local areas across the county. All court case records are searchable at no cost through MassCourts.org. You can search by name or case number and see case status, docket entries, and party names.

For criminal history records, CORI checks run through the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services. The sex offender registry is available at mass.gov/sorb. Vital records for Bristol County municipalities are held at the city or town clerk where the event was recorded. State-level copies come from the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Property tax records are at each city or town assessor's office.

Public Records Requests in Bristol County

Under MGL Chapter 66, Section 10, any person may request public records from a Bristol County government agency. Each of the three Registry offices has its own RAO listed above. For city and town government records, contact the municipal clerk or RAO directly. Agencies must respond within 10 business days. For municipalities over 20,000 residents, the first two hours of search time are free. After that, up to $25 per hour may be charged. Copies cost $0.05 per page.

To appeal a denied or unanswered request, write to the Supervisor of Records at One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108. Phone: (617) 727-2832. Email: pre@sec.state.ma.us. You have 90 days from the denial. The Secretary of the Commonwealth oversees public records compliance across all Bristol County agencies.

Note: Because Bristol County has three separate registries, make sure your request goes to the correct office for the municipality where the property or document is located.

Cities in Bristol County

Several large cities in Bristol County have their own public records pages with local courthouse and office details.

Other communities in Bristol County include Attleboro, North Attleboro, Mansfield, Dartmouth, and Swansea. All access land records through the appropriate Bristol County Registry district for their town.

Nearby Counties

Bristol County borders several other Massachusetts counties. Properties and cases near county lines may require checking records in more than one county.