Find Dukes County Court Docket Records

Dukes County court docket records cover cases filed in the Superior, District, and Probate and Family courts on Martha's Vineyard, all of which are housed in a single courthouse in Edgartown at 81 Main Street. This guide explains how to search Dukes County court dockets online through the Massachusetts Trial Court's eAccess system and how to get copies of court records in person or by mail from the Edgartown courthouse.

How to Search Dukes County Court Dockets Online

The Massachusetts Trial Court operates eAccess at masscourts.org, the primary online portal for searching court dockets statewide. Dukes County cases are part of this system. You can search civil cases by party name, or look up any case type using a case number. No account is required, and access is free. The system shows case status, party names, attorney information, filing dates, and docket entries for each case.

Name searches through the public internet portal are limited to civil cases. If you need to find a criminal case in Dukes County by party name, you must visit the courthouse in Edgartown and use a public access terminal. Those terminals are more complete than what the website provides. If you already have a case number, you can use that to pull up any docket type directly through the web portal without restriction.

Given that Dukes County is an island, the ability to search online is especially practical. Before making a trip to the island to visit the courthouse, running an eAccess search first can confirm whether a case exists, what its status is, and whether documents have been filed that you can review. The state's how-to guide at mass.gov/info-details/how-to-search-court-dockets explains the full search process, including wildcard tips and how to read docket entries.

Note: The seasonal population on Martha's Vineyard can affect court scheduling during summer months. Call ahead to confirm hearing dates and clerk office availability during peak tourist season.

Dukes County Courthouse in Edgartown

All of Dukes County's court departments operate out of a single courthouse at 81 Main Street in Edgartown. This arrangement is unusual for Massachusetts, where most counties have separate buildings for different court levels. In Dukes County, the Dukes Superior Court, the Dukes Probate and Family Court, and the Edgartown District Court all share the same building. This means one visit covers all court departments if you have business across multiple case types.

The Superior Court handles serious civil cases and felony criminal matters. The Probate and Family Court handles divorce, guardianship, estates, and adoption cases. The District Court handles lower-level civil claims, small claims, restraining orders, and misdemeanor criminal matters. Each department maintains its own docket, but the clerks are all in the same building, making it easy to move between them. Visiting with a complete list of the case names or numbers you need will help the process go smoothly.

The courthouse is reachable by ferry from the mainland. The main ferry ports on the Vineyard are in Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs, both a short drive from Edgartown. If you are traveling from the mainland specifically to access court records, consider whether an online search or a mail request might be a faster option. Historical records may also be at the Massachusetts Archives in Boston for older cases that predate electronic filing.

Clerk office hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. These hours apply to all three court departments in the building. Plan your visit during these hours to ensure you can access the clerk's office for document requests, filings, or in-person docket searches.

What a Court Docket Contains

A court docket is the official running record of a case. It logs every action taken from the date of filing through the final disposition. When you access a Dukes County case through eAccess or at the courthouse terminal, you will see the case caption, party names, attorney names, dates of each filing, the type of filing or action, any scheduled hearings, and the current case status. The docket shows the structure of the case without always displaying the text of the documents themselves.

For Superior Court civil cases, the docket may include a long history of motions, oppositions, orders, and continuances. Probate and Family Court dockets cover the procedural history of estate or family matters, which sometimes span years. District Court dockets tend to be shorter but are high in volume. Some docket entries link to viewable electronic filings. Others log a paper document that was filed before electronic filing was in place or that was not digitized.

If you need the actual text of a document, not just the docket entry, you will need to request a copy from the clerk's office. The clerk can tell you whether the document is available electronically or only in paper form. For older files, physical copies may be the only option. Historical records that predate the court's retention period may have been transferred to the Massachusetts Archives.

Requesting Document Copies

Copies of court records from Dukes County cases are available from the clerk's office at the Edgartown courthouse. Standard non-certified copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $2.50 per page. Certified orders and decrees cost $20.00. Electronic documents are $5.00. These fees are set by the Massachusetts Trial Court and apply statewide.

You can request copies in person during clerk hours, or send a written request by mail to the courthouse at 81 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539. Include the case name, case number, and a description of the specific document you need. Enclose a check or money order for the estimated amount. If the fee is higher than your payment, the clerk will contact you before sending the copies. Mail requests from the mainland can take longer given the island location, so plan accordingly if you have a deadline.

The Massachusetts public records law at mass.gov applies to court records alongside Trial Court Rule VIII. For most straightforward requests, contacting the clerk directly is faster than filing a formal public records request. Instructions for submitting formal public records requests are at sec.state.ma.us if you need to go that route.

Edgartown District Court Docket Access

The Edgartown District Court handles a wide range of matters for Martha's Vineyard residents. Civil, small claims, criminal, and restraining order cases all go through this court. Its docket is searchable through eAccess for civil matters. For criminal name searches, the in-person public terminal at the courthouse is required. The court serves the island communities of Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury.

The Edgartown District Court page on mass.gov has the current address, phone number, and clerk office hours. Because the court shares the building with the Superior and Probate courts, the same address applies to all three. If you are visiting for a specific department, confirm which clerk's window or office handles your case type when you arrive.

The image below is sourced from the mass.gov Edgartown District Court page and shows the court's details for Dukes County.

This page is the best source for current contact details and hours for all court departments at the Edgartown courthouse.

Public Access to Court Records

Massachusetts court records are generally public under Trial Court Rule VIII. Most civil case dockets and documents are available to anyone who requests them. Some records are sealed, such as juvenile files, certain domestic violence records, and files sealed by specific court order. If a record does not appear in an eAccess search, it may be sealed, it may predate the electronic system, or the case number format you are using may not match. The clerk's office can help you determine whether a case exists and what access is available.

The broader public records law, M.G.L. c. 66, Section 10, gives you the right to request records from government agencies with a response required within 10 business days. For court records, the clerk is usually the fastest path. A statewide overview of how to search dockets and access case information is at mass.gov/search-court-dockets-calendars-and-case-information. For cases that have reached the appellate level, the Appeals Court's information page at mass.gov/info-details/appeals-court-case-information covers how to look up those records.

Note: Dukes County's island location means some delays are possible for mailed requests. Online access through eAccess is often the most practical first step for anyone not already on the island.

Cities in Dukes County

No cities in Dukes County meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All court business in Dukes County is handled at the Edgartown courthouse. Residents of Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury all use the same courthouse for court docket access and filings.

Nearby Counties

Dukes County is an island county on Martha's Vineyard. The nearest Massachusetts counties are accessible by water.