Franklin County Court Docket Search

Franklin County court docket records are maintained by the Massachusetts Trial Court and are accessible online through the statewide eAccess portal, with in-person access available at courthouses in Greenfield and Orange. This page covers how to find court dockets for cases filed in Franklin County's Superior, District, and Probate and Family courts, what the dockets contain, and how to get copies of court documents.

Searching Franklin County Court Dockets

The Massachusetts Trial Court's eAccess system at masscourts.org is the primary online tool for searching Franklin County court dockets. It is free to use and does not require registration or a login. You can search by party name for civil cases, or by case number for any case type. The system covers all Trial Court departments, including Superior, District, and Probate and Family courts in Franklin County.

Keep in mind that name searches are limited to civil matters when using the public internet portal. Criminal case name lookups are not available online. If you need to find a criminal case by name, you will need to visit a Franklin County courthouse and use the public access terminal there. These in-person terminals have broader search access than the web portal. A case number search, however, works for all case types through the website, so if you have a number from a document or prior search, you can retrieve any docket that way.

The state's search guide at mass.gov/info-details/how-to-search-court-dockets walks through how eAccess works, including tips for partial name searches and how to interpret the results. It explains what docket entries mean and how to tell whether a case is active, closed, or transferred. If this is your first time using the system, that page is worth reading before you start.

Note: Use a percent sign (%) as a wildcard at the end of a name to broaden your search if you are unsure of an exact spelling.

Franklin County Court Locations

Franklin County's court system is centered in Greenfield, where the main courthouse at 101 Munson Street houses three separate court departments. The Franklin Superior Court handles major civil cases, felony criminal matters, and appeals from the lower courts. The Franklin Probate and Family Court sits in the same building and handles divorce, guardianship, adoption, estate, and name change cases. Sharing one facility makes it straightforward to visit multiple departments in a single trip, which is common for people dealing with matters that cross court types.

The Eastern Franklin District Court, also located at 101 Munson Street in Greenfield, handles lower-level civil claims, small claims, housing cases, and criminal matters for the eastern part of the county. The Greenfield District Court page on mass.gov has current contact information and directions. The Orange District Court at 1 Court Street in Orange serves the western and central parts of the county. This court has its own docket, and cases are not automatically shared across district court locations.

All Franklin County clerk offices are open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. If you plan to visit for a document request or to file something, arriving before 4:00 PM gives you enough time to complete most tasks without feeling rushed.

What Is in a Court Docket

A court docket is the official chronological record of everything that happens in a case. When you pull up a Franklin County case through eAccess or at the courthouse, you will see the case name, the names of the parties and their attorneys, the date the case was filed, all subsequent filings and motions, scheduled hearing dates, and the current status of the case. The docket is the spine of the case file. It does not always include the actual text of documents, but it tells you what was filed and when.

In the Superior Court, civil dockets are often quite long for complex cases, with dozens of entries covering motions, oppositions, orders, and continuances. Probate dockets track the progress of estate administration or family court proceedings and may span years. District Court dockets tend to be shorter but cover a wider range of matter types. The level of detail you see online depends on the court department and the case type.

Some docket entries link to viewable documents. Others simply log an action without making the underlying filing visible online. If you need the actual document, you may have to visit the courthouse or submit a written request to the clerk's office. Not all documents are posted online, especially older filings from before the court's electronic filing system was in place.

Getting Copies of Court Records

To get a physical copy of a court document from a Franklin County case, contact the clerk's office at the appropriate courthouse. Non-certified copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $2.50 per page. Certified orders and decrees are $20.00. Electronic document copies are $5.00. These are standard Massachusetts Trial Court fees that apply across all court locations.

You can request copies in person during clerk office hours, or you can send a written request by mail. For mail requests, include the full case name, the case number, and a specific description of the document you need. Send a check or money order for the estimated fee. If the actual cost differs, the clerk will contact you. Processing times for mail requests can range from a few days to a few weeks depending on the workload at that clerk's office.

Massachusetts public records law, found at mass.gov, gives you the right to access government records including court documents. For formal public records requests, the state's process is explained at sec.state.ma.us. Court records operate under Trial Court Rule VIII, which has its own procedures, so the clerk's office is usually the best first contact for any court record request.

Note: Call ahead before mailing a request to confirm current fees and the correct mailing address for the specific court department you need.

Greenfield District Court Docket

The Greenfield District Court is Franklin County's main lower court. It handles a high volume of civil, criminal, and small claims cases for the Greenfield area and surrounding communities. Because it is part of the statewide Massachusetts Trial Court system, its dockets are searchable through eAccess for civil cases. Criminal dockets require in-person access.

The Greenfield District Court page on mass.gov lists the court's address, phone number, fax, and hours. It also links to forms and information about programs offered at that location. If you are visiting for a small claims matter or a civil restraining order hearing, this page is a good starting point. The court handles matters for a large geographic area in western Massachusetts, so its docket tends to be active with a wide range of case types.

The screenshot below is sourced from the mass.gov Greenfield District Court page and shows the court's location and contact details.

Use this page to confirm the current clerk office hours before visiting in person.

Public Records Rights in Franklin County

Court records in Massachusetts are generally public under Trial Court Rule VIII. This means most civil dockets and filings are accessible to anyone who asks. Certain records are sealed, including juvenile cases, certain domestic abuse records, and files sealed by court order. If you cannot find a record online and believe it exists, the clerk's office can tell you whether it is sealed and what options you have for requesting access.

The general framework for public records access in Massachusetts comes from M.G.L. c. 66, Section 10, which requires agencies to respond to records requests within 10 business days. For court records specifically, you are more likely to get a quick result by contacting the clerk directly rather than filing a formal public records request through the state's system. The clerk can often pull a document the same day for straightforward in-person requests. The statewide docket overview at mass.gov/search-court-dockets-calendars-and-case-information explains all the major access tools available across Massachusetts.

For appellate matters, the Appeals Court's case information page at mass.gov/info-details/appeals-court-case-information covers how to look up cases that have been appealed from Franklin County trial courts. All appellate records are maintained in Boston but are searchable through the same eAccess system.

Cities in Franklin County

No cities in Franklin County meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Residents of Greenfield, Orange, and other Franklin County communities can access court dockets through the county courthouses in Greenfield and Orange or through the statewide eAccess portal at masscourts.org.

Nearby Counties

Franklin County borders four other Massachusetts counties, each with its own court system and docket access points.