Nantucket County Court Docket Lookup

Nantucket County court docket records are maintained by the Massachusetts Trial Court and are searchable online through the free eAccess portal at masscourts.org, covering all three court departments located at the single courthouse on the island at 16 Broad Street. This page explains how to find and access Nantucket County court dockets, what information they contain, and how to request copies of court documents from the island courthouse.

Searching Nantucket Court Dockets Online

The Massachusetts Trial Court's eAccess portal at masscourts.org is where you start for any online search of Nantucket County court dockets. The system is free, requires no login, and covers all Massachusetts Trial Court departments including the Nantucket courts. Search by party name for civil cases, or by case number for any case type. Results show the case status, docket entries, filing dates, and party and attorney information for each case.

Public name searches through the internet portal are limited to civil matters. Criminal cases by name require an in-person visit to the courthouse public access terminal. Nantucket's island location makes this a more significant consideration than in other counties. If you need to find a criminal case by name and cannot travel to the island, you may want to contact the clerk's office directly to ask about alternative options. Case number searches work for all case types online, so if you have a number from a prior document, you can retrieve the docket from anywhere with internet access.

The state provides a detailed walkthrough of how to use eAccess at mass.gov/info-details/how-to-search-court-dockets. This guide explains how to enter names, use wildcards, and interpret docket entries. It also covers what information is publicly visible versus restricted. Reading this page before running your search can save time, especially if you are not familiar with how Massachusetts court records are organized.

Nantucket Courthouse: One Building, All Courts

Nantucket County is unique in Massachusetts because all of its court departments operate from a single building at 16 Broad Street in Nantucket. The Nantucket Superior Court, the Nantucket Probate and Family Court, and the Nantucket District Court all share this address. If you need to visit the courthouse for records from any of these departments, one trip covers all of them.

The Superior Court handles major civil cases and serious felony criminal matters. The Probate and Family Court handles divorce, estates, guardianship, adoption, and name change cases. The District Court handles lower civil claims, small claims, restraining orders, and misdemeanor criminal matters. Each department maintains its own separate docket within the statewide system, even though they share a building. When you search eAccess, you will need to know which court type your case falls under in order to locate it quickly.

Because Nantucket is a small island county, the volume of cases is lower than in mainland counties. The clerk's office handles all three departments and is generally staffed to help residents navigate across case types. If you are unsure which court your matter belongs to, the clerk at the front desk can usually point you in the right direction. Clerk office hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

Access to the island requires a ferry from Hyannis or Oak Bluffs, or a short flight from several regional airports. If you are traveling from the mainland for court records only, confirm by phone whether what you need is available online or by mail before making the trip.

Understanding Nantucket Court Docket Entries

A court docket is the official log of everything that happens in a case. It is maintained by the clerk's office and updated each time something is filed, scheduled, or ordered. When you view a Nantucket County case through eAccess or at the courthouse terminal, you see the case name, the parties and their attorneys, the date the case was opened, every subsequent action in chronological order, scheduled hearing dates, and the current status. This is the backbone of the case file.

For Superior Court cases, dockets can cover years of activity and include dozens of entries for motions, orders, and hearings. Probate dockets track estate administration or family proceedings over long periods. District Court dockets are shorter but cover more variety. Some docket entries include links to the actual document filed. Others are log entries only, and the underlying document must be requested from the clerk. The availability of electronic documents depends on when the case was filed and whether it was part of the court's electronic filing system.

Sealed dockets will not appear in standard searches. Juvenile cases, certain impounded records, and files sealed by court order are not accessible through the public portal. If you believe a file exists but cannot find it, contact the clerk's office to ask about access options. In some cases, a formal petition to the court is required to access sealed records.

Requesting Copies of Nantucket Court Records

Document copies from Nantucket County cases are available from the clerk's office at 16 Broad Street. Standard non-certified copies are $0.50 per page. Certified copies cost $2.50 per page. Certified orders and decrees are $20.00. Electronic document copies cost $5.00. These are the standard Massachusetts Trial Court fee rates. The clerk can give you an estimate for a specific document before you pay.

You can request copies in person during clerk office hours. For mail requests, write to the clerk at the Nantucket courthouse and include the case name, case number, and a specific description of the document you need. Include a check or money order for the estimated fee. Given the island location, mail requests may take longer than those in mainland counties. Build in extra time if you have a deadline. The clerk's office can tell you the current turnaround time when you call.

The Massachusetts public records law at mass.gov and the process for submitting formal public records requests at sec.state.ma.us apply to court records alongside Trial Court Rule VIII. For most people, contacting the clerk directly is faster than going through the formal public records process. The clerk can usually pull documents the same day for in-person requests.

Note: Call the clerk's office before mailing payment to confirm the current fee and the best address for your specific court department request.

Nantucket District Court Case Access

The Nantucket District Court is the most active of the three court departments for day-to-day matters. Small claims, civil complaints, restraining orders, and criminal matters all flow through this court. Its docket is part of the statewide eAccess system for civil cases. Criminal dockets by name require the in-person terminal at the courthouse. The Nantucket District Court page on mass.gov has the current address, phone, and clerk hours.

Small claims are a common way for island residents to resolve disputes without an attorney. Claims up to $7,000 can be filed in District Court small claims. The docket for these cases is public. If you are looking up a small claims case, the eAccess system should show it under the civil case search by name or case number. Call the clerk's office if you have trouble locating a specific small claims case, as the formatting of case numbers can vary.

The screenshot below is sourced from the mass.gov Nantucket District Court page, which shows the courthouse details and clerk information for Nantucket County.

This page is the best starting point for contact details and hours before visiting the Nantucket courthouse.

Your Right to Access Court Records

Most court records in Massachusetts are public under Trial Court Rule VIII. Civil dockets, filings, and judgments are open to anyone who requests them. The exceptions are juvenile files, records sealed by court order, and certain confidential family court matters. If a record does not appear in an online search, it may be sealed, it may be older than what the electronic system covers, or there may be a formatting issue with the search terms. The clerk can help determine which applies in your situation.

M.G.L. c. 66, Section 10 gives you the legal right to access public records from any government agency, with a response required within 10 business days. For court records, the clerk's office is typically the fastest path. A comprehensive overview of how to search dockets across all Massachusetts courts is available at mass.gov/search-court-dockets-calendars-and-case-information. If your case has been appealed, appellate dockets are searchable through the same eAccess system, and the Appeals Court has its own information page at mass.gov/info-details/appeals-court-case-information.

A general resource for finding Massachusetts court records by location and case type is also available at massachusettscourtrecords.org. This site aggregates information about court systems across the state and can be a useful reference when navigating unfamiliar case types or courts.

Cities in Nantucket County

No cities in Nantucket County meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Nantucket is an island county with one town and one courthouse. All residents access court dockets through the courthouse at 16 Broad Street or through the statewide eAccess portal at masscourts.org.

Nearby Counties

Nantucket County is an island. The nearest Massachusetts counties are accessible by water from the mainland or from Martha's Vineyard.