Essex County Public Records Search

Essex County public records cover property deeds, land court documents, vital records, and court case files for 34 cities and towns in northeastern Massachusetts. The county operates two separate Registry of Deeds districts, one based in Beverly and one in Lawrence. This page covers where Essex County public records are held, how to search them online, and how to submit a formal public records request to the right office.

Essex County Public Records: Two Separate Registries

Essex County government was abolished in 1999. The two Registry of Deeds offices remained and now report to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The Southern Essex District covers 30 municipalities and is based in Beverly after relocating from Salem in 2024. The Northern Essex District covers 4 municipalities and operates out of Lawrence. If you are looking for a deed, you need to determine which district your town falls under before you search. Looking in the wrong district will not return results for your property.

Both registries record deeds, mortgages, discharges, liens, plans, and land court documents. The Southern Essex District has records going back to January 1, 1640, making it one of the oldest land record repositories in the country. The Northern District was established in 1869 and holds records from that year forward. Online access to both districts is available at no cost through the MassLandRecords system.

Essex County also maintains a Salem satellite office at 35 Congress Street, Suite 2100A, Salem, MA 01970, phone (978) 741-0201, for people who find the Beverly location inconvenient. That office handles Southern Essex District business.

Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds (Beverly)

The Southern Essex District Registry moved its primary office to 100 Cummings Center, Suite 206-C, Beverly, MA 01915. Register Eileen R. Duff leads the office. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The main phone number is (978) 542-1700. Customer service is at (978) 542-1704. Fax: (978) 542-1721. Email: southernessexcustomerservice@sec.state.ma.us. The office website is salemdeeds.com.

The Southern Essex District serves 30 municipalities. Cities include Amesbury, Beverly, Gloucester, Haverhill, Lynn, Newburyport, Peabody, and Salem. Towns served include Boxford, Danvers, Essex, Georgetown, Groveland, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Merrimac, Middleton, Nahant, Newbury, Rockport, Rowley, Salisbury, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wenham, and West Newbury. Document images are available from January 1, 1640 to the present. Indexes run from January 2, 1951 to the present. Physical deed books for earlier records were transferred to the Massachusetts State Archives in Boston.

For public records requests at this office, the RAO is Register Eileen R. Duff. Contact: 100 Cummings Center, Suite 206-C, Beverly, MA 01915, phone (978) 542-1733, email salemrao@sec.state.ma.us.

The Southern Essex District Registry website at salemdeeds.com shows the registry portal and its tools for searching Essex County property records. The image below is from that site.

You can search by name, document type, book and page, or property address. All document images are free to view online. Certified paper copies cost $1 per page and require a request to the office.

Note: Some private companies charge $113 to $118 to mail you a deed copy. The Southern Essex Registry provides the same document for $1 per page, or you can view it online for free.

Northern Essex Registry of Deeds (Lawrence)

The Northern Essex Registry of Deeds is at 1 Union Street, Suite 402 (4th Floor), Lawrence, MA 01840. Register M. Paul Iannuccillo leads the office. Phone: (978) 557-1900. A Spanish language line is available at (978) 557-1950. Fax: (978) 688-4679. Email: northernessexcustomerservice@sec.state.ma.us. The office website is lawrencedeeds.com and also accessible through massrods.com/essexnorth.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The recording counter closes at 4:00 PM. The Northern Essex Registry serves four municipalities: Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, and North Andover. Document images are available from 1869 to the present. Recorded land document indexes go from 1967 forward. The registry was established in 1869. The RAO is Michael Pagones, First Assistant Register.

Both Northern and Southern Essex registries offer a free Property Fraud Alert program. For the Northern Essex district, sign up at massrods.com/essexnorth. The Southern Essex district calls its program "Property Watch." Both alert you when any document is recorded in your name.

Essex County Recording Fees

Both Essex Registry districts charge the same statewide recording fees. These fees apply whether you record in person, by mail, or through e-recording. Standard 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. The excise tax on deeds is $4.56 per $1,000 of the sale price and is paid at the time of recording.

For a typical home sale, the recording fees and excise tax are due at closing. Your closing attorney or title company handles the payment. If you are recording documents yourself, call the registry in advance to confirm the exact amount due.

Essex County Court and Other Public Records

Court records for Essex County are part of the Massachusetts Trial Court system. The Essex County Superior Court, Probate and Family Court, and several District Courts all generate public records. You can search case information for free at MassCourts.org. The search works by name or case number and returns docket entries, case status, and party names. Most civil and criminal case records from the Essex County courts appear in this system.

For vital records, births, deaths, and marriages that occurred in Essex County are on file at the local city or town clerk's office where the event was registered. Statewide copies come from the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. For criminal history checks, the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services handles CORI requests. The Sex Offender Registry Board maintains the public sex offender list. Property tax records are held by the city or town assessor's office in each municipality.

Public Records Requests in Essex County

Under MGL Chapter 66, Section 10, every person has the right to request public records from any Massachusetts government agency. Each agency must designate a Records Access Officer. In Essex County, the RAO at each Registry of Deeds is listed above. For city government records in Lynn, Haverhill, Lawrence, or Peabody, contact those cities' RAOs directly through the city clerk or mayor's office.

Agencies must respond within 10 business days of receiving a request. The first two hours of search time are free for municipalities with more than 20,000 residents. After that, agencies may charge up to $25 per hour. Copies cost $0.05 per page. Electronic records are often provided at no cost. If a request is denied, you can appeal within 90 days to the Supervisor of Records at One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108, by phone at (617) 727-2832, or by email at pre@sec.state.ma.us. The Secretary of the Commonwealth oversees this process.

Note: Essex County has two separate RAOs for deed records. Make sure your request goes to the right district based on the town where the property is located.

Cities in Essex County

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

Other communities in Essex County include Salem, Beverly, Gloucester, Newburyport, and Amesbury. These cities and towns access records through the Southern Essex District Registry in Beverly.

Nearby Counties

Essex County sits in the northeast corner of Massachusetts. If a property or case spans county lines, you may need to check records in a neighboring county as well.